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rONIA
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Devoted to the Protection ol Home and the Intreet8 mf the Conty
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Vol. XIII.
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bolei
CAROLINE SHIPP,
A YOEXG COLORED WOMAN, IS IIAJGED BY THE NECK
IN THE PRESENCE 0F,3,000 SPECTATORS,
Mmi. Wnwpn. and cnildren. unite and colored. Tin
ead, Dead, Dead!
Frlda;
' twenty-second day of
January, 1892, was full of scenes wuicn
thousands of people in Gaston county
f will remember to their dying day. It
lis a day from which these thousands
; will date events the remainder of their
.1' J lives. For on this day, a helpless hu
' 7j ,jman being wrapped in the black to
I' kens of a murderer's death dangled
' from the end of a rope before their
tf ': eyes and there swung in mid air chok
; Ing, choking, till dead, dead, dead!
" , And these same thousands will be for-
' ever haunted by the memory that they
were there for what? only to witness
with their own eyes this-awful soul
sickening spectacle! The day opened
old and cloudy. The ground was
damp, the roads were muddy. The
cold, heavy clouds lay in dark and mot
tled patches here, or iu loug irregular
lines there, or again in smooth un
broken surfaces against the sky, so
obscuring the sky that not a single
golden line of sunlight found its way
through them to earth during the sol
emn day. Men dropped their work,
'women left off their housekeepings
children could' hardly betSou
trolled. Early In the morning,
from every part ,-efthe county,
borae back, PietetTack, on foot, on
eroehje5T'ia buggy, hack, and wagon
JSey thronged to the scene of exticu-
...V.
TBK OALLOW8.
The scaffold was vex up-H
veld one mile from the jaiL It was on
y.'tbe county's property and stood about
' a hundred yards from the open grave
In the potter's field. Being near the
bead of a bottom, with the ground
' rising on three sides, the gallows stood
la fall view from the semicircular hills
boat it. ' 'Arranged in ranks on this
gToand many thousands of spectators
eoold have viewed the execution. It
is tbred hours before the execution,
but people are gatheriug in hundreds.
It is surprising how many white wo
men were present. Some sit In ve
hicles, soma view the grave digger at
bis work, some view the death-trap,
and discuss its arrangement. There
i 1$ stands in its solitude. Two up
right posts about . sixteen feet high
, and six feet apart, with a cross beam
: at the top, make op the frame work.
(' Little more than six feet from the
ground is the platform, supported be
tween the posts by a fixed timber nail-
,ed
to the post on one side and by a
bigle wooden pin through the ist
' . on the other side. Pull out the loosely
fitting pin and down comes the plat
form. This pin Is drawn from the
outside. It goes through a plank and
thm on through the post, projecting
r' trough far enough to support oue end
t . the. platform. The outer end
it the pin is made too large to go
JtLrougb the planlr, which is tiea up-'-ad-down
to the post. The lower
'tad of this strip of plank has a rope
an it with which it is tlJd to the post
T&curely. At the proper time, ' the
eputy will unfasten this, lower end
nd jerk the plank outwards by means
t the rope tied to it. The upper end
f the plank is against the post, and
falling out the lower end draws' the
In from the post and thus drops the
atform.
r AT TH JAIL.
a front of the jail there is a great
1 of horses, vehicles, men, women
I children. The crowd seems to be
ipatient. The people have been surg
& through the streets or standing on
oold muddy ground all the morn
v Eleven o'clock has passed, and
live is coming on. The Gaston
emeo, tired 'of dreary waiting,
a in ranks and drill in the court
ire across the' street. Twelve o'
Jc is here and the' deputy has not
jaaid that everything is ready. It
4 be an hour yet. The reporters go
filing off to the telegraph office to
. trolly sure tnat tney win have no
ouble fa getting quick connection
1th their papers. They return aud
allowed W Yisit the oell of the, con
fined woman. She says she is ready,
' stands in a long white gown with
- ures embroidered over - it. She
tprms her innocence, and de
fine u n?l axraia to cue. "I did
I W. F. MHSHW 1
Eli(r and Proprietor.
Bj Law!
not poison my baby, and I am not
airaia io cue. Aiacs t arrar poisonea
my baby." These same statements she
made to a reporter two days ljefore her
j death, to another on the afternoon be
fore her death, and to both of them
with two ministers the morning be
fore her death, and declared them to
the world as her last words from the
scaffold a few minutes before her death.
Her story of the crime in detail, with
a history of her condemnation will be
giveu in its proper place further on.
The reporters came down aud find the
crowds in front ol the Jail stilt impati
ent. It is one o'clock and they have
but a few minutes to wait, for the ex
ecution must take place before two.
she comes! '
At six minutes past one, tbe' poiider
ous door of the Dallasjallr'swuiig back
on its hinges, and Utecondemned wo
man in charge ofDeputy Van Sellers
met the gasfr the impatient throng.
