The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-05-10
Scipio Rhame Pays the Death Penalty

The penalty of the law was paid last
Friday by Scipio Rhame, who was taken
from the county jail and hanged by the
neck until he was dead. The body was
delivered over to a relative and taken 10
his home near Silver for burial.
Long before the hour arrived for the exc.
cntion Of the death warrant many people
inportuued Sheriff Biadham for privilege
to witness the hanging; the sheriff, how
ever, was not inclined to have crowd to
witness the solemn proceeding and he
summoned ten witnesses besides his depu-
ties. However, this did not prevent the
curious from seeing what was to 60 on, aH q
on account Of the surroundings 1t was easy
for the crowds outside on neighboring
houses to SEE everything. At y o'clock the
procession, consisting OF the sheriff, prls.
oner, clergymen and deputies came from
the iail. The prisoner walked with a
steady step and seemed prepared for the
ordeal; going up on the gallows he talked
to those in front of him for several min
utes and expressed his readiness to die.
He prayed and sung hymns Revs. Pom
pew and jenkins administered to the
doomed mans spiritual welfare. Sheriff
Bradham read the death warrant Deputy
Gamble adjusted the rope, aided by Joe
Sprott and J. II. Wlndham, at signal
sprung the trap which sent Scipio Rhame
into eternity. He struggled but little and
Drs. Geiger and Diukins pronounced him
dead, after which he was cut down AID low
cred into i: coffin.
Rhame was convicted at the February
term before Judge Aldrich for the murder
of Ellison Butler at IL negro "sell supper
OF the night of the 29th OF October last IN
the Snmmertou section. His partner IN
the crime, Robert Pearson, was convicted
also, but the jury recommended him to
mercy which reduced his sentence to lte
Imprisonment The evidence ut the trial
showed that Rha,ne and Pearson We're at
this "se!l supper" together and that Pear
son became involved in difficulty with
the deceased, striking him with walking 6
stick that had brass knob on the end.
Rhame rushed up with piece OF fence
rail and dealt the deceased a blow which
shattered his skull, and, inasmuch as
Rhame struck the fatal blow,t jury found
him guilty without recommendation. q.
The doomed man was frlendless; he did
not even have money to employ counsel,
and when be was about to be arralgned
Judge Aldrich appointed }. +. khame, DR.,
Esq, to defend the prisoner. A motion
for new trial was made and refused, then
sentence of death was pronounced. There
are MANY who believe that Rhame should
not have been hanged after Pearson, who
begun the ::ouble. got of with HE SEN
tence A petition was gotten up and signed
By several hundred persons, lnclndlng SIX
of the trial jury, and Mr. Rbame, DR., went
10 Columbia to ask for commutatlon OF
sentence, and if the Governor would not
commute, then givea respite for thirty days
to permit a showing to be made why the
man should not hang. Governor Ellerbe
Was sick aud could not be seen, bnt through
his private secretary he declined to inter-
fere with tie sentence OF the court
On Monday night, May l, aon. }. +.
RLame went to Summervilie to endeavor to
get the Governor to grant respite. Out he,
too, was unable to have personal inter-
view, and failed to get the iiovernor to con-
slider the case. On last Thursday morning,
armed with II very stropg letter from So!lc-
itor Wilson urging Il respite for thirty days,
the writer went to Columbia, but the Gov
erllor would not interfere, and all that
could be, w;ls done for the poor wretch who,
in our opinion, did not deserve more Sc.
we're punishment than his companion,
Pearson
Clarendon has been particularly tortu-
nate in having had so few hanginSs. The
iirst was IN 1865, when five negroes were
hanged tor iusurrection. Capt D. J. Brad
ham, our present sheriff Was sheriff at the
time. The next took place in 1891; Ed
mund Holladay. co!ored was hanged by
Sheriff Lesesne for the murder Of John Du'
Bose, a white man.