Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-03-13
Powhalan Crime One Of Most
Barbarous IN he History .
Of the State.
ATRoc|TY WAS PRHMEDTlTH
Confessions BY Four Of cuIprits Prob
ably insures Conviction Of Them.
selves and Four Others-After ee.
ing Shot Johnson Begged for Mercy,
But None Was Given,

RICHMOND. VA. March Eight
negroes will likely 20 to the electric
chair for the murder and burning Of
Mrs Skipwi;h and viii @. Johnson
February II at Northeast" the home
OF Mrs. SkIpwith. In Powhatan county.
Lewis jenkins, Robert Taylor. alias
Robert Johnson. Joe Taylor, and
Isham Taylor. four negroes confined
in the FarmvilIe jail charged with
the crime. have made n full confess
sion on their own part, and have i'm.
plicated four other negroes to such an
extent that It is confidently believed
that all eight will be convicted. He
Cides the four who confessed. almost
absolute evidence has been gotten
against John Brown. William Robin
son, Mamie Taylor and William
Brown. Strong evidence has teen
gotten against Ann Taylor. who is
confined in the Powhatan county jail.
but 1t il not believed that she will he
sent to the chair. although her share
In the crime will surely send her to
the penitentiary for q long time.
crecy have been used IN distributing
the prisoners about the Ajafls Of the
State, the feeling Is such in Powha-
tan county that there is every prob
ability Of a lynching being attempted.
As the arrests were made the pris-
oners were taken secretly to the diff
ferent jails. Joe Taylor. Isham Tay-
lor. Robert TAYLOR and Lewis Jenkins
were taken TO the Farmyille jail:
Stephen Johnson and William Robin
son were taken to the Henrico c0un-
ty Jail: William Brown. Anna Taylor
and John Anderson were taken to
the Powhatan county jail and Mamie
Taylor and John Brown were put in
the Richmond Jail.
The confession made by the four
negroes in Farmville show that the
crime is the most revolving and brutal
committed in Virginia for a score of
years. Not the slightest mercy was
shown the murdered man and wouan.
not the slightest chance for their lives
was given them, but with the nendish
cruelty Of starving wolves the ne
groes murdered them in cold blood.
Plan Wa premedatated.
The confession shows that. accord
ing to . premeditated plan. the ne-3
eroes came to Northeast. the old
Skipwith home, between and
O'Clock on the night Of February Il
and knocked at the door. Isham Tay-
Tor. who Is believed to be the oriGi-
nator OF the crime. stood Immediately
in front of the door with . shot1un
loaded with No. 8 shot, and when
Will johnson threw open the door. ex-
recting some visitor. Isham Taylor
fired. Taylor Stood not more than
ten feet from Johnson and the shot
entering his face and head. literally
tore him to pieces.
With the first shedding OF H0od
the negroes seem to have lost all
humanity and became beasts. They
rushed past Johnson into the house
and one Of them with an axe crushed
Mrs. Skipwi;h's head as she came
into the upper hall to enquire ~ TO
the gun shot. Her body was dragged
10 the lower floor and the lootIng Of
the house began. Everything Of valse
was taken. Even the portraits Of
Johnson's father and mother were
torn from the walls and taken to m
clubhouse. Jewelry and money and
SILVER were tdNtu anu uStuNO "ssO1S
the negroes. making clues which led
to the arrest Of the murderers-
Begged Foe His LIE.
While the house was being looted
johnson recovered consciousness and
with face torn and bleeding from the
sho; wounds. begged for his life. One
Of the negroes siopped the work
Of loo'ing long enough to lick htn
over. where he Law still and weot
On with the rest. When the ho00e
had been thoroughly devastated the
negroes according to plan. set IRE
TO the building in half dozen places
and made sure before they left Inst
), was impossible TO save !, from DE-
sfruction.
u their confessions the negroes
state that thev do not know whether
johnson vas dead or not when The
house vas set on FIRE. They onU
made sure that he was unable 10 ~
ou before the flames DESTROYED hin.
and then set Ere 10 the house. ID
the opinion Of the olRcers q IT,
county johnson was not dad w.
the negroes left him. and there -
every probability that he vas SrUse1e