The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-09-26
.BRAN..H|!A!||l.Ml|
EXECUTED.
Man OF Many Crimes Hung
for Wife Murder.
TRIED TO JUSTIFY CRIME RI: T:
Large crowd Witnessed the Execution
and Many Endorse What the Cons
det,,ned Mar Said-Hls heck
Broken by the Fall.

fspeclal to THE 14,nes. Dispatch) ys
WISE, VA, September 26-Cliftnn
Brunhan, was hanged here to-day for tie
murder of hls wife on the oath OF Do.
cember last Tho trap was sprung at 1877
q clock, and he was pronounced dead
twenty minutes later His neck wns
broken BY the fall !,
13ranham made fifteen minutes talK
to about l.66o people assembled IN front
OF the Jail He gave q brief history Or
his lifc as printed III the history of his
lifo written by himself and sold on the
streets to-day. lie says: At the tiino
was fourteen I took deliberate aim and
shot at Mistress Fleming, and at another.
time John Fleming; intended to XII
them both for abusing my sister, .It
missed them. l. beat another woman
and threw her over n cliff, leaving her
for dead, but she recovered prcmeul.
tatcy shot to kill Ran Smallwood. DIV
failed. I received only part OF the .mol'ey
FOR killing Henry Yanoyer. killed my
wife for accusing mo about my daush, :.
tors. then went to KENTUCKY. Where
killed Anderson Moore and destroyed ms
property. ..,,a
When Branham related his story OF inc
killing of his wife and requested tlmt
ifany one In the crowd felt that he was
not Justified, would look for that ono
to hold up his hand. not Il hand went
up, he theno requested all who telt tna.
they would have done as he did to hoid
I'm their hands. II is estimated that Soo
hands we're raised immediately'
Branhamtw was one Of the worst d le "a :
does that ever infested this hectlon,. re r.,
was about forty-hve years oio, ana -. ~ ~
|; whole life had been one OF crime.
|THkE rs HIs FIRST V1CTl NJ %t11'
L1,;.; cr.+ ,,ictln, ,yns Henry VhnoVer, a
very old man, whom he killed In Pike
county, KY. about sixteen years ago,
shooting him from ambushtWhlle at WORK
hoeing corn, For this crime he was trieti
and convicted, and sent to the penlten-
tiary for life, but after serving for four
teen years and eight months. nc was par
doned byt Governor Beckham.
a4Abott ten months after he returned
l,frorn iptlson he killed his wife, Ills
wife WIS nearly blind, her blindness hav-
lInE feen;scaused by hard work while Try
ling to support herself and children. one
morning Branham came nome drunk ana
! commenced to abuse her. She said some
Ithing that did not please him and ne shot
lher dead After killing his wife no es-
ca ped to Floyd county, Ky.
John McCurry had some scores TO settle
With a man named Moore, and found n
! willing tool III the person OF Branhhm
| So, one winter morning as Moore was on
his way to mill no was shot from ambush
failing from his horse dead. This dido
! seem to satisfy Branham. for two or three
dhysi after his victim was. buried. he ven
to Ills grave and emptied his Winchester
| III the poplar slab set up at the head,
Branham. since his incarceration here
A las confessed to the killing OF Moore. nnt
says that McCurry gave him his daughter
$50 in money and 4 Winchester rife L
do the deed.
4 Before he was sent 10 the pentcntiarJ
\ Branham was mixed up In several muir
i der charges, aud no one knows but HIN
4 how many mon he has killed.
4 Branham claimed that he was ready t
! e;sthatSh he had been forgiven for all hi;
a crimes and was ready to meet his Coz
ilr peace,
5|a-Branham slept we'll last night, and afte
eating a hearty breakfast he played sew
4 .eral pieces on the guitar, being an ex
q pert performer on that instrument. HI!
remains we're taken to his former hom,
i In Dickson county for burial, as re
Uuested by him 49,. RI & f'ta '55