UPSON COUNTY, GA - Newspaper account Last Hanging - John Drake - 1886

Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
Archives by: Lisa Graham LisaGraham32@aol.com 

Table of Contents page: 
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/upson.htm
Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm


The Thomaston Times  
Jan. 20, 1939
(date of newspaper reprinting original article)


THOMASTON HOLDS IT'S LAST PUBLIC HANGING

On March 26, 1886 Thomaston witnessed it's last
public hanging. In this day and generation of vipers
and others the public hangings of "old" have been
abandoned  for the more humane or inhumane form or
murder by electrocution. It is a debatable question
as to which serves the better purpose. I recall
quite vividly the last public hanging. The person
taking the most interesting part of this execution
was named John Drake. He was the son of Uncle
Mumford Drake, who was one of the Counties most
respected Negroes and who reared a large family of
boys and girls. One of the sons, Tom Drake, lives on
Drake Street and Jim Drake,  the greatly admired
porter for many firms, is a grandson of Uncle
Mumford. John Drake, the criminal, who had about a
year before this date murdered his wife Ella, having
had a fight with her early one morning and cut her
head off with a razor. Threw the head and Body in
the bed, set the clothing and house on fire and went
to his barber shop, which was in a small frame
building where Thomaston Shoe Shop is now located.
AT that time all the buildings on that block
fronting Railroad Street, belonged to, and were used
by Negroes. He was soon caught, tried and sentenced
to hang. He had many friends among the white people
who tried to save his life, but at 12 o'clock on
Friday of the above date, the sheriff accompanied by
a preacher and the Upson Guards took the prisoner
from the jail and placed him astride his pine box
coffin which was on a one horse spring wagon with
the prisoner tied to the Sheriff, J. T. Foster, who
sat on the spring seat. The guards were on either
side and in the rear of the wagon was followed by
more than five thousand people to the hanging ground
which was in the old field where near the Share
store is now located. The sheriff had the gallows
built consisted of 4 tall posts with a beam across
the top with a trap platform and removable steps.
The grass rope which was about an inch long had been
fastened securely to the beam. The Upson Guards wore
their blue uniforms carrying long guns with bayonets
attached. Among the guards I recall living here now
besides the writer, are: Henry Forest, Sam Pruitt,
Bev Childs, and Will Pruitt. The Negro ascended the
steps without fear smoking a cigar which was given
to him by Col. J. D. Alexander. He had written a
long statement which he took from his pocket & read,
Standing Erect, The rope having been fastened with a
knot to one side, the Sheriff descended to the
ground and pulled the trigger. The Body fell with a
thud. Many of the colored sisters fainted. And this
was the last public hanging in Upson County.