She worea lizht calico bonnet with
smablack flowers stamped on it, and
aras arrayed in a long black gown of
some light fabric. From the gathered
folds of the dark gown, a. cold white
gleam fell out upon the eyes of the
spectators. It was a gleam from the
steel manacles upon her wrists. A
wagon driveu by two littl white boys
stands ready. It coutains'a plain cof
fin with a fiat top. The coffin is
wrapped in bW iot. nwi-iiooi
tad Mt-ttr-wagon by Deputy Sellars
into which she easily climbs. Without
visible trepidation she sits down on
her coffin. The deputy si ts beside her.
The two colored ministers are also
in the same wagou with her. Iu less
than an hour and a half this friendless
colored woman will be in eternity.
The wugon moves forward, the drum
rolls, aud then begins
THE MARCH TO DEATH.
Sheriff M. H. Shuford in front of the
coudemned woman's wagn rides
on an iron gray horse. Follow
ing the wagon come vehicles and
a long cavalcade of horsemen.
Flanking the procession it ve
hicles and horsemen, are the Gastou
Riflemen with bayonetted rifles. They
are marching in two s'ngle files, one
on either side. Their bright bayonets
and rifles gleam with chilling
coldness on this dreary clouded day.
Capt, W. F. Holland commands; and
his youthful son John, the boy drum
mer, teats the measures of the solemn
death march. Outside of toe Riflemen
dies are hundreds of men, women, and
children following in the procession as
it moves out toward the fatal field.
Some one says "Look in that porch
at that white woman laughing!" But
the march to death went on and the
solemn roll of the drum that measured
the steps of the march also measured
away the moments in the moitallife
of every soul who heard it.T hrob, throb,
throb-throb-throb, went the drum,
never stopping, never faltering; and
the friendless colored woman who sat
on her coffin listened to its merciless
roll tolling away one by one the few
short momenta that separated her trom
eternity.
A black horse, saddled, but without
a rider, breaks loose and creates some
confusion by dashing hither and thith
er on one side of the procession.
But the death march moves on, and
the solemn roll of the drum that
measures the s&psof the march also
measures away the moments in the
mortal life of every soul who hears it.
Throb, throb, throb throb-throb, goes
the drum, never stopping, never falt
ering; and the friendless colored wo
man who sits on her coffin hears its
merciless roll tolling away the few
short moments that separate her from
eternity.
A section of the procession Is check
ed a few moments iu order that a
file of the military company may
march through to the opposite side.
But the death march moves on, and
the solemn roll of the drum that meas
ures the steps of the march also meas
ures away the moments in the mortal I
life of everv soul who hears it. Throb,
throb, throb-throb-throb, goes the
drum, never stopping, never faltering; !
and. the friendless colored woman who j
sits on her cofflu hears its merciless roll
tolling away the few short moments
, that separate her from eternity,
i Some one summons the levity to
; make a flippant remark to a member of
ithe military company about marching
to Chili. But the death march moves
on, and the solemn roll of the drum
that measures the steps of the march
also measures away the moments in
tie mortal life of every soul who hears
it. Throb, throb, throb-throb-throb.
goes the drum, never stopping never
falteriug; and the friendless colored
woman who sits on her coffin hears
its merciless roll tolling away the last
short moments that separate her from
eternity.
ON THE SCAFFOLD.
At 1:35 the march is ended. Trie
scaffold stands ready. Three thous-
and spectators concentrate their gaze
upon the young colored wiman in
charge of the deputy now walking
to the gallows. At 1:36 J Sheriff M. .
II. Shuford, Deputy Van Sellars with
the prisoner, Rev. L. C. Ubamlilin and ;
Rev. B. F. Martin, two colored min-
isters,ascend the scaffold
The deputy j
nnri assisfitnt urn ariinstincr thft rune
to give the proper drop. At 1:38,0. F.
MasonEsq. ,one of the lawyers for the de
fense, who has worked hard and faith
fully, spending time and means to se
cure the commutation of the poor wo
man's sentence, went up - the steps t
weeping freely, aud taking this wo
man's band said, "Good iye, Caroline,
I have done the lest I could for you."
.Sheriff Shuford also bade her good bye.
"Give It five feet drop" called out Mr.
Mason, "give it good drop." At 1:39J
the prisoner, with the manacles still on
her wrists, seemed to shiver as if cwld.
Her breath came occasionally in a
sigh, and she was evidently suffering
in spirit what no words can ever tell.
But iu a moment the chill passed off
and from that time to the end she
was perfectly composed. "Give it
more drop," called out Mr. Mason to
the man adjusting the rope, "give it
good drop and break her neck," and
with emotion he added, "I've dream
ed for three nights that it was a
butchered job and she choked to
death; do it right, I don't want her
olic-o- &axtr.M When nr Tope -
was finally adjusted the end lacked
about six inches of touching the plat
form on which the woman stood.
