The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1920-08-26
FIRST.CLASS HANGING
IN MISSISSIPPI TOWN
MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN
ATTEND EXECUTION AND
HAVE GRAND PICNIC

/
population of the county, including
old women and little children, gath
cred around fenced-in scaffold in
the jail yard here yesterday after
noon to see Charlie Marshall hanged.
It was an unprecedented holiday in
this towns history.
Many among the spectators had
seen hangings before, but they were
generally common lynchings. This
was a legal execution, and especially
interesting because of the crime.
Marshall murdered four members
of the Robert Miller family at Amory,
Miss. He set fire to Miller's home
and then threw dynamite into it. So
be had to die, and the people made a
fete of probably the queerest holi-
day since the burning Of the Salem
witches. The train that brought
Marshall himself to Tupelo also
brought a throng of excursionists to
see him die. They came from all the
nearby villages and farms.
They were dressed in their Sunday
black and there was a great display
of "boiled" shirts. They came in
buggies and canopy top" 'surreys and
hay ricks. The frugal brought shoe
box luncheons. Opportmists, seizing
the chance to prodteer bit, sold
sandwiches by the basketful. Lem
onade stands sprang up as they do in
any village along the parade line
when circus comes to town
The law of Mississippi says that
hangings shall be private" and the
fact that thousands witnessed this one
does not mean that the law was vio-
lated. It was obeyed to the letter
to the letter only.
When the scaffold had been erected
in the Jail yard the sheriff ordered
fence built arouzd it. The fence
was five feet high-high enough to
make claim Of privacy, but not
high enough to interfere with the
spectacle, for in order to hang a man
it is necessary to get him up in the
air bit. Besides, the fence was no
obstacle at all to those in the wagons
and buggies, who could stand up and
look over. So the private" hanging
was seen by everybody, and nobody
thinks it hurt the prospect Of the
sheriffs reelection when his term ex-
pires.
The crowd began gathering in the
early morning. Business both here
and at Amory was suspended. The
open space around the jail was filled
as never before. And in order that
time should not hang too heavy on
the hands Of the crowd the Tupelo
Athletic Club provided impromptu
entertainments. There were several
good wrestling matches and some box
ing exhibitions.
At o'clock in the afternoon, when
everybody had finished eating and
the remnants had been stored away
in the shoe boxes, and the lemonade
stands were threatened whit axhaus-
ton Of supply, the word went ronnd
that they're going to do it now"
Marshall was brought out of the
Jail into the inclosure. There was a
crush of humanity around the fence,
and the sheriffs deputies made p
sturdy show Of forcing people back.
Fathers and mothers lifted their chill
dren above the fence line to let them
look over. Marshall himself was said
to be impressed by the attention he
was getting, and he is quoted as say
ing:
"Well, I'm willing to hang if that's
what the people want"
There was little delay at the last
minute. The prisoner was waiting
and the rope was ready, but the sher-
if, who lacked experience in hang
ings, did not know exactly how the
knot should be tied to assure its prop
er slipping. This perplexity was re-
lieved when Mack Crawford came for
ward and recalled the fact that he
had once assisted at the hanging OF
negro. and said he reckoned he could
make the knot. He did.
Just before the "drop" there was
such rush against the fence that the
deputies drew revolvers to defend the
inclosure, fearing that the eggshell
barrier would be crushed in. But it
held, and at l 20 o'clock Marshall was
declared dead. Then the children
were lifted again to the fence top to
see his body swinging from the glib
bet.
There had been a strained silence