Evening journal., 1917-09-28
NEGROES Die ON
SCAFFOLD; deny
PARKER MURDER
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guards adjusted the moose after the
black cap had been pulled over his
head he told them that the rope was
,hoking him.
Goodbye, goodbye" he said as the
signal was given and an unseen hand
pulled the halyard which drew back
NE bolts and sprung the trap.
Purnell dropped at tO05 o'clock. The
shock was not sufficient 10 break his
heck, and he strangled 90 death after
p struggle. He hung for five minutes,
when the physicians felt his pulse and
found that there was still life i'm the
body. At the end Of ten minutes there
was no pulse movement. The stethO-
Be9pe was applied 10 the chest. but no
heart pulsation could be detected and
De man was pronounced dead The
body was hastily removed by an I'M
iertaker.
William Prettyman was the next
man brought down, arriving In the
death yard at 1870 o'clock He was
Of slight build and the physicians said
he was tubercular. lie was supposed
~ AA0NE UNfM NlAN MfuhNnNr IlNNINNlANr
OF the trio. He walked bravely up the
scaffold steps, however, with a smile
on his face. He was asked II he had
anything 10 say and replied mo, only
| am an innocent man. / told the
truth and that is all / can say. I will
pray that you all will be forgiven, d"
he declared as he smiled broadly at
lhe men in the yard below him.
The trap was sprung under him
two minutes after he had entered the
death yard and his neck was broken
by the fall. There was no struggle as
the body hung suspended, only a slight
twitching caused by the muscular re-
action. Although the weakest Of the
three 10 took Prettyman longer to die
Than any Of the others. He was per-
mited TO hang for fourteen minutes
before the physicians pronounced him
dead.
August was the last Of the trio Ia
appear. He is said to have been the
leader Of the gang and 10 have beer
the brains Of the outfit. He was a pow
erful man, said TO possess steel nerve
and was afraid Of nothing, and 10 was
thought he might make a scene al
The last minute. lie came down the
tunnel between his guards singing
hymn at 1855 o'clock. and when hl
stepped into the court yard he was
smiling He mounted the scaffold steps
with a light step, still smiling, and be
was careful 10 get himself placed IL
the exact position desired by hi
guards Before the black cap was pull
ed over his head he said.
Gentlemen, l am before all Of Vol
today an innocent man. Nothing at al
have ] done. Not one thing ! hav
done, and all Of you will know It SOM
day J stand and pray. / am Willing
10 take IT,"
As he talked August threw back hi
bead, looked up toward the sky AM
lmiled broadly.
The cap was fixed, the moose adjust
ed and the trap under him sprung a
1855 o'clock. Tho fall broke his necl
and the body hung suspended with onl
q slight muscular twitehing TO be seer
At the end Of the seven minutes Their
was still some pulse movement, and
the end of eleven minutes slight hear
pulsations could be detected by mean
Of the stethoscope. At the end Of fouI
Teen minutes the man was pronounce
dead. and the body taken down.
II required one hour and ten minute
10 carry out tho triple execution, th
first time in the history of DelawaI
that three men were hanged at the sam