The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-16
GEORGE THOMAS HANGED.
Paid the Legal Penalty of a Brutal
Crime at Beaufort.

Beaufort, S. c.. Feb. 15,-George Thorn
as. the negro rapist, eXpia ted his crime en-
the gallows in the county jail yard here
to-day. Long before the hour appointed
for the execution negroes began hocking
around the jail. and by II o'clock there
were probably 200 people, includ-
ing many negro women, elbow
ing and jostling each other in
their efforts to get where they could
see what was going on behind the toll
board fence enclosing the jail.
Yesterday afternoon the condemned man
requested the sheriff to provide a good
breakfast for him this morning and that
official complied, to the apparent satisfac-
ton of Thomas. After breakfasting the
condemned negro carefully attired him
self in the prescribed clothes furnished
by the county. At $3.50 a. IN. the sheriff
and his deputy adjusted the rope to the
gallows, allowing for a sx-foot drop. At
1920 o'clock several colored ministers
were admitted to the Jail and remained
alone with the condemned man until Has,
when the march to the scaffold be-
gan. A pause was made al the foot of
long fight of steps leading to the top of
the gallows, and a sacred song, in which
Thomas Joined, was sung. This was fol-
lowed by brief prayer, and promptly at
II 80 the negro, accompanied by the sheriff
and deputy, assembled the scaffod, with
out their assistance.
At exactly :53 o'clock the trap was
sprung by the sheriff, and at 1904 the
negro was pronounced dead, and was cut
down.
Thomas neck was broken by the fall.
The negro made no statement, as II was
expected he would do He did say, how
ever, that a jury had found him guilty
and he had nothing TO say.
1t will be remembered that last Easter
Sunday morning Mrs. Rosa Douberley,
who resided with her husband in Savan-
nah, left that city to visit her father,
MIR. Ben Brabham, who resided on the
Plant System near Vaudeville, S. c.. and
that she alighted from the train at Brick
Yard. and started to walk to her ia =
theirs house. a distance of about half a
mile. While passing through a lonely
portion of the road, she was overtaken
by q one-eyed negro man who seized the
young woman and dragged her into
the woods.
Upon reaching her fathers house the
woman informed him of what had hap
pened. posse was quickly formed and
George Thomas was captured and brought
before Mrs. Douberley for Identification
| The negro was positively identified by his
| victim, and would have been lynched or
! the spot but for the efforts of Mr. W
| N. Hayward, Jr., IA prominent young at.
| torney of Hardeeville, himself, one OF
| the posse.
| Thomas was lodged in the county jai
| here; subsequently an effort was made tt
| obtain a special trial, but. owing to the
| near approach of the Court of Genera
Sessions, the Governor declined to gram
one. The negro, was tried last May, con-
| victed and sentenced To be hanged the
18th Of last June but his counsel filed ar
appeal 10 the Supreme Court for a neN
trial, on the ground that the state ha(
| failed To prove a case of rape against his
! client. This appeal acted as stay o.
| execution and caused just indignation al
the time it was filed. but was rejected las
| December by the higher tribunal with the
| result that Thomas was resentenced by
Judge Buchanan at the last Court O.
| General Sessions, which convened here il
| January, 10 be executed to-day. Mr.
| Douberley of Savannah the husband o
the outraged woman, was present at tn,
| execution.