The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-28
.SCOURGE OF THE SOUTH
Three Negro Brutes Exc
cuted, Yet Fiendish As
saults Continue.

| BALTIMORE. Md, July q, 1S99.-Upon
| one scafsold and simultaneously four me-
| groes were, at 9:4s "A. M today, ushered
| into eternity in the Baltimore city jail
yard. Three of the men, Cornelius Gard
ner, John Myers and Charles James paid
! with their lives for criIninally assaulting
/ Annie Bailey, thirteen -year-old negress,
while Joseph Bryan, the fourth member
| Of the quartette, killed Mary Pack, a
negress with whom ne had lived.
/ A fifth negro, Daniel Rodgers. convicted
| of killing his brother-in-law, Charles Lew-
| is, was to have occupied the same scaf-
| fold, but his sentence was commuted to
/ life Imprisonment by Governor Lowndes
and he now occupies a cell in the Peni-
tentiary.
AS early as seven o'clock crowds Of
morbidly curious persons thronged the
streets leading to the jail, in the hope of
getting a glimpse of the execution. Sheriff
Hoffman had been overrun with appli-
cants for passes, but to all these he turned
a deaf ear. His. deputies, the Jail wardens
and twenty witnesses, as the law re-
quires. the spiritual advisers of the con-
demned and representatives of the press
were the only persons allowed within the
lHClOSufe-
Gardner, the only Catholic in the
quartette, was attended by Father
Busche. the others being accompanied to
the gallows by Rev. G. w. Coins Rev.
j. w. Beckett and Rev. r. Parker,
Evan2elists.
Shortly before eight o'clock Sheriff
Hoffman arrived at the jail and the final
preparations for the execution were be-
gun. AT s.l5 the prayers and songs Of the
prisoners were cut short by notice from
one of the deputies TO get ready for the
march to the gallows. The witnesses
gathered in the corridor anxious to catch
a glimpse of the men. All eyes were on
the cells. The men made their final pre-
parations in their cells with the assist
ance of the death watch and their spirit
ual advisers. They seemed particular as
to their appearance.
Then accompanied by the clergymen
the solemn procession began to the office
of Warden Hall. The crowd Of spectators
in the corridor was parted by the deputies
leaving a wide passageway. Along this
the men walked with an attempt at BRAY
cry and courage, although their downcast
eyes were raised only occasionally to
meet the curious glances of the specta-
tors In the wardens office the final
statements of the men were made and
their farewells said. Then the deputies
garbed the men in black robes for their
death.
Again the procession was formed and
the march began out through the Jail cor
ridor to the back entrance. The black
robed figures moved slowly by the side
of the clergymen and the deputies sur
rounded them. Every sound was hushed
and the spectators did nothing more
than whisper in making comments to each
other. Upon arrival at the scafford the
men Immediately ascended it, and the
the mbs. and pulling down the masks
over the faces.
This done deputies and clergymen left
the structure Sheriff's Clerk Heine be-
ing the last to descend the steps. When
all was pronounced in readiness Sheriff
Hoffman sprung the trap and like a shot
the four men dropped to their death.
The necks of James, Myers and Bryan
were broken by the fall and they died al
most instantly.
Gardner's cap became disarranged in
the fall, and his contorted face was yisi-
apparently conscious about one moment.
after which he slowly strangled This
accident, which was entirely unavoidable,
was the only feature to mar the other
wise perfect action. James body was
the first to be lowered at 1017. Gardner's
body was suspended forty-four minutes,
the Sheriff preferring to be satisfied that
life was extinct in all cases before remov-
ing the bodies from the scaffold.
The remains of the four men were turn
the direction of the families of the dead
men.