The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-13
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HAD 'T ! N | J J ! J.
Davenport, Who Will Y III Be Exc Exc !,
cuted To-day, Discovered cred, Clip
ping Newspaper With ltFl Knife. n
DECLARED ne MEAN ] [. HARM 1! 4 |
Only Wanted to- Use Ills Knives
III His Cell During Few Hours .
Left Him.
Especial Is The Times Dispatch.) 55


835 .-----, RI
Especial 10 The Times Dispatch.)
NEWPORT rI1oW,s VA. July u. --F'ollco
officers standing II, the jail yard latA ifgt
hight, saw Andrew u. Davenport who's
4 to be hanged tor murder Tomorrow ct
q sunrse. quietly sitting In his cell clipping
"A an tlcle ftOm q newspaper with q large
q knife Jailcr Brown was notified and
y he succeeded IN getting tho weapon away
\ from tho murderer after considerable dis
cussion. Later, Davenport admitted that
X he had another knife and reluctantly SUR
rendered ut. ISL h VI 5s ~ vi /.
& B The first weapon was made from8n
attn piece OF corset steel, fitted between
\ pieces OF wood and wrapped With cord.
twas sharpenedi until Its ed sc would eli
u 1 hair The other weapon was made
\ from q piece 81 coat spring. $ q
Davenport said that a chain-gang prlls-'
Z oner gave him the wenpons He protest.
" ed that he did not want to harm any one;
\ that 10 merely wanted The knives to use
q IN HIS cell during the few hours OF lifo
i left him. i
ID This morning Rev. al. o.. Sykes, rector
"a Of st. Paul's Episcopal Church, and Rev.
4. g.. A. Howell, q negro preacher, were adj
mf.ted to the jail to see Davenport The
4 prisoner wanted to ask Or. ykeB whether
Ssor not II was necessary for him to no
\ baptized again. lie was bap tized when o
child. but Is afraid that IFS "backsliding"
4 makes mother ceremony II ecessary.
Yesterday the negro attired himself In
Il sackclotii and spent several hours pray
irE. 5s3 ~ rs. 81; VI
The condemned man was ss convicted
4 upon circurnstantial evidence. and he has
Il never showed the slightest disposition to-
" ward confessing his crime. He Bolcmnly
declares that lie Is innocent and that his
Il hanging will DO a legal lynching.
H4$is astonishhgly calm. and when nos
IL titled yesterday that the Governor had
! refused to commute y his sentence, snid
a that he was happier than he had been in
n many a day: that he was nearer to God
at Preparations FOR the n execution have
I'm cen compile TED. s The cnffold lis iii tho
Z; City Hall yard, beneath the windows OF
Ia the Corporation Court room, and the
clerks Office. Only the few persons who
\ are to ltness the hanging know the
X exact hour which has been set. a cleo.
y trical oItr1vance VIII spring the trap
Three buttons have been placed on i q
u beard IN the City Hail. One Of these
58b,utloi,g no ono knows which. connects
Il City Sergeant f.. Nv. AlilBtcnd, Deputy q.
Il 81 Curtis and Jallcr Brown Will push the
three buttons simultaneously l5s & $;3
n. The crime for which Davenport ID \ to-
Z hang was n brutal and cold blooded MUIR
.si Z. planned =. FOR months before accom-
e named Willie d Thoina s. was his nephew,
a Davenp 0r Il had another man inpers0nate
+ Thomas II and exam ined life lnsur-i
anse po,sy ~ PAYING Tbs
+ policy. and . then set about to murder
Thonassi4A tier several vain tteHfpts
induced Thomas To- visit q N new house!
at Thirty-flfth Sarcet and Oak avenue,
lonely spot outside OF the .city limits IT
Twenty.eiEhtf Street. Davenport shot
sh ,tS putting load 81 No. 8 shot and
fnrse saa M Sying I'll path the M
b derer placed the gun mt the right cheek
4 OF the corpse and fired aga !,
. People hearing the shots discovered the
1so tsaehsa aS ess
4 One OF the notes said + Yes. I ment. to
Kill him: and his lord A, L. Davenport
the whole dam company OF them Il the they
Il. I'll The other read "Jany l9?s. ], 10y 7, can q,
take man woH rb;s 30 a' 1S,ll n Un
bother my woman no. more 4,
The notes misled the officers, rs the
murderer intended they snouldL ll1aVcH--
negro. named Sam Johnson, saving that.
4 Thomas had been nftcr Johnson's Wo--s
man. Johnson was arrested Us, b t me = 9.
authorities were soon nvinced that ne q
Da9enport az Mssh se esit
Newsome. n negro lawyer telling him
to prosecute and hang Sam Johnson.
Meysome had seen the notes foan On
aroused. lie gave the notes to Chief OF
Police Reynolds. who recognized the
3 handwriting. ms that OF the murderer. !,
for the coroners Inquest to begin. Daven-A
came without delay; The repeallns, shot.
hefore
cy. tho motive for which the officers
were looking, had been located Lin Dfa'yen.ss
ports mouse, and Others testified that.
they saw Davenport near the scene of
the@ murder Just after the body was vas
AiIttie Sanford. tho woman who lived
with Davenport. mnde n poor witness
for the. Commonwealth. refusing to tell
shs S sfhs
trial however, she haa made q complete
confession. tellng Chief ReyI,SSlds that Z, ct
prominent member OF the local lodge Of
negro Nlasons, The lodge employed ~ z.
y Newsone to assist commemorative At
Storney Robinson In prosecuting thegcnse :.
Messrs.T n. 8. Collier and u. q. Robinson
represented the prisoner. 5Si IN tg
4 Davenport Wns sen fenced to die on June
r lel S until June 2lst, The The sup ,
court refused to grant n ,writ of error
fand then Governor Swanson respited the
prisoner until July l3th. yesterday the
Tt n II