SIR
AM
RECORPUt
'V
SEMI - W E E K LY
VOLUME 87.
DURHAM N. C; FEBRUARY 8. 1907.
NUMBER 82.
HODGES AND JONES HANGED
Jobn H. Bodges and Freeman Jones
Pay for Their Grlmev
PASTING SCENES VERY IMPRESSIVE
1
I The Firs! Banging in Durham
j Negro and White Man the Vic
I tlms fit Their Passion
I At last Durham county has had
) a hanging, and the beginning
! was a double one. Quite a num-
berof people were around the
1 icourt house all 'morning, waiting
; ?to see if there was anything
unusual to take place, and the
. only reward many of them got
was a sight of .the body as it was
f ibrought out by the undertakers.
I Thprff was not ft hitch, in the
I iproceedings from the time the
scaffold Was Jbegun until both
men were hung, and Deputy
Sheriff Ilarward got through with
I his part of the hanging as if he
were accustomed to it.
John H. Hodge today at 10:30
.paid the price of the awful crime
which he committed, about
which our readers are familiar.
He was brought out by Deputy
.Sheriff Harward in the presence
of about 35 people and placed
upon the scaffold, and when
I asked if he had anything to say,
he replied that he wanted to
thank all the people who had
been kind to him since he has
been confined in jail. He wanted
all the people to take warning
and not drink liquor, but live a
life that would insure them an
entrance to heaven. He shook
hands with Deputy Sheriff Har
ward and thanked him especially
for the kind way in which he
treated him during his confine
ment, and that he wanted him to
meet him in heaven; told him
.thathewa8 w'lling to go that
he wanted to go, wanted the sus
pense ended.
The black cap was placed on
his head, and the drop fell, and
Drs. Johnson, O'Kelly and Smith
pronounced him dead at 10:50.
Hodges arose this morning and
at 8:30 o'clock ate a hearty break
fast and was talking with the
sheriff in the name manner that
he has done all along. In fact
.he displayed the same nerve that
has been manifest ever since he
was arrested and placed in jail.
Nothing was said during his last
hours about the crime for which
he was paying such a penalty.
The remains were taken to
the undertaking establishment of
J. S. Hall where preparation for
burial was made. The inter
ment will take place tomorrow af
dernoon, and it is expected that
the burial will be in the High
burying ground about tsix miles
.southeast of Durham.
FREEMAN J0NE3 CONFESSES.
Following closely upon the
hanging of' Hodges, the negro,
Freeman Jones was brought out,
the same rope being used. It
was expected by many that when
the time came for the execution
Jones would falter, and many
expected that he would have to
be brought out by the officers in
charge, but he walked to the
scaffold as firm as he could walk
Anywhere.
When asked if he had any
statement to make, he said that
liquor was the cause of his crime,
and for the first time said that
he remembered committing, the
crime and said that he went to
the home of Mrs. Jack Barker
and entered the door, went in
grabbed hold of her and dragged
her from the bed out into the
yard. He said that he would not
have committed the crime had it
I
not been for whiskey. , He felt
like the Lord had forgiven his
sins, that he would be saved and
was willing to die The cap was
adjusted and the trap fell at
11 :33, and the. doctors present
pronounced him dead at 11:52.
The body was turned over to
his people and the burial took
place this afternopn.
The' gallows on which John
H. Hodges and Freeman Jones
died today ; was erected inside
the jail. This work was done
near by where the two doomed
men sat and they could count the
blows of the hammers and hear
the noise made by the saws,
They could see the work that
was being done on the instru
ment that ended their lives.
Probably the most impressive
and touching scene ever enacted
in this county took place in the'
jail Sunday afternoon when the
six children of Hodges, the moth
er of his dead wife, two of her
sisters, several brothers-in-law
and other family connections
gathered there to say good-bye
to the doomed man. Rev. H. M.
North of the Trinity park school,
preached the sermon and he was
assisted in the devotional exer
cises by Revs. E. M. Hoyle and
J. H. McCracken and by a quar
tette of gentlemen who conduct
ed the singing.
After this service all retired,
with the exception of the rela
tives, the officers and one news
paper man. Hodges made a
talk to his children, calling each
one and telling what he, wanted
done and then leaving them to
the care of divine providence.
He gave to each child a Bible,
twenty cents ia money and some
fruit. To Jack, the youngest boy,
he gave his watch and chain.
He was questioned about the
murder by Mrs. High, mother of
the murdered woman, and he told
of what occurred that night
He said he intended to kill his
wife and himself, but the pistol
failed to fire when his time came.
He said his wife was a good
woman. He. said he was happy,
was converted and would go to
heaven and be with his wife
when the hanging was over.
He said that he had prayed each
night that he might be with her
and had dreamed of seeing her,
and that they were both happy.
