The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-07-11
CONDEMNED nEcro NET DEAF.
AFTER MAKING PEACE
WITH MAKER.
stoiiensss Was ssrpriss 20 Prison A.
tsnosrts-oosernor Refused
70 fntsrcsde.


unfsi,sring IN his march 20 IN. cen
ter OF the scaroid. and unfinchinx In
bis resolve 70 hep nom the eyes OF
tho world The nature Of his last
thoughts On earth, 5ilas Jones. con
vfcted wife MURDERS frum CabeIl
county. ms death In the execution
s ION OF s,,, me ., sIsss psnitsntary at
y after . O'Clock with . coraposurs
81 mind probably never Witnessed be-
fore AZ an er~cufiou Of this kind. This
sas . comDlete surprise az ~ was en-.
pected that the Condemned man would
prosched the scanoId- Jones had
made peace with his Maker a. was
plainly evidenced BY the erpr~s.ion
which he bore. The execution was
auccessful IN every respect. nothing
arising 10 interfere With the workings
OF tusuce Ten minutes and thirty
seconds from the time the trap was
sprung tho body was cut dovn-life-
lees Tho neck was broker-
Tho number OF persons attending
the execution was tho smallest for
several years. the number OF invita-
ton. reccdved by the guards on the
four those holding Invitations began
TO arrive and seated themselves In the
prison waiting room or were strolling
about the verAndA
About 1850 the line was formed i'm
mediA.sly IN front Of the gate and at
march TO the death chamber The
small column swung out through the
great gatee and into q sunlit court be-
yond Prisoner were To be seen In
ySsr'crs Rlsesc loctins curiousIX q,
ne E%s1 -, boy q ,rtranse,s when
of sacred music By the renowned
prisoe choir q negro life, prisoner.
x @d Tho party was rushed
Int the narrow space Facing and be-
low tbs PLATFORM OF the scaffold, being
placed by the guarda
Al pdmost brcathless silence ex-
fstsd tor probably . minute after the
speootors had become placed before
the sound Of footstepe were heard
climbing the stairs which led up TO
deacon ,. n. spur was the nrst to
appesr. being Immediately followed
b. Rev. Arnett, the prison chaplin.
The eyes or the spectators, however.
were centered, not on the last arrival
but On the door through which no
to wait and thoss.~ n any. who had
como to SEQ the condemned man car
rfed to the scaffold were sorely disap-
pointed for when he approached, led
by Captain OF the Guards Bloyd there
was nothing to lead ono to believe
Ing. When released by Captain Bioyd
tho doomed man heeitated momentan-
ly as though he did not know what
next TO do. He decided, however, OF
his own accord and quickly stepped
10 the center Of the platform:
nxed the straps In place. Jones mean
while allowing his gaze to wander
from face to face In the crowd below.
but at last bringing II to rest on the
dome above where IL remained fixed.
The hood was placed over the head,
and Archdeacon Spur stepped for
ward and invoked the blessing of the
Almighty on the departing soul. The
three guards being In place, Captain
lloyd at b:02 o'clock gave the signal,
three electric buttons were pressed
by. the three guards and the fate OF
Silas Jones was not In the hands Of
men but In that OF his Creator.
Neck Broken.
The hanged man was muscular In
build and OF strong constitution and
iody, consequently. was not stilled I'M
Ill life was extinct. Physicians Nolte,
Ashworth. Weinberger and Deveraux
were In attendance. At 5:I3 o'clock
Doctors Weinberger and Ashworth
gave the signal that life was extinct
and the body was taken down. The
hood was removed and upon eIamina>
ton Il was found that the neck had
been broken.
The remarkable feature OF this exc
cution was the strength which the
condemned man showed when upon
the scaffold. II was generally believed
by the prison officials that he would
completely collapse when brought
face TO face with his fate, but in this
ally due to the fact that sometime
during the evening he had become
reooncfled to the doom which be was
TO meet. During the morning he was
in . worse condition than any time
before. but when DIR. Ashvorth ap-
fore the hour OF execution he ran
forward and throwing his arms
around the physician exclaimed Doc
tor am saved. = am going TO Heav-
en- While his eyes were dim, the
doctor said he was completely COM
hour Win . calmness rarely equalled.
Pubic opinion around Moundsvtlle
q few hours before the execution was
that Jones would not hang. A pardon
OF reprieve from Governor Hatfield
was minutely eupected. This. how
from Charleston being from the par
don attorney TO the effect that Gov
ernor Hatfield refused TO interfere.
This was IN the shape OF telegram
and only after It's receipt did Warden
Brown and the other officials give up
hope that the condemned man might
be granted a reprieve.
Much sympathy For Man.
Sympathy for a condemned man
was probably never stronger than In
this case Jones. before the murder
Of his wife. was employed by a veal.
thy citizen OF Huntington. who did
everything in his power TO save the
negro from the rope Ten OF the iur-
ors who sealed his fate months ago
in the Cabell county criminal court,
signed their names 70 a petition which
was presented TO the governor.
Around the penitentiary and In
MOundHville. as well az other sections
Of tho state. sympathy was strong for
Jones.
The story Of the srfrne. AZ told BY
Jones. r. AZ follows Prior 10 their
marriage the woman had lived with
another man. After they were mar
RED they uuaTeicd quite frequently
over the other man and also with the
iran. who claimed that she had taken
some 81 his furniture when she mar