Henderson gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1911-19??, 1911-11-02
NEGRO BRUTE PAYS PENALTY.
NoryaI Marshall EI-ctrocuted For the
FOullest Crime Ever Committed In
/ his Part of the State.
[ News and Observer.l

/ his Part of the State.
News and Observer.)
Without a tremOr Norval Mar
shall, Jr., negro fapist of Warren
county, walked to the death chair
Ten minutes later the body once ami
mated with life was a corpse passing
out from the States Prison in the
dead wagon of an Undertaking COM
plny. And not a word did the negro
speak i'll the final minutes before his
death after he was brought from the
death cell. He was the seventh Grim
iuaI to be electrOcuted in North Car
OInu
The negro, or rather the mulatto,
for Marshall was a very bright mu-
iutto with u small reddish hued
uustachp, paid with his life the pen
atty Of Il foul crime and a desperate
resistance to protect himself from
its consequences. His death SEN
tenre was because of criminal as
sauIt under threat Of death on Mrs.
Joseph Chopin, aged twenty-five, OF
NurrentOn county, on Saturday
September 1G, in the afternoon, the
brute shooting and wounding both
her father and Sheriff Davis, of War
rcu. He was finally taken with the
assistance Of his two brothers aud
broLher-in-law. Captured on the
morning of September Il, he was
tried on September Ii and last Fri
day his life was taken by electrocu-
ton.
The small octagonal death cham
bor ut the States Prison was crowd
ed Friday morning, in the party be-
ng IL number Of officers and other
citizens OF Warren county, and of
other counties besides Wake. The
d,ath hour vas fixed for 1O:30 and
at intervals from 1910 to that time
Warden r. p. Sale made tests of the
electric appliance, and found the ma
chinery III perfect working order
The electrocut!on was perfect in
every respect, two, shocks being
given, and within eight minutes after
Marshall seated himself in the death
chair he was officially pronounced
dead, after examinations by the
physicians in attendance, DR.. Il. NJ
Jordan, DR.. r. S. McGeachy and DR..
Ralph 5. Stevens.
At 1920 Marshall came from the
death cell to. the death chamber.
just previous to his coming the whir
Of the electric machinery was stopped
and there was intense quiet as Mar
shall, under escort of four officers
Of the States Prison, entered the
room. There was no preacher at his
side, this the first electrocutiOn with
out a minister being with the con-
demned. The negro was in his stock
ing feet, had on a dark coat, dark
trousers with n belt at the waist, and
a yeIlowish tinged negligee shirt. A
bright mulattO, tall and slim, his
face rather long, his prison cOnfine-
ment had bleached him to even q
brighter tinge, his head, with hair
close clipped, showing yellow also
Apparently composed and cool, his
eyes east down, he went directly to
the electric chair and seated himself,
the guard in charge quickly strap
ping him in the great chair. He took
the matter quietly, gazed once in a
Semi-curiOus look about the room
Just before the covering was put over
his eyes He shuddered visibly as
the Water-soaked sponge was placed
ON the top Of his head and the cleo
troic placed on this, the water
squeezed from the sponge running
down his face and neck, dripping to
the floor.
1t was Just few seconds past
Io.:io when the attendants stepped
back from the chair and DR.. Jordan
gave the signal to Warden Sale to
turn on the current His body Jerk
81 taut as the electric current enter
I'll it, his mouth opened and his teeth
showed prominently, the little finger
on the right hand twisting down on
tie arm Of the chair. For twenty
seconds the current was on, then
WaS run down and slowly put up
again for ten seconds. Tile physi-
cmns examined the mans heart
with stethoscope and called for an
Other shock. 1t came at 1913 as
before and then there were several
examinations. Just before 1923 DR..
Jordan announced that the negro
was dead, his body was quickly re-
moved to the adjoining hallway and
a minute or SO later was taken to
the undertaker's wagon. At the re-
quest of the father and brothers the
body was given to them, two cousins
being here to receive it, and they
took it to Henderson, from where
1t was taken to Warren county,
not far from the Vance county line,
for lntermen1.
There were visits paid the negro
by three preachers, Rev. L. F Christ
mas and Rev J. +. King, colored,
and Rev. Sylvester J. Belts, during
MS imprisonment. but none of these
We're with him at the death hour. To
Warden Sale, Marshall confessed
mat lie was guilty as charged, and
SAID he was ready to 60" Asked
Gays before the, electrocution if he
deolred anything special to eat, he
sald he did not. that anything given
hlm would do. AS prisoner, War