The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-07-31
PAY THE PENALTY
FOR THEIR CRIME.
Claude 0'Brien and Earl Whit
ney,. Youthful Tennessee
Murderers, Hanged at Lex
ingtOD, Ny, for the Murder
der of A. b. Chinn.
Special to the Herald.

" DTIel, dBeu 10 years, OF memphis, ant
8 Earl Whitney, aged 10, of Nashville
: condemned murderers of Addison B
3 Chinn, were hanged in the yard of th,
!: Fayette County Jail this morning. TIL,
{ drop fell at sos O'Clock. Both boys
necks we're broken. O'Brien was pro
nounced dead at 8:15 and Whitney al
; 1922. Neither broke down and neither
showed the slightest trace of nervous
, ness or excitement.
, The death march began promptly al
8 O'Clock, the appointed hour, led by
Sheriff j. L. Wi!lkerson and followed by
Fathers Cunningham, of Louisville, and
Boulder, Of Somerset. Whitney looked
up to the sunlight and then at the crowd
and smiled. Officers while tying the
prisoners hands showed nervousness,
and Whitney smiled derisively. When
asked il they had anything to say both
boys shook their heads and there died
with them the secret of who fired the
fatal shot. While his hands were being
tied, O'Brien trembled slightly. The
b Jdies we're cut down at 1874 and turned
over to the undertaken. Whitney g
body goes to Nashville and O'Brien's to
Memphis.
Both boys slept we'll and ate hearty
breakfast. The Priests remained with
them till the end. Both took commup-
ion and both said they felt better and
we're prepared to 60.
Story Of the Crime.
1t was on Friday night Oct. II.
1902, about 3 80 O'Clock, when o. Brien
and Whitney, taking off their shoes,
crawled through back window of the
Chinn residence OH Maxwell street,
revolvers in hand and handkerchief s
over their faces, intent upon commit
ting burglary, which proved the end
ing OF their Cal GERS of crime.
Addison B. Chinn. the wealthy mer
chant and ex-Confederate soldier, and
his wife were sleeping on the first floor
with their son, Asa CHM, who had
arrived home about 2 O'Clock from a
german, in IN adjoining room, Mrs.
Runyon, mother of Mrs. Chinn, a
woman 81 years old, across the hall,
and the bachelor brother of Mrs. Chinn
upstairs on the second floor. The
building was story and half cottage
of fancy model The windows of the
room of Mrs. Runyon were left un
bolted so they could be lowered at the
her window that the young burglars
first made their appearance in the
Chinu home. They passed through her
room and entered the room of Mr.. and
Mrs. Chinn. One of them covered
the sleeping couple with a revolver,
while the other searched tor money
and other valuab les. Not finding any
money they awoke Mr.. Chinn and
demanded that he produce his money. |
He protested that none was in the
house, but told them they could MAKE a |
search. That the same old story, =
said one of the youthful criminals.
''We must have money or your life.
Mrs. Chinn awakened and screamed.
They ordered her to lay quiet, but she
hallooed murder Asa Chinn mad not
gone to sleep. He had just removed
his clothes, and bearing his mothers
voice he ran to the door. There he
saw the men in the room of his parents
and he returned to his room, secured
his revolver and then crept up to the
1oor of his parents bedroom on his
knees. One of the young burglars saw
aim and they began shooting. Asa
Jhinn also fired. The elder Chinn
lad raised up and was sitting on the
tide OF his bed. He was shot through,
he bullet penetrating a wardrobe on
he other side of the room. Had Mrs.
Jhinn been sitting up in bed she
night have been killed by the same
,ullet. The men then ian from the ,
DOM over the form of Asa Chinn,
Who had been shot and was lying on 6
he floor using his revolver as best he {
ould. There was no escape excepting
through the door, and they took the
nance of killing the young man and G
anne very near accomplishing that
nd, as he was shot through the
boulder and neck and the end of his a
Use shot away. They got out Of the v
DOM by the same door they had en- a
cred. Whitney was wounded in the 1
ut knee ana they maze their way to a
le Southern depot, where they entered t
box Car expecting that train would a
AXE them South. The elder Chinn, {,
nortally wounded, attempted to assist il
Is son in the battle in the hallway, a
nd got up out of bed and went to the h
Dor, In which he dropped dead. Asa G.
Hmm followed the burglars until they b
Id made good their escape, ana then II
ter learning that his mother was b
1hurt and his father was dead he gave Il
10 alarm. When assista arrived
, was unconscious from the loss of al
God. Mr.. Runyon had come down lie
airs but too late to assist in the fight al
18th the boy burglars. The town was bl
on in y state of excitement. Whit q
" and . Brlen were arrested in the h,
ilroad yards by an officer ana run 81
. An examination showed that st
hitney had been wounded in the tn
lee. Asa Chinn had stated that he tn
lieved he had hit one OF the men in M
Q fight. Other evidence against the o.
ys began to come IN They were WI
aced In Jail and descriptions Of them XII
to Memphis ana Nashville, o
cit home towns. 1t developed they OF
d been in Jail at Louisville, suspect *
of Nashville burglary. and they VI
been relesaed without identified. oil,
IN. Detective W. Il. Irwin, OF the ha
lshville force, was sent here and we
was joined by Detective Walker, of wi
uisville. Irwin identified both men of
said they had only q week before fol-