Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-02-03
ANERICUS WILL
RECALL FIRST
HANGING
OF Woman in Georgia for
Murder.
Pending Execution Of NGgFGSS in Ma
con Recalls to Citizens Of AmeFi.
Gus Hanging Of a White Woman,
Susan EbGFhaFt, Over in Webster.

Susan EbGrhart, Over in Webster.
Americus people who recall wildly
the public execution of Mrs. Susan
Eberhardt, the first and only woman
ever hanged in Georgia, will await
with interest the plea for clemency
made in behalf of negro girl, Rosa
Lee Symms, who is sentenced to De
hanged in Burke next week
The execution of the Symms woman
will be the first since Mrs Eberhar1t
a we'll known white woman, was hang
ed in 1S73-thirty-eight long years
ago
Since that time the courts of Geor-
gia have halted at hanging women,
and send those convicted of crime to
the penitentiary, instead This fate.
thought horrible in former years, IS
considered less barbarous than hang
ing,
The negro girl sentenced to hang iii
Burke on Wednesday next, Sth, is i'm
plicated in the murder of a white fay-
mer there named Jones.
The Crime in Burke.
The negro girl, who was an orphan
and no one to guide her in right paths
asked Jones for money to make a trip
to a neighboring town. She was re-
fused and so possessed had she be-
come with the idea of going that she
asked a burly negro man of her ac-
quaintance to kill Jones.
Jones was a bachelor, living alone in
a small house and the negro man
went there and shot him dead. lie
was arrested and implicated the ne
gro girl.
Both the defendants were found gull
ty and sentenced to death. 1t is said
that the girl is nothing more than an
untutored child, and really thought she
was not to be held accountable be-
cause of her asking the negro man 10
kill the farmer
The prison board meets next Tues.
day, the day before the date set for the
girls execution. A respite will doubt
less be granted
The Crime in Webster,
The legal hanging of the woman,
so we'll remembered in Americus, o.,
CURED over in Webster, and the
double execution of Mrs Eberharut
and her friend. Spann, was witnessed
by several citizens here They We're
hanged for the murder of Spanns wife
and the double execution was witness
ed by hundreds.
The execution of Spann and Mrs. Eb-
erhardt aroused the greatest interest
and every possible effort was put forth
to save her from such an ignominious
fate.
Spann, it was said, actually commit
ted the atrocious crime Of wife mul.-
der, killing his wife because Of his in,
fatuation for Mrs. Eberhardt, a come
lier young woman. After the crime
was committed Spann and Mrs. Eber-
hardt fed from Webster, but they We're
caught and brought back
They were tried for the atrocious
crime at Preston, Webster county
Efforts TO Save the Woman.
The trial of Spann and Mrs. Eber-
hardt aroused intense interest aad
4asred through one week Both were
Iadj dyed guilty and sentenced to the
& bret The Supreme court affirmed
! the rcrdict and then Governor Mjlt
Smith was appealed to for commute
ton of the womau's death sentence.
Committees Of prominent citizens o.
imcii,us and Webster county inter-
nicu with Gov Smith in behalf of the
unfortunate young white woman.
But Georgia's governor was made
Of sterrer stuff than are those #
more recent years He refused, near
Ily always, to set aside a court verdict
art,r q case had been fairly and inn
partially tried before a jury of twelve
good and true men, as was done in this
;,,.t.,,-