"Do not grieve for me," he
said "I am all right. The nearer
the time comes for the end the
happier I am. Get right, all of
you and be good." He then ask
ed that if there was any one
present who had anything again
st him that this hate be put out
of their hearts. He said that he
had nothing against any person
and that he loved best now those
he hated worst when he went
into the Jail. Speaking of his
past life between the time when
he was first converted seventeen
years ago and the second con
version since going to jail, he
said that he had been across hell
on a rotton rail a number of
times, yet he was spared to be
saved. Telling little Jack good
bye he told him to be good and
obey those who had him in charge.
he added, " when you go to your
rabbit gums take Jesus with you
and you will catch more rabbits.
Through it all he did not show
nervousness. Tears gathered in
his eyes and while he was lead
ing In prayer with his family
these tears trickled from the end
of his nose, but there was no
nervousness. Speaking of what
the newspapers had said about
his nerve he said: " The new,
papers say I have a nerve of iron;
it Is the nerve of God that Is sus
taining me."
After this service there was
enacted another sad 'scene on
the floor below, where a colored
minister preached Freeman
Jones' last sermon. There were
songs, and prayers and tears.
Both scenes were such as to make
impossible a picture of the ter
rible moments.
For several days Officer Har
ward has been bombarded from
all sides with requests from peo
ple who wanted to go into the
jail and look at the two men. At
times there were great crowds
in front of the jail entrance and
it was impossible for the officer
in charge to go any distance with
out being stopped and request
made. Then there have been
made more requests for tickets
to witness the hanging, this
since the publication was made
that the limit had been exhaust
ed and that no more could be
promised.
Since Sunday quite a large
number of people have been al
lowed in the jail.' This did not
disturb either of the men as they
did not mind seeing the visitors
or talking with them on any sub
ject. In fact, it seemed at times
that it was a relief to them to
look up and see visitors and talk
with those fresh from the out
side world.
Thursday afternoon three
children of Hodges, Miss Ola,
Fred and little Mattie, visited the
jail and spent a short while with
their father. Final farewells were
said when they left the jail. It
was a fearful moment For the
first time fcinre his confinement
Hodges came near breaking down
when he told little Mattie good
bye. She is the smallest of the
children and was the one who
said to him on the night that he
visited his wife's home and enact
ed such a fearful tragedy: "Papa,
I want you. I will fix a pallet.
Sleep with me on the floor."
Jones had to go through with a
similar experience. He was
visited by his mother, wife, sis
ter and brother. His father did
not visit him. Freeman almost
preached a sermon to his kins
people, telling them to change
their ways and serve the Lord.
There were songs prayers and
much that was pathetic.
Pretty Home Wedding.
There was a pretty marriage
at the home of Mr. T. B. Fuller,
on East Main street, last Wed
nesday at 6 o'clock, when Miss
Adelaide Ramsey became the
bride of Mr. J.E. Hancock. Rev.
F. R. Leyburn, pastor of the first
Presbyterian church, officiated.
After the marriage they left for
Carthage, where they will make
their home for the present
Only a few intimate friends
and the relatives were present at
this marriage. It was a very
quiet affair. There were no at
tendants. The home wa prettily
decorated for the occasion.
Mr. Hancock is general man
ager of the Durham and South
Carolina road and the Chatham
Lumber company and has spent
much of his time in Durham since
he came to this section to make
his home. He Is now at Car
thage, however, and it was to
that place that he has carried his
bride. He is very popular and
has many friends, both business
and social.
His bride is a charming young
woman. She has lived in Dur
ham practically all of her' life
and is the daughter of the late
Capt. N. A. Ramsey. She is ac
complished and in going in and
out before our people since child
hood she has made a large number
of friends and admirers. For
sometime she has been connected
with thef acuity of the city graded
school.
T.M.C.A. BEGINS WITH $13,500.
Banquet at tbe Carrollna Headquar
ters Established at Court House.
The banquit at the Hotel Car
rolina last Tuesday evening for
the purpose of stimulating inter
est inthe erection of a Y. M. C. A.
building for Durham was attend
ed by quite a number of repre
sentative men of the city.
' Mr. James H. Southgate was
master of ceremonies and Mr. C.
L. Gates, of Atlanta; Ga., was
introduced and spoke of the
"American Young Man." Gov
ernor Glenn was present and ad
dressed the citizens present, urg
ing th establishment of a Y.
M. C. A. in Durham closing with
a strong appeal for the move
ment. Mr. G. C. Huntington, field
secretary for North and South
Carolina, was the third speaker.
He stated the plan of campaign
and announced the various com
mittees, who were asked to meet
each night at 8 o'clock. He
also announced that Mr. G.
VV. Watts had subscribed $7,500
upon the condition that $30,000
be raised by February 19; Capt.
E. J. Parrish subscribed $3,000,
and General J. S.Carr $3000. the
latter upon condition that $35,000
be raised by February 19.
The benediction was pronounc
ed by Rev. S. S. Bost and the
meeting adjourned about mid
night. The headquarters of the cam
paign committees opened Tues
day juul active work- will began
Wednesday this evening when
the various committees met as
requested. The headquarters
is inthe commissioner's room, at
the court house.
Prof. Matherson, who recently
resigned as superintendent of the
city graded schools, is in charge
as headquarters man. Desks and
tables have been placed and the
room is a nice one for the use
now intended for it On the out
side, at the corner of the court
house, is a large banner or pla
card, stating that inside is head
quarters for the Y. M. C. A. cam
paign committee.
