The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-04-26
RESISTANCE WAS OF
DESPERATE CHARACTER
Declared He Nsuld Die In Cell, Bot
Never on Gallows.
Protests His innocence Of Crime Un-
III Trap In Sprung and Ono Re-
quest Was That wife MOVE
Out Of County.
BY w. W. SMITH /.

nj W. W. SmAln.
Guntersville April 25.-The execu-
ton Of Bobb watts here today was
one of those shockingly tragic events
sometimes Witnessed in connection
with carrying out the sentence Of
criminal law against an unfortunate
fslon.
The condemned man told Sheriff
Lewis last night that he never expec-
ted to leave his cell alive and came
very near making his statement good.
The condemned man was very restless,
not having slept the entire night, and
refused to eat anything except lit
tie coffee at breakfast.
With the coming of daylight and the
bright morning sun his restlessness
greatly increased. He was moving
nervously around in his cell with the
terrified look of some wild animal ut
tering low moaning sound.
About o'clock this morning, Depu-
ty Sheriff Eugene Gibson discovered
with q large sized pocket knife. Fear
ing that the prisoner would commit
suicide with the knife. Sherif Lewis
ordered his deputies to enter the cell
and disarm him.
Accordingly the deputies opened the
cell door and attempted to get hold
OF him. He backed himself UP into
one corner of his cell and commenced
cutting at them with his knife all the
time uttering that plaintive wild moan
which he had been making all the
morning.
watts at Bay.
His resistance had the effect Of
bringing the deputies to q stand. Sew
eral shots were dred into the prison.
er's cell for the purpose of trighten-
ing him and to draw his attention SO
others could seize hold Of him. but the
shooting never for one moment fright
ened the prisoner. nor did 1t draw his
attention from those who were trying
to lay hold Of him.
On the contrary he. challenged and
even begged his wouId-sbe eaptors to
shoot him IL they had nerve enough
to do It.. Seeing that II would be i'm
possible to get hold of the condemned
man without the danger of come of
his deputies being seriously Injured or
perhaps killed. Sheriff Lewis procured
abottle of ammonia for the purpose
of overcoming the condemned man with
the fumes.
All the other prisoners IN jail were
accordingly removed to the women's
urated a large wad of cotton in am
monia and threw It into the cell where
the prisoner was pacing to and fro ut
tering his moaning cry.
In ten minutes a second application
of ammonia was made the walls OF
the prisoners cells having been pre-
viously hung with blankets in order
feet Of so dazing the doomed man that
Msrshal Bob Amos of AlbertvflIe
rushed into the cell and dragged him
coughing and wailing into the fresh
air Of the jail corridor at five minutes
past o'clock.
Thus the prisoner had held at bay
the sherif and his deputies for more
than one hour during which time he
was keenly alert on the defensive and
never ceased to utter his peculiar
moaning cry.
March To GalIOws.
Tho prisoner having been captured
and brought forth from his cell where
he had said he would die, the death
march to the galrows which had been
erected in the Jail yard was at once
commenced The condemned man,
struggling, coughing and vomiting
from the effects of the fumes of the
powerful drug used to overcome him.
surrounded and supported by deputies
and now crying out, ''Oh Lordy, oh
me-" was led and pushed upon the scat
fold The condemned mans cries and
means can only Do compared TO Nhe
note of some fierce wild animal sur
rounded by its captors and face to face
with death.
BY the time the trap was reached
the condemned man was too much ex-
hausted to stand and was provided
with a chair. Sheriff Lewis asked him
IL he had any statements or requests
to make and he said he had a message
to his wife and children.
was requested by the sheriff TO
come forward and take down the con-
demned mans last statement.
He said: Tell my wife il she cam
not get our children into an orphans
home somewhere to leave the commu-
nifty in which they have always lived
as do not want them raised up there. "
He also requested the sheriff to send
his clothes home to his wife. He was
asked by several present to tell them
all about the crime of which he was
convicted and for which he was about
to die. The sheriff told him he would
have plenty of time to make all the
statements he desired to make and said
Bob tell US all about it,"
Tell you all about what. Johnnie p
he replied.
who killed old man winkles?' said
the sheriff.
Il have told you all I know about it.
/ am innocent of this crime; did not
do it."
asked him If he had any idea who
did 1t. and his reply was he did not
and then said: Gentlemen, 1 did not
do it."
Prayer on ScaffOId.
Rev. w. B. Hope came forward at
this time and offered a short prayer.
the condemned man kneeling on the
scaffold supported by deputies and a
chair. At the conclusion of the prayer
the condemned man was again asked II
he had any further statements to make,
but he requested the sheriff to go
ahead and finish up his work and put
him out of his misery. His hands and
feet were made fast, the black cap
pulled over his face and the moose adj
5usted by Deputy Bibsol.
AS this was being done he cried out:
Farewell. friends; am going to leave
this world"
He was assisted to arise from the
chair where he had been sitting and
a. his form stood erect on the gallows