The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-24
CALHOUN DIES TODAY
NEGRO WHO MURDERED HIS WIFE
 TO BE HANGED.
Governor Jelks Declines to Interfere With Death Sentence and Prisoner
 Prepares to Meet His Awful End.

Today at noon. George Calhoun, a negro uxorcide will pay the death pen- alty for the murder of his wife, Fan nie Calhoun. on Christmas night, 1903. grim grass rope hanging from a steel trap. a negro with bowed head in a barred cell, a negro minister of the gospel and a half hundred prison CTS singing a low chant in the Mont gomery county jail yesterday foretold with frightful simplicity the tragic event of today.
 The last hope of life for George Cal houn, disappeared yesterday, when Governor Jelks refused to commute his sentence. The counsel of Calhoun was busy yesterday. He made an eloquent written appeal for his clients life to the chief executive yesterday. He told of the negro's former good character. He told how his wife had been bad woman but these pleas were unavail- ing when the governor kept before his minds eye the evidence of the cold blooded murder in West End by the whisky-crazed negro husband on the night of all nights. when peace on earth should reign.
 This simple paragraph closed for
 ever the door of hope for Calhoun:
 George Calhoun.
 T have examined the papers sub mlIleO IO Ifl6 tuS SdiIlcuh CdSC anu
 have talked with the judge and solici-
 tor. find that there is no excuse,
 so far as I can see for interfering with
 the sentence of the court. The peti-
 ton is refused.
 "w. D. Jelks. Governor Calhoun was notified of the decision
 of the chief executive yesterday after
 noon. He received 1t with perfect calmness. The negro has passed from the state of intelligence after the days
 of horrible waiting and he appears not
 to care what his fate may be. For several days Calhoun has re-
 ceived spiritual advice from negro preachers and 1t is said he is perfectly reconciled to his awful ending. Calhoun can stretch his arm through the bars of his cell and almost touch the scaffold on which he is to die to- day.
 The day before a hanging in the Montgomery county jail is always one of unusual interest to the prisoners. A religious fervor seems to seize them and instead of the usual noisy laugh ter they croon a chant, which lasts until the hour of the hanging. All Is prepared for the hanging. The execution will be carried through as privately as possible. Only officers of | the law, the trial judge. the solicitor. physicians, ministers of the gospel and
 representatives of the press will be ad-
 mitted to the jail
 The hour of the hanging is not definitely fixed. It will take place be- tween 10:30 o'clock and noon and be- fore the sun has perceptibly passed the
 meridian George Calhoun will be dead. The rope which will be used is the identical rope with which Toney Jones,
 a negro murderer, was hanged several months ago. Jones, Calhoun and Bill Dorman. who died in jail, were sentenc-
 ed to death on the same day by Judge W. H. Thomas of the criminal division
 of the City Court of Montgomery. Each negro was convicted of murder. Calhoun, 1t will be remembered kill ed his wife on the night of Christmas 1903. He, premeditatedly went to the house, where his wife was living, rid dled her body with buckshot and then turned his gun on the other occupants of the room, wounding several. He stopped a pursuing party of negroes with a we'll directed discharge of his double barrel gun and made his escape. He was captured in. New Orleans,
 tried. convicted, and sentenced to death.
 The case was appealed to the Supreme Court and was there affirmed. Calhoun was formerly a fireman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and bore good character.