The Hanging of William Harper, Winn Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Greggory E. Davies 120 Ted Price Lane Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Two Thousand Attend Harper Hanging Here (by Herbert Russ, from the Winn Parish Enterprise, Thursday, August 27, 1931) William Harper, condemned in the Eighth Judicial District Court to hang for the murder of Hardy C. Pepper, at a dance in Sikes on the night of last December 17, made his last march shortly after 12:00 noon on Friday August 21. Since early last week, when the gallows was built, there were hundreds of people visiting the jail to view the gallows and to see the condemned man. Harper was brought to Winnfield last Thursday, August 20, at about 8:00 o'clock a. m. in custody of Sheriff Bryant Sholars and deputies Miley Walsworth and Clayton Taylor. He stated then that he had rather stay in the Monroe jail until just before the execution. All day Thursday people from everywhere came to the jail and talked with him. He talked freely and politely to everyone. He said that he was glad to have the people come to see him. The curious stayed around the jail fence long after dark, this being the first hanging ever to be carried out in Winnfield. On the morning of the execution Harper got up and dressed and stood in the window talking to the people at the fence. When his friends would come along, he would joke with them as if there was going to be a party instead of a hanging. Friday morning his sister, Mrs. Bratton, her son, and another nephew of Harper's stayed in the jail with him. He talked with them, saying "I'm not saying this just because I am going to hang, but because I know that I haven't had a fair trial. All I've had is just a big tangle instead of a trial, " and then he said "I'm telling you this just as a family talk, I haven't had a fair trial because never in the history of the state of Louisiana has a man or woman been hanged without a reprieve, a new hearing, or at least another chance in a higher court to prove his innocence. I know I deserve a life sentence in the state penitentiary but I don't deserve hanging." He then gave Mrs. Bratton a lock of his hair and told them goodbye. As soon as Mrs. Bratton and the two boys had gone from the jail Harper went to the window and started talking to the people on the outside of the fence, saying "Boys, take a fool's advice and don't ever kill anyone. I know that I've got to go in a few minutes but I'm ready, I'm on the right track now." He then said "It has been told around that I was a nervous wreck and that I hadn't slept for about nine nights. It's all a lie boys, just like the lies that are causing my hanging. I haven't lost any sleep, I sleep just as sound as anyone." Rev. A. J. Pruitt of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, preached his funeral and his three small sons sang his funeral songs, accompanied with guitar by Mr. Alan Dees, Radio artist, from Jonesboro. Rev. Pruitt is an old friend of Harper's. he asked Harper if there was any word he wanted to send his father. Harper said, "Tell him I feel fine and am ready to die. Tell him that I went down with perfect courage." Rev. Pruitt then asked about his wife and children. He said, "Tell my wife and children I was ready to go." Sheriff Bryant Sholars then read the death warrant to Harper with the witnesses standing in front of the cell door listening. When Mr. Sholars had finished reading the warrant he said, "This is bad William, and I'm sorry, but it's got to be done." Harper smiled and said, "I know it's bad Mr. Sholars but it can't be helped. It's your duty and I want you to do it." After the death warrant was read, Harper was handcuffed and the door was opened. He walked to the front steps of the jail. Standing on the top step in front of the jail and talking loud enough for everyone to hear him he said, "I want all you people young and old to hear what I've got to say. I was not given a fair trial in the court here. There were lies sworn on the witness stand so that I would hang." Then he told how the killing came about, saying, "I killed Hardy Pepper, I don't deny killing him, but I did not kill him with a pocket knife, a Bouy knife, a dirk or any other kind of a knife. I cut his throat with a small razor which had "Lee" stamped on the blade. I bought the razor and paid $ 2.75 for it. I killed Hardy Pepper because he pulled a gun on me and said "I'm going to kill you in thirty minutes." He said he was going to curse me, beat me, and then that he was going shoot me and I told him to go ahead and shoot. I said I don't see anyone holding you nor I don't see any ropes or barbed wire tied around you so shoot. Before that night he had insulted me and insulted my wife. I didn't tell anybody in that house about it, I just overlooked it. I had forgiven the boy for all that but I cut his throat and I'd do it again today. I'm not sorry of it. I'm going to hang now for the bunch of lies that were sworn on the stand against me." Harper then said, "Everybody take this advice, and leave your whiskey, knives and guns at home and pick up a Bible, an old testament, or a new testament, and go down the road to Sunday school and learn a lesson. If you will do that, you will stay out of trouble." "I'm going to walk around the jail and up those steps without any help. They tell me there are thirteen steps, well I'm going all the way to the top by myself." He then jumped off the steps saying, "Come on. Let's go." He walked swiftly around the jail and ran up the steps two at a time. When he reached the top he turned and said, "Goodbye Hazel" and then walked over and stopped in the center of the trap. While he was being tied up he looked around and watched them tie his legs. Rev. Pruitt said a last prayer for Harper while they were placing the mask and noose over his head. His last statement was "I'm ready to go." As soon as the noose was placed around Harper's neck and the signal was given, Sheriff Sholars sprung the trap. Harper dropped through the floor at exactly 12:07 o'clock, Western Union time. He was pronounced dead by Coroner S. C. Fittz at 12:15 p. m. and was taken from the gallows at 12:19. His body was taken by the undertakers, who dressed him and placed him in a casket before removing him from the enclosure, surrounding the gallows. Harper was true to his statement to Rev. Pruitt, "I'll go down with perfect courage", he was calm to the last. In fact, he was calmer than I was and I was only watching it. Some of the witnesses stated that they had never seen or heard anyone so calm as Harper was just before the hanging. Harper's body was shipped to his brother in Rayville where he was buried. Contrary to rumors that Harper's body was disfigured, I say that it was not. His neck was broken and that's all. There were about two thousand people crowding around the fence listening to Harper's speech and trying to see him as he went around the jail to his doom. (Submitted by Greggory Ellis Davies, Winnfield, Winn Parish, LA.)