The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-02-17
WIT u HANGED ON MARCH ii
he stsIl Persists Tint He II Innc-
cent--1'he Crime for which he
Wns Convicted.

| e.
At o'clock yesterday afternoon, at the
criminal district court room. in the pres
cnce Of few officers of the court and
newspaper men, Judge Il. d. Gavin pro-
nounced the death sentence upon Pink
Hine. alias Pate Burton. colored. sentence
ing him to hang on Friday. March "a.
The Judge refrained from making any
previous announcement OF his intention to
sentence the prisoner. as he did not care
to have the crowd present that such an
announcement would very naturally bring,
not deeming the occasion an appropriate
one for the qualification of idle curiosity.
Hine was brought into the court room
by Sheriff Anderson, and seated within the
bar OF the court near a table directly In
front OF the Judge. who very quietly an
nounced to him that the court OF criminal
appeals affirmed the finding OF this court
in his case. and asked him II he had any
thing to say why sentence should not be
pronounced.
The prisoner hesItated for some little
time. as though underwriting to fully COM
prchend the judges question.
He finally roplicd: 81 have nothing to
say except amt guilty OF it,.
The Judge Informed him that the ques-
tion OF his guilt had already been settled
by tho jury and the courts. and that il he
had nothing further to say no would pro-
nounce tho sentence which he did, by
saying: "On Friday. the 9th day of
March, you win he hung by The neck UNI
Ill you are dead. The clerk OF the court
will issue the death warrant and fhc
sheriff win execute it. In tho meantime
you are reinanded to. jail
This was all that was said. and the
prisoner was led back to his cell and the
court adjourned
Hine did not betray particle of emo
ton nor did he change his countenance in
the least, while the sentence of death was
being pronounced. but appeared perfectly
indifferent concerning his fate.
~
The crime for which Tine alias Burton,
IS to be hanged Is the killing OF the Meyer
family. near Cypress, in this county, last
summer. the details OF which are yet fresh
IN the memory of the readers of The Post.
1t was at noon-timo. when Meyer and his
WIG were euJOSluS Il SlSsla upon thcit
gallery, when Hine. who had just been
employed upon the place, killed them with
an AK. He evidently struck Mr. Meyer
first. death blow and left Mrs. Meyer for
dead. but his failure TO also strike a death
blow in her case was the circumstance that
made his conviction possible. Leaving Mrs.
Meyer, as he supposed dead, he went into
the house TO finish his wholesale massacre
by killing the children who We're there, u
Young boy about IL years old and baby
in the cradle. Upon the baby he inflicted
a wound that subsequently, caused death
and while struggling with the young boy.
having struck him over the head with "A
hDtchet and cut his hand, Mrs Meyer
screamed in the agony OF death. and as the
negro rushed out to finish his work and
silence her forever. the hoy sescaped, ran
TO neighbor 8, gave the alarm and 1t was
through his subsequent Identification of
fiine and his evidence at the trial that "A
conviction was secured.
After committing the crime Hinc was
very successful In GLIDING arrest. Sheriff
Anderson was exceedingly dllfgent and sew
eral arrests were made at various points
before the right man was captured. tIlne
being finally arrested on Or, n. p Dolun's
place in San Jacinto county.
A conviction was had on the first trial
The finding of the criminal district court !
was affirmed by the court OF criminal nm |
peals, and the only thing that will now
save Hines neck will be the lnterpositiou |
of executive cemency