The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-08
TWO NEGROES HANGED
WILL JONES AND WILL HUDSON
 DIE ON 6ALLows.
They Were Convicted of Highway Robbery-Exonerate One of Their Companion Who is
 Still in Jail.

Birmingham, Aug. 7.--(Special.) )-Bir- mingham had two hangings today. The victims of the hangmsn's rope were Will Jones and Win Hudson. negroes. who were convicted of highway robbery. and who. according to the statements of the police department of Birmingham, be- longed to a gang which committed hiEh- way robbery and burglary night after night for long time.
 Both negroes died gamely. Jones went to the gallows first. The portable gal lows of this County were used. Between l5o and 200 persons were admitted to the jail yards, while 50 to 100 people crowded into windows in the third story of the court house and watched the proceedings A crowd of 100 negroes was admitted to the execution Hudson made a statement before going on the gallows that ao had smoking cigar and threw the weed away just before the black cap was placed over his head. Deputy Sheriff W. I. Love fixed the rope on both, making twenty times that he has done this work
 The negroes were hanged one hour apart. At 1o:S Jones was escorted from the jail to the yard. He mounted the steps to the gaiiows in an unconcerned manner. In statement on the gallows Jones said that his name was not Jones but Isaac Pitts alias Isaac Terrell and that he wanted his people to know this He exonerated Robert Lee, who is being held on a charge of highway robbery. His neck was broken by the fall. the trap be- ing sprung by the Sheriff at 10:30. He was pronounced dead in fifteen minutes.
 Hudson went on the gallows at Il 80. He puffed briskly at his cigar, going on the steps. He talked considerably while on the gallows and answered a number "' questions which were put to him. He, too, exonerated Robert Lee. He admitted heinz the who GQVaral rnnntha un shot the helmet of Offcer Robert Satton's head while the latter was trying to catch him in one of the alleys here. When ask ed whether he had ever committed any murders. he said he would tell 'Master'' that. He said that he had done plenty of stealing in his life. The drop fell at u:S5 and his neck was broken. He was pronounced dead in sixteen minutes.
 The crime for which both of .nese ne- groes were hanged was committed sl Av- ondale, a suburb of Birmingham, last December. The store of !. B. Messer at that place was entered by three negroes and at the points of pistol he and his store were robbed The gang was arrest ed Sunday. January {. Chief of Police c. W. Austin and several of his men sur prising the negroes in a small house on Second Avenue. Five negroes were taken in the raid. John E. Bryant and Robert Lee are still in jail. Abe Williams, Win and sentenced to death. Williams made a full confession and the Governor com muted his sentence to life in the peniten- tiary and he was sent there last week. Bryant was also convicted of highway robbery in another case and given life sentence in the penitentiary. Hudson stated that his home was in Mexico, Mo, and asked that his remains be sent there. Since the capture of this gang there have been very few robberieS in the city.