The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-11
Acting Ad52tant General.
RUrdOP nE Su-TCTnE

terest e the execution to take place
today. By daylight a rumor rapidly
spread over town that kirsauls had
ATTEMPTED suicide by taking poison.
that Two physicians a been with the
prisoner during the early hours Of the
called on Dr. A. NJ Lee, one
OF the doctors who had visited him,
but the doctor stated that he did not
think Kinsauls had taken poison, but
that he had a severe case Of cholera
About II O'Clock his morning The
Messenger representative went to the
Jail and presented an order from Sheriff
j. NJ Marshburn- admitting him for
the purpose of an interview with the
doomed man. When the reporter pre-
scented the order, the Deputy Sheriff
stated that Kinsauls vas taking a nap
and had requested an hour or so to
himself for rest and sleep
THE MURDERER CUTS HIS
THROAT.
The Messenger representative remain
ed probably half hour and while inside
the Jail yard a noise was heard from
the cells as if some one were calling
for something Several gentlemen, in
Icluding the Rev. Mr.. Lee, n The Mes
lsenger representative, were together in
tn Jail yard when the noise was made.
and the party Immediately went around
NAAI OoASAdC Nj AlC jail ~ " IA ~
posite the steel cell in which the pris-
loner was confined. 4 brick wall sepa-
rated them from the ell but through a
window in the wall they looked into
the cell n a horrible sight met their
igaze. Kinsauls was lying fiat of his
back on his cot, with his throat terri
Ibly gashd on both sides. Blood liter
lally covered the man, and it had run
down and formed a pool on the floor.
Both hands were CORY and a bloody
knife with one blade about three
inches long, evidently the weapo with
(which the deed was done, was lying
lon the cot beside him. The party i'm
mediately informed the deputy sheriff.
and he admitted them into the jail.
They then al to the cell and carried
Kinsauls into the front part of the jail
and laid him on a bed. In the mean
time physicians had been sent for, n
in a few minutes six doctors and two
ministers were on hand administering
to the despairing man.
TOOK MORPHINE ALSO.
When Kinsauls was first picked up
in his cell, he said if he had been treat
ed humanely he would not have been
in that fix. When he was laid out on
the bed in he front room, he said:
IT too fourteen morphine pills (tab-
|lets) his morning Is minutes after 1
O'Clock. 1 brought them from Will
Imington with me and / a my knife
in my pocket" He volunteered this
information, and it corroborated the
lrumor that he had tried to poison him
self.
THE EXCITEMENT WAS INTENSE.
Meanwhile the news Of the attempt
ed suicide had gone over the town like
wild fire and a tremendous crowd as
Isembled in the vicinity of the Jail.
Guards were out, however, INT stopped
the people a hundred yards from the
Jail. While Kinsauls was lying on the
bed his wounds had quit bleeding. Up
on examination by the physicians it
was found that neither of the jugular
veins was severed. The blade of the
knife Ia been placed too far back in
the muscles of the neck, and the blade
had passed dangerously over them
without cutting either.
While the party was looking on the
Igaping wounds, the limit of time for
the execution was fast approaching and
|every minute the party was looking for
the sheriff to come in and take Kin
Isauls to the gallows. The sheriff had
i'm the meanwhile sent a telegram to
IGovernor Russell notifying him of Kin
ISaulS' awful deed, and while every
body was in dreadful suspense, the fol-
flowing telegram from the governor was
received at 1870 p. m:
Raleigh, N. c., September Z.
y: NJ. Marshburn, Sheriff. Clinton.
n. G.
Execution of Kinsauls postponed
till Friday, September IA, 1900. Re-
|prieve by mail.
ID. L. RUSSELL.
Governor"
Many persons were satisfied from re-
marks made during h past five days
by KinsaulS that he would lake his
his own life rather tina be hung. He
told the Rev. John J. Douglass, one
lof the ministers who was attending
him, that he would never go on tina
Iscaffold; that if there was to be an
Execution it would not take place on
the scaffold, but in Jail. During the
past few days carpenters had beer
I%erecting the scaffold just along side the
Jail where he could see the work going
lon. To some me he even joked about
the gallows. He said: Those fellows
are fools to build such a thing as
that; I'd be afraid to go on it, for fear
I'D fall and hurt myself" In addi-
ton to the other hints about suicide,
he told his aged mother, who went to
the jail to see him, to tell his wife to
come to see him tomorrow (today) but
she would never see him hung.
WHO ABETTED THE SUICIDE?
Evidently some n aided Kinsauls
in his determination to commit suicide.
$1,000 ~ Ao Ao4 614C l.
i'm which he got either the morphine
Tor the knife, as he was searched after
he was carried to Clinton and nothing
of the kin was on his person. a few,
days ago a pistol was found in the pris-
Ioners possession, and a rent was dis
covered in the wire grating over the
window of the wall opposite his cell
Through which the weapon had evil
Identity been passed to him.
"A MINISTER'S VISIT TO THE MUIR
DERER.
This morning about 9 O'Clock Just be-
fore kinsauls wanted to AXE an hour
for rest and sleep he was visited by
the Rev. John j. Douglass, a Baptist
minister. After the minister left he
put a blanket up before the grating OF
his cell looking out through the win
dow in the brick wall, but evidently
latter everything got quiet, he pulled
1.-THE blanket aside and cut his throat
$50 any one passing could make the dis.
lcovery that lie had committed the
deed.
The Rev. Mr.. Douglass today handed
The Messenger representative the fol.
flowing written statement: