The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-07-16
NEGRO PAYS
THE PENALTY
Aaron Bailey Hung for the Muir
der of Jim Patterson at Viking
SHOWS COURAGE TOfND
Prisoner, from the ScaffoId, Addresses the
CrOwd-first Execution in St. lucie
County was Successful One.

Aaron Bailey, alias Aaron Williams,
coored, was hanged in the Jail yard last
Friday. The mans neck was broken
by the fall and he was pronounced dead
in eleven minutes by Drs. VanLanding-
ham and Rollins. Bailey made an i'm
FASHIONED appeal to his hearers to mend
their ways and profit by his fate.
Bailey did not show any signs of
weakening and displayed splendid nerve.
When Sheriff Carlton visited the prison
Friday morning, Bailey asked that he
be permitted to speak from the gal
lows. When the wish was granted he
appeared pleased, thanked the sheriff
and dressed himself carefully in a new
black suit. At $3.50 Sheriff Carlton
told the prisoner that all was ready.
He jumped to his feet and held out his
hands for the handouts. In one hand
he held his we'll worn little bible and
hymn book while in the other he had a
large bible. Then the march to the
gallows was begun. Williams between
Sheriff Carlton and Sheriff D. P. Brown,
of Brevard county, leading. followed
by the witnesses, walked out the front
door of the Jail, to the side yard then
around the Jail to the north side where
the scaffold had been erected. Will
liams mounted the scaffOld with steady
step and when he reached the platform
the handouts were removed. Bailey
looked over the large assemblage which
had gathered outside the Jail enclosure
with unfinchng eyes. Long before
the hour set for the execution the
crowd began to gather and every van
cameras were trained on the doomed
man, but to them he paid no attention.
He began by asking the crowd to sing
the hymn, EAST as | am" in which
many joined. In strong tones he ex-
horted the crowd to give up sin. 81
am going home now, going home to
rest, don't want to stay in this wick
ed world" he said He called on all to
take him as an example and mend their
ways. He pictured eternity and said
he knew he would spend it in heaven.
1.-THE Lord calls everybody. Some
He calls one way, some anOther-me
he calls by the galows. ! am free and
willing to CO. He asked everyone
who expected to meet him in heaven to
hold up their hands and nearly all the
cOlOred people in the crowd responded
Bailey turned to Thomas Tucker,
who stood beside him, and laid his hand
on his shoulder and said This white
man has stood by me and taught me
the bible" He then recognized a
cousin outside the enclosure and said,
Israel, you are my cousin, there is no
use of you being here to day. You
can't help me now, the time for that is
passed." He then scored colored
preachers and called upon all to visit
prisoners and do for those who were in
prison. Do you think | could stand
here as | am if | did not believe my
soul was saved?" He then closed by
reading from the bible the 5th chapter
of st. Matthew. He knelt and prayed
for few minutes and then turning to
Sheriff Carlton, he said, 81 am ready
to 20 home now" M. S. Jones Jr.,
bound the ropes about the man. s feet
and hands and Sheriff j. p. Brown ad-
justed the moose about his neck, Sher-
if Carlton placed the black cap over
his head and at 1905 cut the rope
which held the trap. The body shot
uOWn y lcct anu Dul lOt q iIiuSCuidI
contraction, was still. Drs. VanLand-
ingham and Rollins detected the last
flicker of the heart at 1917. The body
was then cut down, placed in a coffin
and buried in the colored cemetary.
Bailey, whose home was in South
Carolina, told Deputy Perry Carlton
that he had $3.50 buried in the south
part of the county and that he wished
It sent to his wife and child in South
Carolina. This was the first time he
had acknowledged that he was married.
This was the first execution in ST.
Lucie county and was most successful,
everything passing off smoothly. The
scaffold was built by l.. S. Wharry.
The crime for which Bailey or Will
liams suffered death was for the MUIR
der of jim Patterson in Viking in De-
cember, 1908. He was tried before the
spring term of the circuit court, con-
victed and sentenced to death. He
maintained a sullen silence although
declaring he was innocent until few
weeks ago when he confessed after
processing religion.