Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-02
FOUR NIIRDERERS DIE
I'M ELECTRIC CHAIR

NASHVILLE, Tenn, March 1.A
Charles Petree, Tom Christmas, OF
to Stevens and John Mcclure died
in the electric chair at the state
prison this morning for the murder
of George Lewis, of Knoxville, May
80, 1921.
prayers on their lips and all except
Petree met death calmly. An hour
before the execution Petree became
ill. The men died in the order Civ
en- Petree at 6:15 o'clock; Christ
mas, 6:25; Stevens, 6:35, and Nc
Clure at GAO.
The Crime
The story of how the four men
were captured and convicted of
numbering Lewisr near Clinton,
Tenn, May 80, 1921, is fraught with
dramatic incidents. The gruesome
murder, the wild chase over Nthe
mountains of east Tennessee for the
outlaws, the subsequent trial and
conviction-all served to engage the
interest of the people of that section
more, perhaps, than any murder
case for many years.
1t was brought cut in the trial
that, having planned the robbery of
the Oakdale, Tenn, bank, the men
hired "a taxicab driven by Andrew
Crumley, of Knoxville, Tenn. George
Lewis accompanied Crumley on the
trip which the four men hired the
latter to make. When the party
had reached a secluded spot near
Robertsville, Tenn, according to
testimony by Crumley, Lewis and
the driver were bound and gagged,
beaten over the head with a pistol
and left for dead. Both of the vic
Tins threats were cut. Crulnley,
lying helpless, heard the Knife as
Lewis throat was cut. knowing his
turn came next.
The following morning the bank
robbery failed to materialize. Then
followed a search which was Joined
by hundreds of mountaineers. Two
of the men were arrested in the
mountains and the other two were
later captured at Hartman, Tenn.
The outlaws had killed LewiS but
Crumley lived, and it was his testi-
.mony which went far toward con-
victing the men.
All Appeals Fail
Mountaineers from many sections
crowded Into the little town of Clin-
ton to attend the trial. Excitement
ran high, and for\ while violence
was threatened. Before it was evil
dent that the defense's case had col
lapsed. an attempt was made to
show that Petree had possessed low
mentality since childhood. This eff
fort failed, and the defense entered
a plea of guilty and begged the
courts mercy.
The four convicted men were SEN
fenced July "a, 1921 to- die in the
electric chair September 16. An
appeal for a new trial was later
overruledi and the defense appealed
to the supreme court Of Tennessee,
thus suspending the e!ectrocution
pending final decision. Governor
Taylor only Tuesday refused to com
mute their sentences, declaring the
crime a "most horrible" one.
1t was feared that Petree would
collapse completely if ones of the
other three men were executed first
50 he was chicken to head the death
march. The pallor that came upon
his features an hour before the exc
cution never left Them The men
were scheduled to be executed at
sunrise, but the day here dawned
without sunrise, clouds hung low
and showered a winter rain during
the last hours of the condemned.
Think Only OF Mothers
Preceding the execution, Petree
and Christmas refused to talk and
spent their time during the night
writing letters and conversing quiet
ly> with each other. On the other