The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-24
J. B. SATTERFIELD' DIES FOR KILLING BROTHER N-LAW
q Am Ready To Die,'' Says Condemned Man
 As Trap Is Sprung

ATLANTA, Ga, May g. = As stoically as he had borne the more than year of imprisonment, James B. Sat terfield went to his death on the gal lows this afternoon, convinced until the very moose was adjusted about his neck that providence would intervene l to save him from the extreme penalty for the murder of his brother-in-law R. H. Hart.
 His only show of emotion was when he broke down and wept few minutes before he plunged to eternity through the steel trap as he spoke of his daughter, Elizabeth, who committed sui. eide not long ago in despondency over her fathers impending doom. Standing in the very shadow of death he took opportunity just before the deathcap was adjusted, bitterly to ar. raign capital punishment, declaring: After you hang this man, if I get up high and have the power, am go ing to ask God to destroy every gal lows in this land. When the law crit icises mob rule, the mob turns it right back on the law and says, I am just as fair as you
 Calmly then, he said: Here I am, gentlemen, let me die"
 The trap was sprung at 2 :1o and eleven minutes later he was pronounced dead.
 Claimed Justification Satterfield shot and killed Hart here in December, 1921. In his trial and throughout the long court. battle he waged to escape the gallows, he sought to prove justification for the staying by his assertion that Hart, to whom had been delegated the guardianship of his two daughters and the admins. tration of their estate by the late Mrs. Satterfield, had led the girls into a life of shame and dissipated their prop erty.
 The last desperate efforts of his at torneys to save him ended this after noon shortly before the death warrant was read when Gov. Clifford Walker declined for the second time to inter vene in the case and grant Satterfields application for lunacy commission to examine him as to his sanity at the time of the killing.
 He accepted the news with resigna- tion although he expressed a conviction until the last that 'ssomething would happen"
 Shortly after noon he received a message from the widow of Hart assert ing that she forgave him. He smiled cynically and observed:
 No, she hasn't, if she had she would tell all she knows and I would not hang today"
 Walks Steadily
 Satterfield began the march to the death chamber at 8 o'clock. He walked steadily between two deputies down tie long corridor to the evelator which car ried him to the gallows on the top floor of the Fulton county tower. A wave of emotion swept through the little group of newspapermen and off cials in the death chamber. as he re- ferred to his dead daughter.
 T have little girl IT years old who took poison," he sobbed, 'burned herself all inside with a terrible acid because her father was to be hanged. She travelled two days and nights and she got the message seHS her. ItfwAs Whatever you wish, win do.' When she got it she was drawn up in ter rible torture, but she smiled as she said: No let me die.'
 And now I say, let me die and be with her."
 As he concluded his statement, Sat terfield recovered his composure, smiled wanly and looked steadily forward with eyes which revealed no indication of the strain he was under
 His voice was calm and forceful as he thanked the sheriff, who was his executioner and the deputies for kind nesses shown him.
 Asked if he had final statement to make, he took a deep breath, cleared his throat and said:
 Forgive Enemies
 T forgive all my enemies and hope that when they realize that they are forgiven, it will give them new hearts and new lives-if they have offended me. And I want to remind you of an other thing. The great picture of Christ on the cross. He died to preach humanity a lesson. I hope that my fate will be an example to humanity.''
 He moistened his lips and asked for a drink of water, taking a swallow or two he continued:
 T don't know thatsI should say this but am glad that I don't know what I am going for. I am glad there is power that keeps me from realizing that 1 have taken gun aud blown hole through somebdoy. I'm glad l don't realize what I've done."
 He then launched into a condemlla. tion of capital punishment, concludiDg with the words, T am ready" An hour before he was mlrched tn the gallows Satterfield dressed care. fully in blue suit and placed n pink rosebud in his button hole. He ap. peared even jaunty as he Dade farewell to his fellow prisoners.
 The last visit of his relatives, bro. ther and his family, affected him deep, ly. Win Satterfield, the. brother tainted in the cell.
 Gee, this is awful,n he said, as they filed out after bidding him goodbye. That's where it pinches. It hurts them more than it does me"