Year: 1879

man received message from her sister. stating that
she was quite ILL., and asking her to so to her. as she
and she said she believed she would not go, as IL
looked like rain; whereupon the prisoner remon-
stratsd with her and rather urged her 70 60. lnis
circumstance was used as going to show desire on
the part of Bowman to have as few persons as poss-
BILE the premises to bear witness 10 the execution
of his purpose against his wife.


CONTINUOUS QUARRELLING.


With regard to Mrs Bowman. 1t was shown that
she was OF very jealous disposition. and had for
the hands OF her husband, but at the hands OF his
paramour. She brooded over 1t and often talked
about her friends and neighbors and talked ire
ouently OF what she wished to wear when shrouded;
but a short time before her death she had asked her
husband to buy her some white cloth out OF which
She wanted to mako herself shroud in order that it
might be ready. From its continued use during
sickness she became very fond OF whiskey. ana at
times drank to and was very quarrelsome
and especially toward her husband. No ul-treat-
nent OF his part could be proven, except that
on one occasion, when she was particularly abusive
of him, he threw upon her little water from
gourd On the other hand his lack of regard for her
shown in its being proved that when. ON one oc-
casion a negro cursed and abused her in his pres
ence. Bowman made no show or resentinR IL.


The trial consumed an entire week and resulted in
the conviction of the defendant. the jury having
spent but little time in arriving at unanimous
clusion. immediately upon tho announcement OF
the verdict of the jury motion tor new trial was
made and overruled. when an appeal was taken to
the Supreme Court and u new trial granted. The
case was then moved from auiidford to Randolph
and tried there before Judge Kerr ut the August
term 1878. This resulted in another conviction aud
another appeal. Tho Supreme Court, however, re-
fused to grant another trial. and at special term Of
the Supreme Court held last month. Judge Avory
sentenced Bowman to be hanged on the 18th OF Au-
gust After all the delays and tortuous windings
through which the had gone. 1t came to close
to-day in the execution of the sentence last pro-
nounced @


THE LAST MOMENTS.


Last night Bowman slept vol and this morning
ate light breakfast. His cheerfulness and good
temper, however, had forsaken him. and throughout
the morning he was taciturn snappish replying
10 a q n
swered it many times as he intended to. The
scaffold had been erected between two hills mile
west of the town. aud around it gathered fully
six thousand people. Surrounded by guard the
prisoner was brought from tail and at If
teen minutes past one p. NJ, seated upon
his coffin in wagon. he reached tho gallows. Re-
lgious services conducted. tho prisoner taking
chew OF tobacco. and sitting with downcast eyes
during the singing. During the prayer he wept. at
times sobbng convulsively. Drawing of his boots,
after the prayer finished. he arose calmly ana
spoke briefly and in low voice. He denied having
poisoned his wife, and said that If he was guilty Of
amy wrong he had committed it through ignorance.
lie declared that he had made his peace with God
it too tightly around his neck tho pris-
Sheriff that he guessed 1t did not hurt much. re-
piled, 'Of course; know-but go ahead" At the
last minute his legs trembled violently, and when
the Sheriff told him he had one more minute he said
he did not want it. The drop was four feet. There
were two violent contortions OF the body. In ten
that the nj ok was broken The body was placed in
an unpainted pine coffin and given to relatives of
the deceased for interment.


Through all the tests to which he had been sub
jected from the time of his arrest up to to-day Bow
man had firmly aud consistently denied his guilt.
Notwithstanding the many evidences of 1t. and
there were some who believed him innocent, hold.
ing the opinion that he the victim Of y con-
spiracy on the part OF people in tho neighborhood
who desired to rid themselves of him because they
feared him. The majority. however. thought that
death would be just and proper reward for his
crimes Gould he have shown to his fellow men q
hiatt char IN heir as t, hia
having deserved to die u telon's death would have
been different.