Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-18
PLEADED FOR MERCY
FROM THE JUDGES
For the First Time the Colorcd
Outlaw Appeared to Realize
Gravity of His Crime
COURT ROOM FILLED
WITH CURIOUS CROWD
Law Prohibits Execution Within
Ten Days of Date of
Sentence.

Iemucl Pricc. murderer of Policeman
Thomas / Zeblcv. was TO-DAY rcscntcncc,i
~ Ch,ef Iusticr Penucwlll and Associate
lusiices Bovcc and Rice 70 We hanged NJ
the workhousc. On Friday. December !,
two weeks from tomorrow According tn
a aI,fovisiou " law. tho date could not nave
been any sooner as the Revised ode con
talna provulnn that punishment shall not
be nhictcd m lcSs than davs from the
ds'c ai sentence lhc law SAYS
WHAr rIr IAN strs.
~u,h punishment shall ~ Inflicted
Nuhio thr prison. ~ workhousc enclosures
u fhr county, vhcrc the criminal shall
~ raavlrtci cNccpt when athcrw $50
ordered and ~ privately as the uaturr
~ thr r1sr VII admit nf, but n the pres
crre u1 Jur ~ twelve citizens of IN
c.,unt, a. ~ summoned ~ the sheriff
or hN the board ~ t1IstsrS II the New
asflr county work house ~ witness
such execution. and ~ such persons rs
- may dccm proper ~ invite provided
fhat rot over fhrtN persons M All shall
present AT such execution and provided
frthcr that n addition ~ the above
umhcr. newspaper representatives hay
q propcr credentials frnm thClr paper
approved h, the chlrt justice resident
ftftiEt. AfAAMttN ktft'Fas tlf Ills At-4lt4t +,
shall - admitted
such punishment shall ho inflicted
al ulch tame ~ he court shall appoint.
.ot lc,SS 'hau ton iavs after Sorfarcc
"l3uf the governor may suspend the
esrcutioa until a more distant day lV
linn "a 10 appointed. and from day 10 day,
~ H. shall deem ms duty to require
Iauc before lO s clock the hour for the
opening 81 count of Over and TermIneT.
the crowd hcgan gathering - that by
hc unc court was opened. the court
.,,ou, Uas pac kc,l - capacity. many stand
~ n tho aIslcs and outside ot tic court
pom 81 ac doors leading INTO the room
MItptpFK EEaKF down
FNico broke down after sentence was
,assc,l lpau lIm and as Waricn Pmmme7
..ld ham not ~ cry a forced smile passed
over hls facc
lSlcc vas hrough' from the wo,khousC
r N arden Pummcr automobile and was
accompanied hv the warden ami Guard
Iohn Black. to whom the prisoner WAS
'andci!.Ted John Black = q brother 81
0h.cf Il Pclcc tieorgc BLACK one ~ thc
Gers Ne brought the fugitive Negro
back from birmingham Alabama
The machine With The mutc lett the
uorkhoI.~t about s. and a. ycG n tho
pubhc building shortly after - Several
police afjcc7~ nae; tLe ca5 ~ il reached
he Na1d ~ tho public building The
NegTo was quckly placed INTO the prison
~ elevator ana taken 10 the Attorney
general Office where he Was Undc- the
guard 81 number of police. officers and
stlll hand cufci ~ Guard Black
Wardcn PiummcT SAID Price had nothing
D. ssv IL ms Wv IN from the workhousc,
keeping silent All the time
~ ten minutes after 10 Judges Boy &C
and Rice entered the courtro, m when the
Court - over and Terminer was opened
recess was taken until 1885 as Chief
lusilcc pcnucwiI had been delayed IN
reaching the court As soon as fhc Chief
1lstlcc and Associate Judges Bovcc and
Rice rc-entercd the courtroom Attorney
trcncral Relnhardt asked Deputy Warden
NIngate q the Wurkhousc 70 bring lIenucl
Prlce to the courtroom In moment the
%csrp was led mo the prisoner : dock
sIll handcufied 20 Gtard Black
Mr. Renhardf then announced thar
there was "onc Lcmuei Price nov IN the
dock and move that sentence be passed
~ the Judgment Received December ?
1919 price : head hung toward the SIDE
"a when he last faced The bar Of Judgment.
urarlv wear ago
Chief Justice PennevllI then ordered
prlce 20 ,tand up He was relieved Of the
handc,If, on his night hand He held ms
head erect a moment and then Il dropped
a. he slde
I'm PLEADS FOR MEEcY
Chief Justice PennewllI then spoke as
|, follows "I.emuel Prce Oh the first and
second days II December, 1919 you were
trled N this court for the murder oi
Thomas |. Zebley and the JURY found YOU
e7lilty ~ murder ~ the first degree
'Whereupon. thereafter, YOU were sen
fenced 10 be hanged on The ninth day OF
january 1920
Before the date Of execution arrived
Won ,.scaped from the workhousr Of this
county and were recently captured
Have YOU anything low 10 sav why
,xecution should not - awarded on the
Judgment rendered against YOU ~ your
Sald trial aud why YOU should not be
rescntenced thereon
TO tins Price replied Well ] would
.sk the court 70 have mercy Of course.
/ dldn't kill this man Intentionally 1t the
tune Price stopped and looked as i
l a mare.
The Chief Justice then asked him is
That an YOU have % say
PrIce answered. = es, SIR
PRICE IN TEARS ~ NENiEACF II PRO
NOUNCLD
The Chief Justice then pronounced
sentence. the court room beng ~ still
- death III sentencing Price to be
.nged on December 3 Chicf Justice
PeunewIll spoke as follows
The sentence Of the law as considered
e the court j. that Sou, Lemuel Price
H.. now taken from the har of this court
- the Nev Cas'lc co', II. vs.aEa';se.
Continued on page