Milford chronicle., 1927-06-03
SKINNER HANGED;
CONFESSES GUILT
BEFORE EXECUTION
CONTINUED from page u


for all my sins. Bless you all-God
forgive you all-farewell."
| At 10:07 o'clock Captain Weggen-
man strapped SINNERS legs together
while Gramer adjusted the black
cap and moose. At 10:0S the trap
was, sprung. At 10:31 o'clock he was
officially pronounced dead by the
witnessing physicians, DR.. G. Frank
Jones, of Georgetown ,and DR.. E. H.
F. Farlow, of Laurel. The physicians
said SINNERS neck had been broken.
Shortly afterward the body was
placed in a satin lined casket. Nhe
black hood was left on the mans
head as the casket lid was screwed
down. Buried with Skinner was a
tiny crucifix, given him by a priest
at the New Castle County Work.
house, and a pocket testament. His
body was inferred in the graveyard
adjoining the Sussex county aims
house two miles from Georgetown.
No relatives of the man came to
claim his body and he was inferred
without ceremony of any sort, by
John T. Carey, Georgetown under
taker.
Prior to Skinner going to his death
the Rev. H. Y. Arnett, colored, pre-
siding elder of the A. NJ. E. Confer
ence. of Wilmington, and the Rev.
Walter Barlow, a white minister of
the Georgetown NJ. E. Circuit, pray
ed with Skinner. The condemned
man told the ministers he felt sure
he was going to heaven.
Skinner ate hearty breakfast, al
though when asked by Sheriff VII"
liam G. Bryan what he wanted at
7:45 o'clock Friday morning, he eX-
pressed no preference, but told the
sheriff he'd eat whatever was set be-
fore him.
After breakfast, Skinner was Civ
en- a walk about the Jail yard and
nassed within a few feet of the gal
lows upon which he was hanged. He
leaned heavily upon the two guards
who held him each by an arm.
The gallows was erected in the
back of the Jail yard and out of sight
of the grated cell window, where the
condemned man spent his last hours.
When Harry Butler was hanged at
Georgetown last year he was able
to look out upon the gollows. Off
cials guarded against Skinner hav-
ing to undergo the ordeal OF con-
stantly looking out upon the device
of death.
After his walk about the Jail yard,
SINNERS guards took him back to
his cell where they changed the
clothing, which he had worn since
his arrest" for a black suit, which he
wore when hanged.
Skinner was taken to Georgetown
from the New Castle County Work
house after midnight Friday morn
ing. He arrived at 8 o'clock and
twenty minutes later was asleep IN
his cell with Jefferson and Kitchens,
comprising the death watch, guard
ing him.
On his ride from Greenbank, he
again admitted attacking the aged
white woman for which he paid the
death penalty Friday morning. Skin
ner said he forgot himself" when he
committed the assault.
He told the officers he had no re-
gret at leaving this world and that
the only hell he thought he would
experience would be on the gallows.
"I'll go to heaven I'm sure" Skin
ner said.
81 don't hold any grudges against
anybody" he further told his guards.
The trap was sprung from the
kitchen of the Georgetown jail by
means of rope. The two men on the
gallows with Skinner gave the signal
to a man in the kitchen. The name
of the person who sprung the trap
was kept secret.