The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-22
MITCHELL is GUILTY
CONFESSED THE CRIME FOR
WHICH HE is UNDER SEN
TENCE TO HANG.
DENIES NOW NO LONGER
THAT HE ASSAULTED PATIENCE
MAXWELL AND SALLY HAMILTON.

VIII Die on the GnIIows on Aug. 2.
Announcement of Governors Re-
fusaI TO Interfere Induced His
ConfessiOn-SbONved No signs OF
Regret or Fear or Any other Emo
tiOn-Insensate as Beast of the
FIeId-A Dream of His Predicted
the End 10 Him-Has Sent for "a
Minister and Spends Some of His
Time in Prayer.
For the first time since his arrest
for the crime of which he was con-
victed in the Superior Court and for
which he will die on the gallows on
Aug. 2. George Mitchell acknowledged
his guilt yesterday. The confession
was made to a Morning News reporter,
In MitchelIs cell in the county jail.
The crime for which the negro must
pay the death penalty was a criminal
assault upon Patience Maxwell, a ne
gro woman. 1t was committed on
Hutchinson Island, May 20. At the
time the Maxwell woman was assault
ed she was accompanied by Sally Ham
ilton, and upon both of them Mitchell
perpetrated his assault. He was in
dicted for both offenses, but as the
jury in the case in which the Maxwell
woman had been the victim and was
the prosecuting witness found him
guilty, without recommendation. and
as this verdict was followed by the
imposition of the death sentence by
Judge Falligant, the second case has
never been tried.
Steadfastly throughout Mitchell has
denied his guilt and has persisted that
it was a case of mistaken identity. No
motion for a new trial has been made
in his case but an appeal was made
to the governor for the exercise of ex-
ecutive clemency in his behalf. On
Saturday Gov. Gambler announced his
decision not to interfere or commute
the sentence. The story of this de-
cision of the Governor was printed in
the Morning News yesterday and Nit
chell was told of it.
He accepted the announcement with
out any loss of the stoical composure
and indifference that has marked his
attitude and conduct since his arrest.
To a Morning News reporter. who Wis
tied him, he made a full confession,
for the first time. detailing all of the
horrible and brutal circumstances of
the crimes commission, without evinc-
ing either repentance of regret. Not
even the fact that he is to die on the
gallows seemed sufficiently to Cypress
or impress him to make him sorry even
for what he had done.
Mitchell said he had expected all day
Saturday to learn that he must die and
was not surprised when the announce
ment was made him that the Governor
had refused to commute his sentence.
He dreamed on Friday night, he said,
that he was going to get off with
sentence of eighteen months on the
chain-gang and as he knew that
dreams went always by contraries he
was confident that he would have to
pay the full penalty of his crime.
All of Saturday he had been a little
bit Respondent. This is what he said,
but nobody about the Jail had noticed
any change in his demeanor. He had,
however, told a number of prisoners
that he was confident that the Gov
ernor would not interfere and that he
had less than two weeks to live.
Some part of yesterday Mitchell
spent in prayer and he has sent for one
of the colored ministers. There is no
trace of fear. or of any other emotion,
for that matter, in his appearance and
he does not seem to regard death as
a thing particularly to be dreaded. Not
even the dreadful path which he mus
tread between this world and the next
or the ignominous death which he must
suffer seems to have any power to i'm
press him.
He is impressed by nothing. Mitch
ell is about as much animal and has
about as few of the higher attributes
as any human who ever lived in a CIV
ilized land. He has the disregard of
death of some wild beast of the field,
springing largely from an absolute in
ability to grasp the meaning of the
word or of the thing itself. He is a
study, If a somewhat brutal and re-
| pulsve one, for some student of his
| fellow man.
He prays and asks the prayers of
others more because he seems to think
| that is the proper thing for him to do
than for any other reason. He says,
| however, that he intends to spend his
time in prayer and in preparation for
the next world until the fatal morning
when he is to be ushered out of this.
|