The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-26
HANGED FOR BURGLARY.
End of a Sensational Chapter in
North Carolina History.

Asheville, N. c., Feb. 26.-Dudley
Johnson, white, and Ben Foster, col
ored, We're hanged here today at 1880
for burglary. They We're given church
burial during the afternoon.
Burglary at night in North Carolina
is capital offense, and today's execu-
tions were the final chapter in a case
attended by many exciting incidents, in
which a fiancee came to a hospital and
married the man the burglars We're be-
lieved to have wounded to the death,
and whose bravery called forth a let
ter of praise from Charles Emory
Smith, at that time postmaster general.
The crime was committed in the
combined postoffice and store kept by
Samuel Alexander at Emma a little
the night of February L, 1901 The four
men who planned the robbery at AShe-
Vile, walked down the railroad track to
Emma, called Postmaster Alexander to
the door under the pretext of buying
groceries and forced him at the point
of a pistol to take them to his room,
which they searched, finding his revol
Yer. They then made him open the
safe Dudley Johnson, white, and Ben
Foster, colored, We're inside and Russell
Gates, white, and Harry Mills, colored,
guarded the outside. Johnson laid his
revolver down to take the money out
of the safe, when a cat moved in the
back part of the store, which attracted
the attention of Foster, who was hold
ing Ills revolver at ALEXANDER uGaQ-
Quick as a flash Alexander grabbed
Johnson's gun, shot Foster and snapped
the weapon at Johnson, who grappled
with him. The struggle was long and
fierce, Foster joining in. Johnson had
an open knife in his hand which Alex
ander caught, cutting his hand. Fos-
ter shot Alexander as they struggled,
and firing again wounded his partner in
the face. Neither shot was fatal and
the fight went on. The men were
gradually growing weak, but Alexander
fought the two men, forcing them to the
door and out. Here the postmaster
succumbed to his wounds and fell
across the threshold of his store. The
shooting by this time had aroused the
citizens of the hamlet, and on their ap-
proach the burglars ran
A posse was quickly organized and the
men were captured a few days later and
placed in Jail at Asheville. Two of the
prisoners were badly wounded but re-
covered. Excitement at the time was in
tense and fearing lynching, the governor
ordered two companies of militia on
guard duty around the Jail To aid
them the sheriff SWOre in a large num-
Der of citizens as deputies the services
of all being required for a week, when
the prisoners were secretly removed to
Charlotte for safe keeping.
For weeks Alexander, the hero was at
deaths door. His fiancee went to MIN
made up a purse for him. The post
master general wrote him a personal
letter thanking him and expressing the
highest admiration of his bravery. The
trial was held last June, the four men
We're convicted Of burglary in the first
degree and condemned to die August Z.
They appealed for a new trial on the
ground that the store was not a dwell
ing but the court ruled that it was one
under the act of 1898.
Governor Aycock was besieged with
petitions for clemency from all parts of
the United States, but declined for a
time to interfere. One of these petitions
was accompanied by counter petition
from this county, asking the governor
to let the law take its course. Foster.
on the morning of his capture, when it
was thought ne was dying. made con-
fessiCn in which he stated that the
burglary had been planned in Asheviiia
by Gates and johnson who had asked
Mills and him to accompany them on the
expedition. The governor a short time
ago cOmmuted the sentence of Gates
and Mills to Imprisonment for life.