Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-16
JACK KELLOY DIES
ON GALLOWS FRIDAY
FOR AUTO MURDER
Continued From Page ~

of them were around the courthouse,
where the execution was to take
place. Others were at the Jail.
Here, scattered on the green grass
leaning on the iron fence rail, sitting
in automobiles in the roadway, were
several hundred people. They were
very quiet. They sat there and they
stared upward, at the room on the
third floor which they knew was the
condemned mans. Most of them
were men, but there were also WON
en-, little girls in short dresses, lit
| tie barefoot boys, some of them
scarcely able to walk
Arrives at Court House
At 1925 o'clock Il curtained auto
mobile drove up to the rear of the
A moment later he reappeared in
the doorway with Kelloy. He glanced
! quickly at the crowd, and they
stared back at him silently. The
ghost of a smile seemed to flicker
on his lips, but no words were spok-
| en-. AS the automobile got under
way up the street, the crowd made
after it, running and jumping over
each other in their eagerness.
AS great crowd waited at the
| courthouse. This is fine building
of white pressed brick, near the
public square. In the rear of it a
little plot of green grass had been
fenced in with planks higher than
the combined height of two lien
The roof was left open to the blue
sky. IN the middle of the, little plot
of green grass was a scaftold, with
steps leading from the ground to the
platform 10 or II feet above.
The crowd was thick around the
back entrance to this small room
of execution. Outside in the street
places near the door, but there We're
no demonstrations whatever as the
curtaincd automobile drove up the
&lleyWay and stopped at the door
The crowd got a bare glimpse OF
kelley as the sheriff hustled him in
kelley mounted the steps without
sign of willing. He wore the same
dark brown suit which he wore d
year ago at the time OF the TreXleI
murder. He has kept it brushed and
He had on soft collar and green
necktie. From the side pocket OF his
coat fluttered a green handkerchief
Kelloy's wavy black hair wax brushed
back neatly from his white race, ~and
his chin was smooth, for he had
shaved himself last night with MS
" - Trap is Sprung
AS he stood there with his heels
together and his toes apart, his hands
manacled and clasped in front OF
him, and his shoulders thrown back
he showed not one lota OF nervous.
ness. There was Il calmness, peace
on his face. Kelley died game.
The priest spoke to him in a wills
per. Asked him if he wanted te
make any statement. Then he stooc
aside and Kelloy licked his lips ant
hi To q
to speak.
There were only about fifteen OF
twenty people in the execution room
Some of. them standing on the seal
fold. Some on the steps, and the
rest against the wall which enclosed
the room. Outside there must have
been four or five hundred, but we
could not hear a sound from them
They must have been standing there
hardly breathing. staring at the h1gf
boards waiting for the end.
kelley lifted his eyes to a patch
Of Glue Sky high above. Then ne
said, his voice breaking a little bit
II thank you very much, every one
of YOU. [ have made so many gooC
friends here and l ask you to pray
for me. | am dying in the Catholl1
faith, which L learned from my father
and mother. If | had stuck to 1t
l might be out of my troubles TO-
day"
The priest stepped forward anc
said a Latin prayer, which Kelloy re
peated after him in a muttered under
tone. A crucitiX was slipped into MS
hand and he lifted it to his lips. Two
men stepped forward and began II
wrap a rope tightly around his body
and to fix the rope to his neck. kel
low reached forward and shook hand:
with the sheriff and with one of hi:
deputies.
For a moment the execution ~a:
stayed. A black and white fox ter
rier dog was lying beneath the scat
fold, the only cool place he could finC
directly under the trap. The sheriff
stopped until he was run out, thel
Kelloy took the crucitiX for the las
time and the black cap was stucl
over his head. A second later the
trap was sprung.
Kelloy will be burieS in Griffin to-
morrow at the Oak HiI. cemetery.
History of Cr1s,o
Kelloy was cut down filSeen min
utes after the trap was sprung. The
doctors said that the rope slipped
so that his neck was not broken by
the fall. They gave it as their opin
Last night kelley asked permits
sion to bid goodby to earth by sing
ing on the gallows his song: "Wher
I Am Gone You'll Soon Forget, but
his nerve, iron though it was, must
not have been equal to this ordeal
for he did not sing.
Among those who witnessed the
execution was r. w. Eubanks, the
Atlanta automobile man who was
TreXler's employer, and who was m
strumental in prosecuting the case
against Kelloy.
Leroy Trexler was killed Septem-
Der 10, 1920, on the Damascus road
few miles out from Griffin. KEEL
10y had hired him to drive down
into this part of the country to i4ee
about buying some hogs. 1t is sal!
that neither had ever seen the other
before the trip. When the pair
turned. off the main road into the
Damascus road they were seen by a
number of people. A short while
later Kelley drove back onto the
main road. He was by himself II
the car. He broke the speed limit
| in Griffin. was arrested and fined
outside of Griffin the taXicab broke
down and he sold it. Then he went
on to Macon. In the meantime the
murder was discovered and he was
arrested. His case was appealed tc
| the supreme court and he was denied
a new trial. The prison commission
denied his appeal for clemeHcT. His
attorneys asked the governor to eX-
anime him for insanity. A report
| that he was sane was returned "
alienists Thursday. thus removing
| his last hope of reprieve.
This was the first legal hanging n
Griffin in so years. According tc