Blount County TN Archives News.....News Articles November 15, 1882 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Glenn Teffeteller glennt@icx.net August 20, 2005, 3:10 am THE WATCHMAN November 15, 1882 Wednesday, November 15, 1882 The Hanging---Last Friday, Sam and Milt Hodge paid the highest penalty of the law at Knoxville. We are no advocate of capital punishment. In our opinion it would be far better for the country if imprisonment for life was substituted. The effect on society would be better. Particularly demoralizing are public executions. Thousands of people gathered at Knoxville on that day. For what? To see two fellow mortals swing off into eternity! Had that immense crowd seen one of their number fall into the river, struggling in the water for life; or even had one jumped deliberately into the water, there would have been a general rush to save the person from death; but, as to the hanging, they gather eagerly to witness the sickening scene as if it were an amusement. These two poor, illiterate colored men, doubtless having heard the braggadocia of those standing higher in society, were led to believe that it was honorable and a mark of manhood to take the life of a man. But, alas! They are made to suffer the highest penalties of the law! They were poor, illiterate, friendless, almost irresponsible, and they are made an example to offenders! Why people want to witness such scenes is more than we can comprehend. A Sensation---On going to press today (Thursday) quite an excitement was raised in Maryville by a strange man entirely naked, running down Main Street and calling out at the top of his voice until he came near the law office of C.T. Cates, Esquire, when he ceased calling out and ran through the street to the top of the hill near the depot, where he was captured by Sheriff Edmondson, and brought back before Justices Lillard and Moore, a warrant taken out for indecent exposure of the person, and he being an entire stranger and evidently insane, the case was continued until Monday for further developments. The first seen of him he was in front of the dormitory at the college walking back and forth, which he kept up for some time. Then he came over to town going up Church Street to the old New Providence burying grounds. His conduct was strange and created a considerable fright among the school children. At length he took off all his clothing and prostrated himself on a grave, then rising he started down street as above shown. When arrested he told Sheriff Edmondson that he was from the tombs. His clothing is of good plain material and well fitting. He says that he is from Macon, Georgia: that he was a clerk in a store and stole large sums of money; that his father, who is now dead, fixed it up for him; that he went to Poughkepsie, N.Y., and got a commercial education and had been employed at good wages but cheated his employers. That he was in love with a young lady, who refused him, from which time he has been committing all manner of crimes, except murder. He is evidently insane. A Bible without any persons name in it was found with his clothes. When given a pen, although it was a bad one, he wrote in a beautiful business-hand. “J.T. Evans, Macon, Ga.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/blount/newspapers/newsarti99gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/tnfiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb