Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-03-25

ana without support. He stood beneath
the limb and said in voice that was
thick and hoarse. but in which there
was no fear: Hang me, you towards;
hang me. If you will. Break this Geck;
IT has been n good one" passing
hand across his throat.
OGrady was swung skyward. The
ropes slipped in the same groove that
had at 1910 felt the weight of a human
pendulum. 1t was las when the Irish
mans feet left the earth. An active
negro climbed the tree and fastened
the ropes ends to a smaller limb, and
other negroes cried out for Joy. O'Grady
was strangling.
HOW HE LOOKED. ID
The son of ireland had stood erect.
when with hands to his side as the
neither extremties left terraqucous sub
Stance. Neither his hands nor feet were
bound. AS the ropes choked O'Grady
his head inclined to one side, but not
upward, as had Cottons. His lips grew
livid and protruded. The whole face
was darkening. Before death came the
naturally dark skin was almost black
There were no commissions. The only
movement was n slight undulating
motion of the right arm. which arose
and fell slowly. The eyelids parted
after death.
O'Grady wore a ton coat OF large
plaid. with a decent dress coat and
sorry trousers. The wind played gent
ly with his locks of long. coal-black
hair. The thick. dark. bushy whiskers
stood out stiffly. They looked defiant
even in death. The thumb OF the right
hand was clinched under the fingers.
AFTER SOUVENIRS.
The crowd closed in. Some of them
swung the body around like a sus-
An6
tons, pieces of clothes. rope and sprigs
of beard. They were gathering similar
tokens from the body of Cotton. which
still lay beneath the tree. The mob
grew more subdued. Their work was
done.
O'Grady's body was cut down and
laid beside that of his associate whose
companionship brought death. Morbid
men, some whiskey-soaked, gathered
around and stared.
Both men died of strangulation. I
examined their necks closely and could
not find an evidence of break But
am not n doctor.
BURIAL BONES.
Two implanted. pain pine boxes were
brought. The corpses were put in. The
authorities had not decided positively.
but thought that Cotton's remains
would be sent to Portsmouth that the
- a..
will probably be laid in Grcensville
county soil.
Many persons viewed the lonely
casiets. There's the man that killed
my best friend" one remarked. "He
also killed George Blick," said another.
He won't do it any more" said a
third. Then some one laughed, but It
was not a laugh that makes one feel
good.
A IT ID IA
Judge Goodwin and Sheriff Lee have
been accused OF something akin to cow
ardice. Some OF the critics reckon In
ignorance of the situation. They were
not in pleasant places at such a crisis.
\ large mob OF men seeking whiskey
and vengeance and protesting loudly
for the troops going are not apt to heed
to fine points of logic or pleas for con-
serVatism. There were brave men In
the crowd. There were good men. The
acts were participated in more largely
by country than town people. None
hid his face.
THREATENED THE JUDGE.
lone feature of the affair panied me
very much" said Judge Goodwin.
Some of our citizens, good people and
good friends of mine, threatened to
lynch me IL the troops were not re-
moved They spoke of blowing up my
house II wasn't a situation to make
one feel pleasant. My wife was almost
crazy"
The only way bloodshed could have
been averted was to have removed the
prisoners last night. To-day would
have been too late.
The soldiers last night had several
gallons OF whiskey sent them. Some
played at cards.
asked Sheriff Lee how the Jail keye
had been gotten. He said he had not
mad them for some days. They had
been In deputy's charge.
The man who arrested OGrady after
the killing of Saunders and Welton
Wednesday was Ed. Watson, a negro.
This is the first time I'm Virginia that
n white man and negro have been
hanged on the same limb the same day
in open daylight, and by men who We're
not masked.
P.L. p.