The Washington times., 1920-07-23
HANGING NEAR,
TRIES SUICIDE
Isaiah Fountain, Girl Assailant,
Attempts to Slash Throat
Hour Before Death.

EASTON. Md. July 23-Isaish
Fountain, convicted negro assailant
OF Bertha Simpson, a thirteen-year-
old white girl. was hanged In the
corridor OF the Easton jail, at j
o'clack this morning. An hour be-
fore his execution, the negro at
tempted to commit suicide by slash
ing throat with a safety razor blade.
Investigation Is being made to deter
mine how he obtained the blade.
you are killing an innocent man."
declared Fountain moment before
he dropped to his death on the gal
lows. The trap was sprung by
Sheriff c. NJ. T. Soulsby precisely at
3 o'clock and Fountain was pro-
nounced dead from strangulation
thirteen minutes later by DIR. James
b. Merrick.
Fountain paid the death penalty
for the attack made on Miss Simp-
son, April /, 1919. He had persisted
In protesting his innocence, although
he had been positively Identified by
the girl. and the authorities are GER
tain of his guilt.
BEGs SHERIFF. TO SHOOT HIM.
Cringing in his cell at the sound
OF hammers and saws as carpenters
work of building the gallows. the
negro. two hours before the time
set for his hanging. pleaded with
Sheriff Soulsby to shoot him.
81 cannot stand it," he cried.
please shoot me, Sheriff"
Fountain unsteadily marched up
the steps of the gallows. He had
spent most OF the early part of the
night with the Rev. Abram Chase.
OF Trappe. and the Rev. r. II. Wood
ley. colored. Of Easton. They ap-
pealed to him to confess IL he was
guilty. He said he could not confess
to a crime he had not committed.
At midnight, a meal of bacon and
eggs, potatoes and coffee, was brought
to his cell. but Fountain ate little. He
declared he could not eat. that he was
too nervous. All during the Lay he
expressed horror of death on the gal
lows, and as each blow of the ham,
| mers of the carpenters resounded
throughout the little prison the negro
shuddered.
NO RELATIVES PRESENT.
None OF Fountains relatives was
| present at the hanging. They re-
| fused invitations offered by Sheriff
Soulsby. They notified the sheriff that
! they would not bury the body. After
the negro's death his body was taken
| to his farm, where his wife and two
| children live, and buried before day
| light behind a barn.
Fearing that the threatened mob
violence would deprive them of carry
ing out the legal hanging. Talbot
county authorities had a large de-
tail of policemen from Baltimore and
motorcycle officers from the office of
Automobile Commissioner Baughman
on hand II WAS because Of nrecau-
tion against any such attempts of
citizens to lynch the negro. that the
gallows were built in the corridor of
the Jail. There were but few wit
| nesses to the hanging.
The corridor in which Fountain was
hanged is 20 feet long and 5k feet
| wide. The scaffold itself was Il feet
high. When Fountain stood over the
| trap his head nearly touched the cell
| ing. In cells nearby. although they
could not view the gruesome hanging,
were several other negroes. They.
too, had protested against the hang
ing of Fountain in the corridor and
| high pitched excitement and nervous
ness reigned among them up to the
moment of Fountains death.
When DR.. Merrick, in low voice,
announced the Negro was dead the
| other inmates of the prison breathed
| sigh of relief, and more so when
his body was carried from the prison.
The effect of the hanging on these
prisoners as to their future actions is
a matter of speculation. But it is
certain they will guard against meet
ing such a death themselves.
WAS CONVICTED TWICE.
Fountain was twice convicted of
the crime against the girl. At his
first trial in Easton a few weeks after
the assault occurred he was convicted
by jury and sentenced to death by
Judges Adkins and Wickes. On the
first night of the trial. Fountain, fear
ing the crowd that had gathered in
| front Of the Jail was about to lynch
him, leaped from the window of the
sheriffs office and escaped.
Two days later he was captured in
Hartley, Del. Eugene O'Dunne, for
mer deputy States attorney of Balti-
more, the negro's attorney, on the
ground that Fountain did not then
have fair trial. appealed and the
Court of Appeals granted new trial.
The second conviction occurred in
the Circuit Court of Towson, Baiti-
more county. The verdict was brought
in by Judges Duncan, Offut and Nc
Lane. At both trials. Fountain at
tempted to prove an alibi, but both
times the girl identified him as her
assailant.
One month ago, Fountain, with the
assistance of other prisoners at the
Jail, sawed the bars of his cell and
escaped. He was at liberty for more
than a week before he was caught in
a barn on the farm of Calvin Ander-
son, about fourteen miles north OF
Easton.