The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-11-07
A FIEND HANGED.
.rxr$ NEGRO PAYS TEE DEATH
PENALTY FOR

AIKEN NEGRO PAYS TaE DEATH
PENALTY FoR
a...nlt on q White Northern Wo-
man Who Fad Befrisnd-
ed Him.
At Aiken st ll:25 Friday morning
Isasc Knight paid the penalty OF
death for his crime and shus was re-
corded the first legal execution for
criminal assault in the annalS Of Aik-
en- county.
Fctday morning Knight wss given
the freedom Of the jail corridor snd
for sn hour OF more he and his spIri
tnsl sdviser, Rev. Isaac Johnson,
were in constant prayer. When st
l1:l5 Knight requested that he be
allowed to retire to bis cell to engage
in secret prayer this was granted the
doomed prisoner who 1en sined In his
cell but 8 tew moments, announcing
his readiness to proceed On the death
march. Just betors the death march
was begun his spiritual sdvisaI asked
Il be wss gully Of the crime for
which be SO q was - hang. knight
replied No"
On the way to the scsfoid Knign0
stopped and asked for 8 nsrca Ws0n
which he Lighted : c!ga-etes: He tnsn
proceeded to the gslcws with q ne1-
vous sfd uos tea6y stsp Mourning
ths scsfcld he ,fsrsd 3 prSSsS Sno
SAID he i,sd nothing more 20 say.
While the esp was being ac1 -steo ne
sav on the wall surrounding Tue !a!!
ward . friend 30 whom he requested t.
be showed to spesk. TO this party
ha sid: "Tell ali my friends TO meet
me in heaven"
The cap vas resdiusted and st 11:25
the drop fell. At 11:40 Drs. WJnsn,
Turnhull and Toole pronounced him
dead and as Has the body ~as cut
down and turned over to UnoersaEer
Stsubbs. But fcr the sexual know
ledge no one would Imagine tnss az
execution hsd occurred within sos
city sn6 the course Of the law in this
csss hss resulted satisfactorily to the
better classes OF both races. There
was absolutely no unusual oenonstrs-
tion from any source.
The crime for which Isaac Knight
osid the death penalty was the most
hienous Of all the disbolicsl crime SO
frequently committed by the criminal
class OF his race. In the very set OF
receiving . courtesy, one the thought
OF whica would thrill with horror the
average Southern wonan, who has
long since learned the brute inssincl
common to the negco, the fend coa-
caiyed and carried out the hallish i'm
pulse Of bis bsaStiy passion. For three
years snd seven months Knight hsc
received the kinoest treatment st the
hands Of his victim, Mrs. Chapin, q
Northern woman, 6Xsd in her belisf
that the negro was one OF the down
troddsn and oppressed race, possess
ing sll Of the humsn intuttions and
social fsculties OF the superior race,
had made Knight IS ols o. her fans-
IL. Ee occupied a roon in her resi-.
6eres, enjoyed his meals st The family
board an. vas extended sVery comftra
of the home Of which he was in q
measure beneficiary inmate.
Mrs. Chapin removed from the Ncrso
several years ago and had made her
home up 20 tie time Of the assault IN
8 section o; the county seven miles
south Of Aiken. When her alleged
friendly s,tituSe toas-d Knight be.
came known the good pecp.e OF the
neighbcraood were as once solicitous
SIS to her safety scd gave her warn
ing. EcweYsr, her fai16 in the negro
was unshaken and tie warnings Of her
white neighbo-s we're attributed By be.
to unwsryante6 prejudice sesinss q
pe-sscuted racs. For nearlG fur years
Kci2hE, under these conditions, re.
NAMED in the employ OF Mrs. Oaaptn.
A few hours before his execution With
Whist little feeling there seems to be
in the brute, Knight spoke to The
States correspondent OF the kindness
Of the philanthroptc wonsn toward
him a2d OF the fne way" she treat
ed bin.
On Sunday night, July s, this year,
after Gay well worn into the night
with cSrousinc in q nesghbortng negro
settle ment. knight returned home,
some hours aftsr Mrs Caspin had Es.
tired Tor the night. Upon being &C.
ouainted with the fact thst he had re-
turned she hurriedly dressed, unlocked
the door ao6 admitted him to the
house. Later she hsd gone to the DIN
ing 1ocm, according 60 the evidence
sdcuoed in the recent trial Of the csse,
to give knight supper, when he fell
upon tie victim in the very set OF
carrying cut her ph!lanthropic ideas,
and ce mmitsed csime, the hienous.
ness of which is unprecedented In the
history Of the county. His victim Is
an aged widow, pro5sbly IS years old.
TIE burly bIuts wss approaching bis
S2aa year.
On the night OF the crime Knight
made bis escape and sll traces OF him
we're lest for several dsys. His capture
was accidentally accomplished in Bar
tow, q small town in Jefferson county,
Georgia. On Wednesday subsequent to
the crime. TIE negro appeared sus,
p,cicus and his actions caused the town
marshall st Barlow to arrsst him.
When ordered to submit to arrest, he
drew pistol quickly, and but for the
slertness Of the marshal, il knocking
him down, wculd most probably haze
added another to bis list OF crimes.
After arrest he could rot OF would not
give 81 account OF himself, and was
therefore hsld by the authorities there.
Further investigation developed the
fact that the nsn ;ncarceEsted ct Bar.
tow answered to the description OF
Koight and was lister identified IS tbs
-,n vho nsE cSro rrjtteS Ehe sssarTt