Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-05-01
Two OF P0WHATAN COUNTY
MURDERERS PUT TO Death
NEGRO Father and Son Pay Penalty
OF Awful Crime in Electric
Chair.

RICHMOND. VA. April 30.-It re,
Quired but twelve minutes this morn
ing for the officials of the virginia
penitentiary to execute the sentence
of the law In the case OF John and
William Brown, the Powhatan muir
derers, who were convicted Of COM
plicity in the atrOciOus murder OF Mrs.
Mary F.. Skipwith and Walter G,
johnson.
The electric chair. which has claim
ed nine victims since the law sub
stituting its dread machinery for the
gibbet became effective, has never
yet failed to do its work with expe-
dition, and today it worked with Pc
cu!iar facility.
Indeed. the double execution, If so
1t may be designated. was reduced
to mechanical exactness, and was
Invested OF every feature that could
make 1t sensational or unluly grew.
some. Even the bearing Of the
doomed men contributed to relieve
the occasion of much Of its terrible
significance.
years old. and the father Of william.
was the first 10 meet his fate. He
preceded his son ty less thsp fifteen
minutes. The latter apparently was
only twenty years old. Both mur-
derers were men of strikingly unat-
tractive appearaDce-seemingly the
lowest types of their race.
Families to Get Bodies.
The two corpses will be- lhipped
back TO Powhatarl for burial.
Long before 3 o'clock this morn
ing. the prison officials had drawn
the curtain on the first scene mark
ing the laws stern part in avensing
the murder of Mrs. Skipwith and Mr..
johnson.
On MAY 5th two more OF the red
handed criminals are to perish in the
same fashion which brought about
the end of John and William Brown.
The next two men to go to the chair
will be Isbam and Joe Taylor, who
were related, while two days later
Lewis jenkins. the fifth and last OF
the gang to be convicted, VIII expi.
ate his oRense.
The original sentence Of the Pow
hatan Circuit Court decreed that all
the negroes should die on the same
day. but Governor Swanson. at the in.
stance OF Superintendent Morgan.
changed the dates rs above exSlain.
ed.
II was felt On all sides that II
would be injudicious to have such q
Wholesale killing at the prison. when
little or no practical good could be
accomplished by II.
Certain elements Of mystery still
enter infangibly into he case. and
make the coaaty officials feel sure
that a good honest confession by one
II the three surviving accused would
clarity matters exactly.
"Aneeis Of Zion"
II has been HI lieved. almost from
the first discovery Of the crime. that
the Rendish crew who tanned ana
executed the murder. were handed to-
gether In some sort OF secret organ
izatiou. which had a saturna!ia Of
crime as its object
That the cousp:fators did not d.
far more harm than they did In prot
ably due TO the celebrity with which
they were snatched M by the strong
arm Of justice.
Report has IL tina. the mUrdcrers
were members Of a society. and tina;
its personnel were bound together by
some sor; Of oath Of silence.
" Is also said that just b..fore the
commission q the crime the regpcs
TOOK the precauiion 10 remove the
pistol Ct Mr. johnson from under the
pillow lying on his bed
These remorselcss asSassins intend.
ed TO take no chances. and their In
ability TO escape detection should not
be construed 70 mean tha' they failed
TO exercise all the cunning at theiI
|, command
These t~o we're the drst OF I've