Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-04-02
HANGING OF TOM HARRIS.


tensia Morgan, an aged widow, In
Cherokee county on November 20, last,
paid the penalty Of his crime at Gaff-
ney last Friday morning by being
hanged by the neck until he was
dead. 1t was the first legal hanging
that has occurred in Cherokee coun-
ty, and by reason of this as well as
the horror of the crime, quite large
crowd Of people were collected about
the Jail. The execution, however, took
place in the Jail enclosure and was
witnessed by only a few people. A
Gaffney correspondent tells the story
as follows:
For more than an hour Harris was
allowed to have his friends to come
in and tell him goodbye. To every
one he said that he was going to
Heaven, and while the preparations
were being made for the execution
Harris sang one stanza Of "Jes.s Low
er Of My Soul"
At 1925 the sheriff read the death
warrant, which Harris heard without
emotion. He was picking his teeth
with a straw all the time. He said
that he wanted his brother to have
the children, and that If he could
not get them for the Rev. w. P. Smith
of Spartanburg, to whom he made
his confession, to place them In an
orphanage.
The death march began at 1886
and Harris went to the scaffold with
out being handcuffed. When he step
ped out on the ground and saw the
large crowd standing there he said:
"All who want to shake hands with
Tom Harris hold up your hands. p"
Fully a thousand hands went up
and Harris said:
Now, as I wave my hand, just
think Of yourself as shaking hands
with me. I want you all to meet me
in Heaven. I am going home with
Jesus. Goodbye"
He then went into the enclosure
and mounted the scaffold with A
steady step. He was cool through
out the preparations. When the hand
cuffs were being put on him he said
that they were too tight.
After he was manacled he asked
the Rev. E. G. Ross to pray, and then
he himself prayed, commencing his
soul to God and placing himself on
Christ's mercy, claiming Gods PROM
his execution might be a warning to
others to leave sin alone. He prayed
for the witnesses who had been sum-
moned and for the sheriff who was
to spring the trap that was to hurl
him into eternity. Finally he prayed
for all the pepole.
The moose was placed in position at
11.07 and the black cap adjusted. In
Just half a minute Sheriff Thomas
said: "Tom are you ready?" Harris
replied in a strong voice: Ready
and the trap was sprung.
His neck was broken by the fall,
and he was pronounced dead In five
minutes.
The following is Harris's version Of
the crime:
when 1 left Grover I had not fully
made. up my mind to kill Mrs. Nor
gan. knew she carried lot Of mon
ey about her, because I heard my
mother-in-law and others who know
her talk about It, Between Blacks
burg and Gaffney I fully made up my
mind to kill her for the money.
when l got off the train at Gaff-
ney went to the end Of the waiting
room and lit my pipe. I then took
my suit case to Mr.. Davenports store
and asked him to let 1t stay there. l
then started toward the Gaffney Man.
ufacturing company, but remember
ing that that was not the purpose for
which I came to Gaffney, turned
around and went to Mrs. Morgan's
house. On the road 1 met several
people and inquired Of two as to
where Mrs. Morgan lived.
"I arrived at Mrs. Morgan's about
II o'clock. I found her sitting on
her front porch. 1 approached her
and pretended to want to rent a farm
She told me all her land was rented.
l stayed there about two hours. l
couldn't make up my mind to do the
deed.
"Finally the clock on the mantel
struck one. l waited a few minutes
longer. for five minutes, before l
her. nor she to me. Finally l nerved
myself and, reaching over, caught her
in my arms. She was still sitting In
the chair and lifted her up. At first
she seemed to realize what l was go
ing to do and then she kinder faint
ed away. I had carried her into the
room by this time and choked her
down on the bed.
II believe she was dead, but l took
my knife from my coat pocket and
cut her throat. / then searched the
cupboard or safe for her money and,
not finding 1t, I remembered that In
the struggle l felt something like
package tied about her waist.
searched her person and found the
money in a pouch or sack. l took
the money from the sack and
threw the sack on the floor near the
door.
"I then walked back to Gaffney.
went to a store and bought new suit
of clothes, a grip and pair Of shoes.
expected to get off on No. II, of the
Southern, and If the train had been
on time could have gotten away, but
the officers arrested me short while
before the train arrived. I realized
from the time that / was arrested
that l must hang for the crime