Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-16
READY FOR HIS DEATH
VIM. W. Hamilton Awaiting
End on the GalloWs.
AN ATROCI0US CRIME
WILLING TO BE SENTENCED
WITHOUT A TRIAL.
Reformed While in District Jail, and
Has Worked to Help Comfort His
Fellow Prisoners.

| When Hilley B. Holmes was exonerated
| by a jury of inquest few days ago ana
| released from custody his leaving the Dis
| trict Jail after he had been boarder there
for several weeks visibly affected one OF
| the seven others who are held there upon
charges of having taken human life.
| Holmes killed George Bell when the latter
aimed sun at him. the death occurring
| several weeks after the shot fired.
| During this time Holmes a prisoner in
| the ;ail, and William Waiter Hamilton. who
| is awaiting the execution of the death sem
| tence upon him. was very much Interested
| In him. Hamilton had become attached to
| the artilleryman from the west. and when
the latter walked from the prison a free
| man the one who was left behind felt that
| something had gone out of his life. Be-
| fore Hamilton strangled Lizzie Lyman to
| death in her room in a house in Washing
ton court he had never done any good. his
friends say. but since his arrest he has ex-
| perlenced a change OF heart and mas de-
voted his time to doing good to the other
| unfortunates who are in the prison.
The crime for which Hamilton was con-
| victed and is to pay the death penalty was
| an atrocious one He and Lizzie Lyman
| had been friends for a long time. He drove
| a wagon and she took in washing In June
| of last year he went TO the house one even
| ing AFTER having InUClYSO III Il lCW
| quarrelec with Lizzie because he was jeal-
| Gus of her and tied stocking about her
| neck. Having choked her until life was
| extinct he lay upon the bed with the corpse
| until the next morning and then went to
| Hyattsville to visit a relative. He seemed
to have doubted the probable outcome OF
| the affair and arrested when he re-
| turned to the vicinity Of tie house.
| Il did it because l loved her." was his
| frank statement. Il know 1 will have to
hang for it, and the sooner they hang me
| the better
Hamilton was willing to accept the death
penalty upon plea of guilty. but the court
| insisted that the case should be tried. A
| second trial was made necessary and the
condemned man has until the 10th Of next
| November to prepare foT death.
demaed man. 'Ive confessed my sins and
am ready to meet my Maker"
| Hamilton may have been a bad man be-
| fore he came here said another prisoner
| to Star reporter. but he certainly has
! experienced a change and done more good
| than any other man I've seen in the jail
| during the time he has been here. He goes
about to the cells Of the other prisoners
and talks to them in manner that has re-
I suited in bringing Sumber Of them to
| their senses"
| Another Man to Die.
| The only other man in ''murderers' row.
| who has been condemned to die Is William
| Burge. He shot and killed his wife because
| he was Jealous Of her. and then went to
the house of her mother and made eff
fort to exterminate the family. He sue
| ceeded in shooting his mother-in-law. but
| did not inflict fatal wound During this
| conflict he received a bullet wound, but
| the result was not severe enough to pre-
| vent the government being put to the ex-
pense Of trying him.
| 'Burge is not the man that Hamilton is,'
| fellow-prisoner remarked of him. He
| has never become reconciled to prison life
| and never will. I believe Burge will at
| tempt to do away with himself II he gets
an opportunity to do So
| Burge does not do much talking and his
! demeanor Is that of man who is labOrng
under severe mental strain. 1t IS said
| that he has spoken of ending his own life.
| The day he returned to the Jail after being
| convicted he saw the scaffold. used by paint
| ers. in the VotuIda and his first thought
| was that he was soon to expiate his crime.
| 1T will all be over in a few minutes" re-
marked the condemned man when he saw
| the scafold.
| Persons who saw realized that he was
! badly frightened and that he really thought
the end near Burge escaped from the
| hospital where he was under treatment for
| his wounds and caused trouble for Police
| man Hilc, who had him in charge.
| Pendieton Fillmore Taylor and James Jor-
| dan the other colored occupants of
! apartments in murderers' row." The for
mer is accused of having used a number
| of weapons his wife at their home iE
| Georgetown early in the spring and wound
ed her seriously that she died several
| weeks later. Taylor attempted suicide after
he had wounded his Wife it is alleged. and
| the Jail officials fear he may repeat the at
| tempt in prison. At the time he cut his
own throat he also jumped out the window
| and received injuries which necessitated his
| being kept under surgical treatment some
time. Jordan's presents an entirely
| different condition of affairs. In his case
| the evidence shows that he was attacked
by Lincoln Jacobs and that he used base
ball bat upon him.
Awaiting Their Trials.
| Frank Jones, jeremiah Donovan and VII
| liam Pruitt are the three white men in Jail
awaiting the fall term of the court when
they will be placed trial for their lives.
| The case Of Donovan attended with
conditions which made it a peculiarly sad
one. He was victim of intemperance.
| and. it was charged had beaten his wife
| several times. His alleged cruelty was of
so severe a nature. it was charged, that
! his wife died from the effects of 1t. Dono-
van. who kept a livery stable. under
/ treatment in Providence Hospital at the
! time his wife died In the same institution,
| and although she died In room not far
from the one In which he was under treat
ment. he knew nothing of her death until
| after he had reached police headquarters.
| Then the police found 1t necessary to sum-
mon daughter of the prisoner in order to
| make Il showing before the coroner's jury.
| plea OF insanity was set up, ana al
| though Donovan was not sent to the aSy
| lum, it is the belief of some of the guards
that he will eventually get there
The killing of Katie Norbeck is the crime
| charged against Frank Jones. who Is a
| pensoner and is old enough to be the
woman's father. Jealousy the cause
of the deed. although the man had no legal
hold upon the woman. He had family
| living several squares from the Norbeck
house, but. it Is stated had deserted his
wife and children. After shooting and
| killing her he made an attempt to shoot
her aged mother. and then tried to finish
the job by wounding himself. His attempt
at suicide proved unsuccessful and some
of his friends think he will yet cheat the
scaffold. William Pruitt is to answer to
the law for the death of William Steele.
This homicide occurred only short time
ago in the woods on the Overlook Inn
property. and was the result of a Sunday
beer drinking party. The five cases. 1t is
expected, will be tried before next Christ
mas.
Naval Orders
| Commander F. r. Sawyer, to additional
duty as cOmman dant of the naval trainine
station. Coasters Harbor Island, Narragan.
| hav 7