The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-17
TRIPLE HANGING
SEEN BY CROWDS
Three Decatur Criminals Drop
to Death
ROPE SLIPPED ON SMITH
Convicted Murderers of Miss Belle
Bloodworth Protest Innocence to
the Last, as Did Slayer
of Officer Steele.
ROPE SLIPPED ON SMITH

the Last, as Did Slayer
of Officer Steele.
Decatur, June 16-(Special )-John Col
lier and Harvey Smith were hanged to-
day for the murder of Miss Belle
Bloodworth, and VIII Jackson was
hanged for the murder of Sanitary OFF,
Ger e L. Steel. All three were placed on
the scaffold at 1888 The drop fell at
o'clock and at lilo the attending phi ST.
clans pronounced Collier and Jackson
dead, death being due to strangulation.
The knot slipped on Smiths neck and
he was carried to the balcony where he
tainted. Upon leaving the scaffold he
said: Il am free. l am free. God will
cause vengenee to fall upon those people
for my death" All three professed their
innocence to the last. Collier confessed
religion and sang and prayed consider
ably before being executed. Collier said:
Il am going home to my God; they had
no evidence on which to convict me.
Rev T. II. Ham and Rev. s. M. Rob-
inson were their spiritual advisers Smith
was led back to the scaffold by the as
slstance of the three men and when the
drop fell the doctor pronounced his neck
broken and Smith dead at 1;25 p. m.
The bodies of Smith and Collier were
shipped to Tennessee for burial tonight.
Jackson's body will be buried in the
potter field here tomorrow. A large crowd
was in town today, assembled about, the
court house and jail Just before the
execution the crowd was ordered to leave
the court yard, which they did. There
was no trouble. The prisoners were ac-
companied here by troop D. cavalry OF
Birmingham. The company returned to
Birmingham at 3 o'clock today
Was an Outrageous Crime.
The crime for which Collier and Smith
were convicted was the most outrageous
that has ever blotted the pages OF the
criminal records of Alabama's fair his
tory. Miss Belle Bloodworth was a
young lady in the prime of young woman
hood. popular, beautiful. highly educated,
refined, and a young woman who had al
of those graces and charms that go TO
make up the womanhood of this lana OF
the free and the home of the brave.
On the afternoon of January Il OF the
nresent year Miss Bloodworth went to
her fathers store on Second avenue IN
Decatur to carry her fathers supper, as
was her custom. This was ABOUT
o'clock. Leaving her fathers store she
crossed the street, going over 10 1. y.
Willxinson's. where she telephoned TO her
mother, II am coming home at once.
AZ she nassed out the door a little negro
girl. who nurses for Mrs. Wilkinson was
sitting in the door. "Haint you AFRAID
TO go home by yourself, Miss BelleYl
said this girl Eyes, 1t is rather late and
rather dark" said Miss Bloodworth.
This is perhaps the last words that ever
came from her lips, unless she uttered
cry thinking 1t might bring her as
sistance.
Failed to Reach Home.
At 8 o'clock Miss Bloodworth had fall
ed to reach home. Her parents became
uneasy and a search was at once lhstl-
tuted About 10 o'clock that night tho
lifeless body of the young lady was
found In an alley in the rear OF colonel
Dick Adams residence, within less tnan
two blocks of the young ladys residence:
Her body was covered with blood ana
mud, her clothing badly torn and cuts
of a most ugly character were lounu
on her person.
Near by the scene of the crime was
found a bloody stick of stove wood
which gave the evidence of the three
ticks on the young lodys skull, whicn
caused her death. Lying near by was
letter addressed to Miss BLOOD
worth and blood was spattered over the
fence and bloody finger marks We're
found ON the fence. Aside from this
there was absolutely nothing for the
officers to work on.
Charles Heflin, one day In his own way
got tip that Collier and smith were
guilty of this crime. He spotted a negro
whom he thought knew something OF
the crime. This negro Helm followed
all over the state of Mississippi
important Discovery Made
In the meantime, while Mr.. Heflin was
working on the case. B. M. Bloodworth,
the father of the young lady, with MS
Young son, was walking one afternoon
in the vicinity of the murder when the
lad discovered something lying in a sink
hole nearby Calling his fathers atten-
ton to the matter the case was inyesti-
ga ed and It was found that the object in
the sink hole was a pair OF bloody over
alls Upon examination 1t was found that
the pockets of the oyeralls contained
small note book. bearing John Golfers
name. Mr. Hedin caused the arrest OF Col
lier. Collier wa taken to private Of
fee In the Morgan County National Bank
building. where he was accused of the
crime. Collier broke down when accused
of the crime and said Harvey Smith was
the guilty man. as. Smith had told him
that he had killed the young lady. Smith
was then arrested but would not talk.
Harvey Smith was convicted on May B.
John Collier was convicted on May 4. VIII
jackson was convicted on May and all
three were sentenced on May 6-the date
of the hanging being fixed at June 16
The evidence against these negroes. al
though mostly circumstantial. was most
conclusive. The strongest evidence against
Smith. and In a sense against Collier as
we'll was given by the 14-year-old son of
Harvey Smith. He told how he went
down town with his father that night
and told their every movement until the
time when they were In the store OF T.. d.
Wilkinson while Miss Bloodworth was
telephoning. He said his father was there
that John Collier was also there, that
John Collier preceded the young lady
when she left the store and that Smith
followed her.
This boy also testified that he went
home early that night and that his father
came home late and was blowing" when
he came in.
Special.
We have no trouble in doing our work.