Butts-Henry-Monroe County GaArchives News.....AVENGED! THE PENALTY PAID October 20 1891 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 April 3, 2004, 1:57 pm Middle Ga. Argus – Week of October 20, 1891 AVENGED! THE PENALTY PAID Sam Greer, the Slayer of Wade Yancy Dies on the Gallows The Scene In the Butts County Jail. A full Account of the day’s Proceedings. The long talked of Sam Greer hanging has come and gone and the law has been satisfied. Early on Friday morning the town began to fill with people of every imaginable size, age and condition until by ten o’clock, six or eight thousand people were on the streets, all to witness the public execution of the man who took the life of Wade Yancy on the fourth Sunday in May 1890. On Thursday night Sheriff Beauchamp placed Mr. Tonch Hodges in the jail as death watch and through the long weary hours he kept vigilance over the condemned man. Nothing of importance transpired to interest more than two hours he paced the floor of the corridor of the jail and then laid down and apparently enjoyed a good night rest.. At eight o’clock Friday morning breakfast was offered to the prisoner but he refused to eat. AT this time ye scribe entered his cell and attempted to interview the condemned man but he refused to talk, more than to say that he was not prepared to die, but was willing to go, and that he could only blame himself for the trouble he was now in. We take from our notebook the following items of what transpired. 11:30 Sheriff Beauchamp and dept Crawford, accompanied by Sheriff glass of McDonough entered the jail and the prisoner was dressed for the gallows. 11:45 The death sentence was read. At this time a number of colored preachers entered the jail and held religion services. Several prayers were offered to the throne of grace in behalf of Greer, and several touching songs were sung. 12:00: The preachers bid him goodbye and leave the jail. Greer says he felt no preparations to meet death. He is left along with Mr. J. E. Price the death watch till one o’clock. 1:15 The prisoner was taken from the jail and carried in a back to the gallows three fourth of a mile directly west of the jail. 1:27 The gallows is reached. The sheriff was accompanied to the platform by deputy sheriff Crawford with sheriffs Glass of Henry, King of Monroe and McDowell of Jasper. Three colored preacher, Appling, Moreland and McCray also went on the platform. Rev Moreland then read 14th chapter of Job, after which Rev. Appling gave out the hymn, “When I can read my titles clear” which was sung. 1:40 Rev. McCray then offered the following prayer: O thou our Heavenly father, we thank Thee for the extension of our lives to this time. Oh reverend father, we thank Thee that thou has bought us to this gallows. Thou hast been with us hundreds and thousands of times in the past, and O come and be with us now. We remember in the town of Eastman in the year 1884 when we met Thee on a similar occasion like this on the gallows where criminals were to be executed. As thou didst bless that day, O bless today. Do you in mercy come to us today. We realize that we can do nothing with out thee. O help today, save a poor soul from a burning hell. Take the poor criminal into thine own hands. O Lord he has been in the broad road to hell. Lord thou hast promised to be with thy children in trouble. Poor Sam is in trouble today. May you meet him down at Jordan this evening. Have you not said you set on the table meet. O Jesus set the table aright for Sam today. Come and have mercy! Save Sam today and save us all, Amen. 1:43 He talks. I have been in jail 17 months and all this time I have been on the downward road to hell till this morning. Since these brethren came in this morning I feel like I have a home in heaven. I’ll soon be with Jesus. My advice to all, to both white and color’d is to leave your pistols at home. See the trouble I am in. See the rope around my neck. I don’t think I have had justice but am willing to go. I want all you, white and colored who will promise me to not carry pistols any more to hold up your hand. (Many hands went up.) A pistol brought me here. I done it myself. Well gentlemen, I’ll soon be gone Just for my sake keep pistols out of your pockets. If you don’t you may soon be where I am. 1:50 The preachers tell Sam goodbye and leave the stand. 1:58 Sheriff pinions his arms and legs. 1:54 The rope placed around his neck. “Young men you must work to keep out of this. I tell you it is bad”. 1:55 The black cap is adjusted. 1:56 Trigger pulled, a dull thud and Sam Greer is in eternity. The examining physicians, Drs. Bryans, Mapp and Ellis, assisted by Drs. Bryon of Jackson, J. H. Bryans of Indian Springs and C. A. Butner, of Monticello make examinations. 2:10 Pronounced dead and the body taken down from the gallows. The examining board examine his neck and find it is broken. The body was then placed in a coffin and turned over to friends who carried it to his father’s home three miles north of town. It was buried at Stark at 2 o’clock on Saturday. The execution was a perfect one. Not a single hitch or any trouble whatever happened and the man died without a single struggle. The large crowd, numbering six thousands or more were perfectly orderly. The Negroes, especially, were as jovial as if going to and attending a circus. OTHER HANGINGS Forty eight years has passed since Buts county has had a public execution. In October 1827 two white men named Thomas Leverett and Lud Watts were to be hanged at the same time. Leverett willingly gave up but Watts, who by some means had gotten hold of an old pistol, resisted and the sheriff thinking it was loaded could not take him out. The hour for execution passed and the sheriff, Samuel Clay, at once asked the governor for directions, who replied that Watts should be forced from the jail and executed at the first opportunity. He was finally overpowered by perishing, and on Monday surrendered and was hanged on that day on the same gallows that Leverett had died. His wife was present at the hanging and took charge of the body and carried it to Monroe county for burial. Leverett’s body was buried in the rear of Mr. Frank McKibben’s on Third street, where his bones now rests. Leverett was hanged for killing a man named Bryun near the residence of Mr. Joe Carmichael. Watts killed a man on the line of Butts and Monroe named Denton Danil. Both Watts and his victim were Monroe county citizens. In the Spring of 1848 a Negro named Harrison was hanged for rape. He was executed near the colored Methodist church on First street. In 1870, by the Barlow murdered old man McClusky near Iron Springs. On the motion of his attorneys his case was transferred to Spalding County where he was tried, found guilty and hanged. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 7.3 Kb