The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-24
PAYS FOR CRIME
Benjamin Gilbert Is EIectrocuted
at Richmond, Va.
KILLED YOUNG LADY

Because in REJECTED Him as
Lover-The Murder COMMITTEE
on q Bridge at Norfolk, While tn
Young Girl was With Friends 70
q Little Outing.
Richmond, March 19.-For killing
his former sweetheart in a momen
of Jealous rage, Benjamin Gilber
today wss e~lectrocuted in the Stats
penitentiary here, where all crimi
nails in this State are To- put tt
death.
Because she had spurned him fol
the attentions of other young men
Gilbert shot down pretty Amanda B
Morse on Campostella bridge in Nor
folk on July % last. The girl ling
cred for twenty-four hours, her death
| occurring at St. Vincent's hospital
to which institution she had been
removed Immediately following the
shooting.
Hearing that Gilbert had threat
ened to kill his daughter, T. o. Morse,
father of the girl, went to look for
Gilbert, and reason with him. Co
ing the wrong way, Morse missed
Gilbert, and twenty minutes later,
while still in search Of the youth,
was told that he had shot his daugh-
ter. The father rushed to the scene
and the fact that he could find no
one to furnish him with a pistol was
all that prevented a double tragedy.
On the hot summer night Miss
Morse and several young friends
went to Compostella bridge for a
breath Of air from across the water.
They we're conversing on the bridge
when young Gilbert approached.
Miss Morse's escort, w. G. Mitchell,
noticed Gilbert acting peculiarly.
Gilbert asked the girl to see him pri-
vately. She replied that il he had
anything to say to her he could
say it then and there.
Gilbert making no reply, Miss
Morse turned from him and took the
arm of Mitchell to walk further or
the bridge. Just as she did so Gill
bert drew his pistol and fired three
times at her. Two of the bullets
entered the girls back. The third
grazed the coast of Mitchell.
Gilbert would have been mobbed
but for the early arrival Of the po-
lice. He claimed to have been en-
gagged to the girl and declared that
heir wedding was scheduled for an
early date when she spurned him.
Gilbert's defense was general de-
pravity and mental responsibility,
it being sought at his trial to prove
hereditary insanity. After the trial
eight members of the jury petition
ed Governor Swanson to commute
Gilbert's death sentence to life i'm
nrisonment in the State pe%nitentiary.
The jury in rendering its verdict
recommended the prisoner to the
mercy of the court. Judge Hanckel
submitted this recommendation to
the Governor, who declared that if
he should commute Gilbert, he could
not permit another man to be exc
cuted for murder, so long as he
occupied the gubernatorial chair.
The Supreme Court was then ap
appealed to, among the grounds be-
ing that Gilbert had become insane
since his conviction and that the
act of the Legislature changing the
mode of inflicting the de lth penalty
in Virginia from hanging to electro.
cution was "strange and "nusual,'
and, therefore, in conflict with tn:
Constitution of the State. The Su-
preme Court denied a writ of error
on Gilbert's appeal, and Governor
Swanson, who had granted numerous
respites to permit court action, re-
fused to interfere further.
Gilbert's parents spent their all
in an effort to save his life, even
nortgaging their beds to raise mon
| ey with which to carry the fight to
the higher courts. Daniel Coleman,
Jr., the lawyer who defended Gilbert,
not only received no compensation,
but had to supplement from his OWN
pocket the money raised by Gilbert's
parents to carry on the fight for the
condemned boy.
Gilbert after being carried to the
~penitentiary repented and had hi:
spiritual adviser write to the parent:
of his victim asking forgiveness. thu
youth saying that he could die easier
If he had his forgiveness.
$40 4 VIZ w a W y, SAWS VIZ lTrIJnDA ~