Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-03
LEM PRICE PAYS THE
DEATH PENALTY FOR
KILLING POLICEMAN
Murderous Negro Hanged at the
County .Workhouse This
Morning.
HE SEEMED REPENTANT

: y
for the murder. in this city, little over
y,sr ago, of Policemsn Thomas l.
Leblcy.
The condemned Negro seemed repent
ant. He did not deny that he had com
nitted the crime, hut contended that ne
had no intention of killing the policeman:
However. he seemed 10 realize the tull
gravity OF his part in the tragedy and that
In giving up his life he was only getting
his Just deserts.
The trap was sprung at l0b and at
1919, Is minutes later. Dr IT. NJ Briggs;
cnroner's physician. officially pronounced
the Negro dead The last words OF Price,
a. he stood on the gallows were
Il have made my peace with God and
tell the world am ready to 60. Thank
God for what YOU addressed to Warden
PhmmCrl have done for me while here,
Then addressing the jurors and witnesses,
Price said: Il hope 10 meet YOU all IN
GLORY" He then said Goodbye to
Warden Plummer, who had asked hIm II
lac had anything 20 say, when he made the
above statement
Preceded bv his spiritual advisers and
accompanied by Guards John Grsmer and
William Parkhill the condemned man
entered the death chamber NJ le04 lie
stopped a moment. while Warden flum-
mer spoke to him, and then in a cool and
collected manner assembled the steps OF he
galloNs His statement was made N
clear vcice that could nc heard by All in
the death chamber
Guard Parkhill immediately following
tho statement. adjusted the straps around
hs legs lie was haudcuffcd as he entered
the death chamber Guard Kramer adj
ulSted the moose and black cap over ms
head and as the two guards stepped back
from the trapdoor m the galiows the
murderer dropped into eternity rs the
trap was sprung
Hc golrslcd for a moment and attempted
10 kick the straps from about hls iegs. ny
drawing one foot an nj time. tie like
Nlsc tried 10 loosen his hands from the
handouts. as he drcw his body upwards
several times In few minutes the strug
cling ceased and the body hanged still.
IhIs was doubtless due to contraction 81
fhe muscles. as CONSCIOUSNESS Is believed
- have disappeared the instant the trap
was sprung and the hodv dropped
The members az 4he jury were John :
Poster. W. n Tucker, ". II Wilson
William r. Milncr Thomas b. Haugh,
Hallcck s. Rsy, Captain ] /. Ward,
Captain ". A. Palmer Lieutenant ".
ri Bicrans. Constable George Whiting
ton, Edward Taliey and Walter H. Hart.
1--we, Jr.
The witnesses were: c Walter kadel.
sylvester Healev, John Moore. Coroner
Isaac Bullock. : H. Goldstelr. G. G.
Davidson. J. r. George, Harry Babcock,
Or II ". BENTLEY. State Detective Frank
N. Mccoy, Acting Police Sergeant Albert
II Foreman and Patrolmen Harry q
Pierce Edward Dutton. Charles G Ora
lam, Charles Nlrden and Arthur l. Gross,
John W. Smith OF the County Detective
Bureau al Reading. Pa. john >chateid
Elverson. Pa. Arnold McNcal Of the
Chester Detective Bureou and repre-
sentatives Of the newspapers
The physicians in attendance were
DIR II W Briggs. coroner physician
Or = 4. VI Rivotti. county physician,
and Prof. Charles r. REYNOLDS q Phila-
delphia. and DR. 81 l.. Schuster. 81 the
Philadelphia General Hospital
Detective Smith oi Reading. Pa, said
that today's hanging IS the eighteenth that
he has witnessed The hanging q Price is
the eighth for Guards GrameT and Park
hill of the workhouse.
VICTIM SAW HANGING.
One Of the witnesses To the hanging was
patrulnaan Harry c. Pierce He Is the
police officer who was shot by Price At the
same time that ZeblPv was killed. He WAS
IN the hospital for some weeks before he
was able 10 appear in court 10 testify
AGAINST Price.
Warden Plummer said following the
execution that Price was a model prisoner
and made no requests Shortly after the
hanging. Guard John Black of the work
house started taking the gallows down
The rallows are the same as were used al
the workhouse for all executions, II being
81 constructed that il can be assembled IN
short time.
Tn hanging TODAY Is the second in
eight DAYS. Ernest Thomas, another
Negro was hanged last Friday for Grim
NAL attack upon an aged woman, near
Blackbird
At lO1I. the physicians examined the
Negro and the heart action was pronounc-
cd good. AT 1914, the do tors announced
that the heart action was slow and irregu-
lar and at 1919. DR.. Briggs officially
pronounced the man dead. In few min
,lfes the body was cut down and placed
IN a coffin which was brought. into the
death chamber by Deputy Coroner Nj
chols who at once removed II 10 Potter
field for burial. There were no claimants
for the body.
SLEPT WELL last NIGHT.
Price arose this morning at 6.3O He
slept well last night Upon arisin z, he
dressed in the customary black suit. " lth a
black pecktie. He had corn fakes and
cream for his breakfast this being all that
he wanted He said that he has had every
thing that il has been possible for HIM TO
have
About $50 in a statement 70 a repre-
sentative Of Every Evening Price said:
II have made peace with God and am
ready 10 70. ! want To thank the nice
Christian people for coming TO see me and
feel sorry for what did and didn I have
no intention az the time 70 kill that man
We was in a struggle The court had il
down that my brother John told me to
shoot. but he was asleep and knew nothing
ebout il until the gun was fired. ] hope
tbe prisoners Will appreciate the good
Christian people who come here to help
them along so that when they get out they
viii be better men and Christian people
than they are today.
Adiutant Arthur Cook Of the Salvation
ARMY. who had been asked by Price to
be has spiritual adviser, had been in con
slant attendance upon the Negro for over
two weeks. He. together with L. W.
GorhaIn, also Of the Salvation Army, held
a.