The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-01
CMessenger Staff Correspondent

AS1CSoClI5OA SN
Whiteville. N. c.. February 20
Crime, tina great menace or peace
and happiness, placed another being OH
the sacrifcial altar of justice In tnis
quiet. u thriving little town d
When label Register was forced by Id"
to yield up his life for a felony wnich
embraced three of the four capital ones
of North Carolina-arson. muroer am
burglary. Though his past life, under
the schooling of an unfatheriy ana
un-God fearing parent. a oe7n
spent amid the deep shadow OF
crime, inficting torture upon others
with a conscience devoid of pity and
with steely Indifference beholding their
anguish, he did not face his end as q
bringing wretch with mind distorted oy
fear, as CHASTITY pictures of his VIC
Tins arose before him. but on the con-
trary he presented a picture of perfect
composure. If any emotion of fear he
felt his appearance showed 1t not he
said he had made his peace with COD
and every person in the vast assem-
blage tina witnessed the
must have sent up a silent prayer for
his contrition.
The condemned man seemed faSci-
mated by the scene and upon the scar
fold did the bidding of others, which
sent him to his own doom. as readily
as he had obeyed his father in send
ing others to their doom.
Contrary to expectations he MADE no
statement upon the gallows. and the
only time his lips moved was either IN
silent prayer or in bidding friends d
low. but firm goodbye. AS unfalter-
ingly as a person leaving some COM
panion he spoke this word. but there
was a seriousness about 1t that sound
ed most pathetic to the ear. There was
no bravado no nervousness; no tremh-
ling. A firmly spoken goodbye was
his last word. in response to a fareWeii
made by DIR. w. T. Thompson, the cor
ener of Columbus county, and was said
lust befor the sOmber black cap
masked earthly light from his eyes.
Let your vision dwell upon a pano-
ramic view:
A roughly made scaffold. under the
shadow of an old fashioned brick Jail
Upon it stands four men, w of Whom
are ministers of God. and a fifth man,
cldQ III UldCh, Will 49,
sits in their midst. Towards the scar
fold are directed fully five thousand
pair of eyes, curious in their gaze and
rejecting unnatural feeling of mind to
see a man meet death, but also re-
fleeing sympathetic hearts. The min
listers offer up fervent prayers and tae
multitude stood with ana
unbowed heads. as the figure in the
chair kneels. The kneeling man
arises, stands in the center OF the
wooden platform. A rope is wound
around his ankles, another at TIE
knees and his hands are secured be-
hind his back by iron letters. Then a
black cap envelops the head and around
the neck is carefully placed more rope
The people rudely joStle each other and
then become rigid. In a nearby WIN
dow a woman laughs ~nervously; &
baby cries; a form falls into space
with a dull thud; the crowd jostles
again and the woman laughs again
The strain is over, for the sight of 4
blackly robed inert form is nothing
ness almost in feeling to the sickenin2
contemplation of a few econds beforf
when a breathing. calm man face
death.
That is the way he Of
label Register for the murder OF Jesse
SOLOS white and Jim Staley. colored.-