Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-03-28
ANNIVERSARY Of HANG|NG.
Negro Murderer, Executed in City
Jail Forty Years Ago
~: Today

The dual electrocution of Sidna and
Claude Allen which took place in Rich
nlond this afternoon brings TO
mind the fact that Alexandria witness
ed an execution two-score years ago
today, when a negro named Charles |
Manley paid the full penalty of the !
law for numbering John Monroe, an
old Scotchman, VINO followed the vo-
cation of mending clocks.
NIanley's trial took place in the Cor
poration Court on the 14th of January,
1873, when it was shown that on the
night Of the 5th Of July, Of the preced-
; ing year, Monroe was sitting by the
! side of the spring in the valley which
extends from ST. Asaph street toRoyal,
in the mids. of the colored SUBURB
kncwn as Petersburg" The night
was starlit and sultry, and it is sup
posed that Monroe, after refreshing
his thirst at the spring, had set down
TO rest and fallen asleep beside it..
He wore plain silver watch and car
lied a small tin box containing the
tools used in his calling. The shanty
of a colored man named Payne, was
but a short distance from the spring,
and from there three men-Manley
and Samuel Payne and Lewis Payne
came down upon Monroe, who was
heard 10 cry that he had no money,
and to beg them not to murder him.
He was, however, beaten most terri
bly,, his head bruised, and his abdo-
men smashed with large Stones, and
then, under the supposition that he
was dead, thrown into neighborng
ditch, from which he managed TO
crawl during the night, and on the
edge of which he was found in the
morning, and carried to his boarding
house on West street He fingered
there in great pain, but in full poses
sion of his senses, and able TO give an
account of the assault upon him, until
! the evening about o'clock, when he
died. The two Paynes made off during
! the night, and have never been heard
from since, but his father-in-law Of
Marley, having had his suspicious
aroused, communicated them to the
Lieutenant Of Police, the late John l..
Smith, who came upon Manley. while
! he was asleep in an upper room Of a.
hou;e nea rthe scene OF the murder,
ard found upon him the watch, hat
and boots of Monroe, all of which art
icles his victim identified before he
breathed his last. After mis- conviction,
and sentence Marley continued long
defiant, but later the ministrations OF
the late Rev. Fields Cook, Rev. S. w.
/ Madden and other coiored ministers
sof;ened him ard brought him under
religious influences. On the :caffoid
! the condemned man attributed all his
misfortunes to whisky-said he had no
one to blame-the Intoxicating cup
alone having brought him to the gal
lows. He stood upringht on the drop
without sign of emotion, and when
the late Capt. James NJ. Steuart, who
was then City Sergeant, placed the
moose around his neck said, "the soon
or this j. over the better" A negro,
who witnessed Manley's execution
went to Washington the same night
and killed Frank Hahn, a Virginia
cattle drover, and was later caught ir |
Alexandria by the late James +. Web |
ster who was chief of police at the !
time and returned to Washington, |
where he was hanged for his crime.