Those who are backing this
move and are leading spirits in
it are enthused over the outlook.
With $13,500 announced for the
first night there should be no
trouble in getting the remainder
of the $35,000 desired.
Up to Friday morning the full
amount raised for the building
was $16,520.
Tbe County Commissioners.
The county commissioners have
been in session this week and
considered many matters that
are of importance to the citizens
of the county.
The road question was discuss
ed and matters put in shape to
begin work in earnest wlftn the
weather gets better. Bills are to
be prepared for the legislature to
allow jurors $2 per day, the com
missioners $3.50, also to allow
the commissioners to make ar
rangements for better accomoda
tion at the court house. Many
routine matters received the at
tention of the commissioners at
this meeting.
A young man by the name of
Gilmore Thompson came near
losing his life in an accident on
the. Southern road yesterday
morning. He drove across the
track with a load of lumber just
as the train was approaching.
The train struck the center of
the wagon, and parted in the
middle. The team and the driver
were knocked to the same side.
No serious damage was done
either, but the wagon was a
complete wreck.
lb
b
lb
lb
lb
lb
lb
lb
b
DEPOSIT YOUR MONEY WITH
CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK
OF DURHAM.
B.
Officers and Director!
N. Duke, Pres. J. S. Manning, Vice-Pres.
J. B. Mason, Cashier.
J. B. Duke, President American Tobacco Company.
Y. E. Smith, Supt. Durham Cotton Mfg. Company.
C. L. Haywood, at Haywood & King, Druggists.
J. H. Southgate, of Southgate & Son, Insurance.
R. H. Rigsbee, Capitalist.
Q. E. Rawls, Merchant.
B. N. Duke,
Director American Tobacco Co., and Capitalist.
J. S. Manning, Attorney-at-Law.
N. M. Johnson, Physician and Surgeon.
J. B. Mason, Cashier Citizens National Bank.
DEPOSITORY OF THE PEOPLE,
THE COUNTY OF DURHAM, THE CITY OF DURHAM
AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
This Bank Opened tor Business May i, 1905
Is Young, but Growing
Statement of Bank at Close of Easiness Jan.26,l907i
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
e.
Resources.
Loans and Invest
ments, $588,954.95
U. S. Bonds, 150,000.00
Premiums U. S.
Bonds, 5,659.69
Banking House, 13,000.00
Cash and due from
Banks, 293,129.84
Redemption Fund, 7,200.00
Liabilities..
Capital,
Surplus,
Undivided profits,
Circulation,
Deposits,
Dividends unpaid,
$1,055,944.48
$100,000.00
60,000.00
14,272.25
100,000.00
781,657.23
15.00
$1,055,944.48
WE SEND these Reports to our Depositors and Stockholders on
date called for' by the Comptroller in order that they may be
informed of our condition.
WITH the strongest financial backing of any Bank in this State
arm unsurpassed methods in every department, we invite new
accounts, large or small, of MERCHANTS, FARMERS, INDI
VIDUALS, FIRMS or CORPORATIONS that have not already
done so, to open an account with us.
ABSOLUTE PROTECTION. Bonded Officers, Burglar and Fire
Insurance, Fireproof Vault and Safe. To Depositors we offer Safety
Deposit Boxes in our Fireproof Safe Free, where you can Deposit
your Valuable Papers.
m
m
m
S
m
m
m
m
m
m
V
Home Savings Bank
t DURHAM, North Carolina
:
CAPITAL $50,000
The best and safest place for your money. 4 PEI CENT PAID ON DEPOSITS
All Loans are secured by improved real estate or stocks and Bonds.
DIRECTORS
GEORGE W. Waits B. N. Di ke
T. B. Fuller W. A. Erwin
W. T. O'Briem J. S. Carr, Jr.
John Sprunt Hill J. W. Bcrrocghs
F. D. Markham.
ADD TO YOUR PRESENT ACCOUNT OR OPEN A NEW ONE
GEORGE W. WATTS, President.
V. W. WHITTEI), Cashier.
The Durham Traction Co. :
j ELEOTKtfl LIGHTING AN'D POWER ;
5 Arcs, Incandescents, Nornsts, Wiring and Motors.
1 TROLLEY CARS $
Open and Closed for Trolley Parties.
ICE-Wholesale and Retail.
Estimates cheerfully furnished for Lighting,
2 Wiring, Chandeliers and Power. Let us figure
wlin you. ine liuurinauuii iu w iiuu iui uw aoiv-
S ing.
Phone 271. - Rooms 10-12-14 Wright Building.
1
What the People Need . . .
The Roller Mill Supplies it
t
w
Merchant, your Flour and Meal trade
will be permanent if Carr-olina Rol
ler Mill products are kept constantly
in stock.
Peerless stands for the best of wheat.
Banner is all right aa straight.
Satisfaction guaranteed as to all goods.
Prices right. Phone 374.
J. S. CARR. JR.T3LW. M. SPEED,
President. M an. Sales Dept.