The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-29
jim DARLINGTON HANGED
YOUNG Train Robber and Murderer Sislcslly
Met Ills Fate. IS
nc AIDED IN KILLING TWO rRAlNmfa.
A santa re Fireman ana lcneincer
shot Down without = Chance "a
to save Their Lives.

Fort Worth, Texas, July W,--Jim Gar
| lington, aged &c. was hanged in the county
Jail this afternoon at 1:ls. In nfteen and
one-half minutes the body was cut down
and turned over to . brother. who took
1t to Navarro county for burial CARING
ton displayed great nerve. He walked TO
the scaffold unaided and during the read
Ing Of the death warrant smoked cigar.
Darlington delivered himself Of . long,
rambling talk on the scaffoid In which no
counselod young men to lead better lives
and avoid coming to the scaffold. He did
not make q confession. The fall was eight
| feet. His neck was broken and there was
| not even a quiver Of the limbs. This was
tho first legal execution Of white man
| In the county. The town was filed VITA
country people who came TO see the hang
ing. They were disappointed. as he was
| hanged inside.
Tho crime for which Jim Darlington,
alias Jim Darlington, paid the death pea
| atty today was the murder OF Watson
| Whitaker, the fireman on the southbound
Santa Fe passenger train short distance
north OF this city. on the night OF July IL,
| 1898.
! conspiracy to rob the train was
formed In this city. II was formed by
Darlington, George Moore and another
hotels about the court house square. the
rambling houses, rooming houses and low
class restaurants. Among the frequenters
OF such places they found man named
w r. Petty. generally known as Dick,
and approached him with proposition to
Join them. To this he consented and they
thereafter considered him one OF them
Petty, however. either being n coward
or possessing nner ideas of justice than Tor
which he Is given credit by the ofhcials,
hastened 10 one Hardin Gunnels, then the
assistant chief of police of Fort worth,
and laid bare to him tho whole scheme
Gunnells seeing great honor In store
for him In the capture Of gang OF train
robbers, said nothing to his chief or to
sheriff Clark, but took Petty under his own
wing, advised him TO keep in close toueh
with the would be robbers and to keep
him informed Of all their doings.
Things went on this way for two weeks
when finally Petty informed Gunnells that
the robbery was to take place on certain
night, about the goth of July. Then Gum
nels informed Chief Rea. in general
way, Of what he had In hand. The chief
said he had no faith In tho story, but told
Gunnells he could do MS he liked In the
matter.
Something interferred with the plans
and the robbery was postponed for one
day. Then Gunnelis took Police Officers
Butler. Carter and Thomson with him,
and went TO the proposed scene OF the
hold-up. Cut about four miles north OF
this city.
The train came along and stopped about
one hundred yards north OF the spot where
the officers were concealed. Fastening to
the train where It stopped the officers be-
gan a regular fusillade. which was re-
turned by the men on the engine, and re-
suited in nothing but the robbers escaping.
Later developments showed that Gar
lington and the third man boarded the
blind baggage at Saginaw. nine miles
north of this city. climbed over the tender
and shot Watson Whitaker. the fireman.
through the stomach, killing him instant
| ly and badly wounding the engineer. Joe
| Williams. The latter ran out on the loot
board and jumped off He was picked up
alive and removed to st. Joseph's hospital,
| In this city where he fingered several
weeks and then died. His ante-mortem
statement was alone sufficient to convict
Darlington
Darlington and his partner threw the
body of tho fireman from the cab and ran
the engine to the cut, where the ether
robbers were concealed When the Of
lccrs arrived general fight occurred
and Petty and Moore made their escape.
Petty returned to the city md gave him
self up He was placed In TAIL, where he
vet remains under an alleged contract with
the county attorney to turn him loose on
consideration OF his testfying against the
other robbers. This he has done Willingly
and on his testimony, very largely, Gar
lington was convicted
When II was learned tnat the robbery
had occurred the city went wild. AS
soon as the word reached Sheriff Ster-
ling Clark and Chief Rea they per-
sonaly went to the scene, taking with
them their best men md number OF
bloodhounds. They followed Moore to
the indian Territory, where he was ar
rested and brought to Fort Worth. BY
persistent efforts Darlington was located
In Navarro county, his old home, And
arrested about Two weeks after the rob-
berry. The third man has never been cap
tured.
Moore was first tried and given two
life sentences In the peniten,iry. Gar
lington was next placed on trial. found
guilty and sentenced to he hanged. His
case was taken to the court OF criminal
appeals aud affirmed. A large pe,ition
was presented TO the governor asking
for communication Of the sentence to life
Imprisonment. Equally as great petitions
we're offered protesting against II
Hardin Gunnells, the officer who knew
all about IL and who lid not inform the
other officers, was indicted and iK row un-
der bond to answer charge nj corspir-
aoy.
darlington was only &c years of age.
He was q native OF Texas rn6 was edu-
Gated for the ministry at school In
LampnsnB county. Da.ilg hts inrarcera-
tiop he wrote frequent letters TO the Mdfl-
Telegram OF this city end they oil thowed
evidences OF education lid geod thought,
He always maintained he .iid no. want 70
commit murder and protested against the
killing. He insisted his partner did the
shooting