TIIERK SHE STANDS.
At 1:42 Caroline was asked if she
had any statement to mak", and she
said that she did. "Well, tell what
you want to say. Caroline; go slow,"
said Mr. Mason encouragingly. Her
calico bonnet was taken off, and she
stood there calm and composed before
three thousand spectators. And as
they looked upon her a husli came over
the vast assemblage. There she stands i
before them to speak her last words.
She seems a girl rather than a wo
man. She is barely twenty years old.
She has a slight but not a scrawny
figure, and is hardly five feet high.
Her skin is not very black, yet it is
hardly bright enough ' to be
called a ginger cake color. She has
small hands, a plump, round face, full
lips, aud a young, girlish countenance,
sad of course, but with nothing about
it to suggest an aggressively vicious or
barbarous nature. Her low and nar
row forehead indicates that she does
not possess strong mental faculties or
sensitive moral instincts. That is
about as true a pen picture as the
writer can give of this woman who
now stands in the presence of perhaps
the greatest throng she ever saw, to
make her last statement about the
crime for which she is soon to die.
HER LAST WORDS
She is calm, and in a clear conversa
tional voice speaks deliberately as fol
lows:
My beloved friends, I am accused of
murdering my child, which I am not
guilty of. I am innocent. Mack Far
rar poisoned my baby, Mack Farrar
poisoned my baby. I was staying at
Solomon Holland's. He hired me to
work. The Tuesday my baby died.
Mack Farrar came to the house.
Aunt Jinny Holland was gone to John
Farrar's. Mack says he wanted a drink
of water. I told him there was none
there, and 1 went to the spring to
get some. When I got mighty nigh
back. Mack went running away. I
say, "what you're running away for?"
He says "I'll see you again" and kept
on running. That was before dinner
time. My child took sick with a
"tho'in'up" and died between four and
five o'clock the same evening. Unole
Solo mon Holland found the box of rat
poison in the woods near the house. I j
never put it there. Mack Farrar put f
it there. I give Mack the poison on j
a Tuesday two weeks before, not know- ;
ing what he was going to do with it, !
never thinking be was going to give it
to my child. Mack Farrar put the
box in the woods close to the house so
people would think I should have put
it there. So afar as my baby being .
Gastonia, N. C, January 28,
poisoned, I am not guilty of murder. I
I know I was convicted of murdering j
my child but 1 am not guilty. 1 think )
my friends done all they could to keep
me from being here today. I thank
'em for it. But I thank the Lord that
he has done more for me than they all.
I'll soon be gone to meet my little ba
by, beyond this vale of tears. Friends
I asfc you all to meet me. Of com so,
we won't put here to stay always. If
we thought we'd live always, people
wouldnt think atout dying ;nd would ut
care what they done. We must all die
somehow. Every hour, every minute,
every second somebody is dying. She
is Btill talking slowly without a tre
mor. I expected to see my sister here
to-day but I don't see none of my peo
ple Here one of the ministers asked,
with a strong voice, if .there were any
of Caroline's frieuds or relatives pres-
' ent who wished to speak to her. Af
ter a pause of oppressive silence the
; minister said, "None." It was a
; scene that appealed powerf ullv to
the sympathies of every heart in that
I presence capable of feeling sympathy for
J a ooor forsaken, friendless and heloless
coloTed woman. when the minister
sorrowfully said "None present," Car
oline continued Well, it's mighty bard.
May the Lord be with you alL
She was still calm, and approached
death without a tremor. She had spok
en with dehbetation, occupying eight
minutes in her talk.
SIWGtNG AND TRAYER.
Rev. L. C. Cbamblin, the preacher in
charge of the M. E. Church at
Gastonia, then announced that Caro
line wished two stanzas of a favorite
hymn sung. He repeated the
stanzas. A.fter repeating the stanzas,
he with Rev. B. F. Martin, pastor of
the Gethsemane A. M. E. Ziou church
of Charlotte, sung them:
Why do we mourn for dying friends.
Or shake at death's alarms?
'Tis but the voice that Jesus sends
To call them to his arms.
Are we not tending upward, too,
As fast as time can move?
Nor should we wish the hours more
slow,
To keep us from our Love!
Caroliue began singing, but did not
jug tuo .tj, Hirivig'n. Tter
Martin now offers the following prayer:
Almighty God, from whom we re
ceive all good gifts: We thank thee
for thy mercy, the Bible in which thou
hast revealed thy will to us, and for
Jesus Christ, thy Sou, in whom thou
; hast vouchsafed salvatiou to all who
- will accept Him, Him whom Caroliue
; hatli accepted and whom she is now
i trusting. We wish to blend our praise
, and thanksgiving with the saints and
; angels now around thy throne, and
pray thee to bless and strengthen
Caroline in this hour of sore affliction,
i Give to her victorious faith. And O,
may she realize thy presence. Thy rod
and thy staff may they comfort her.
! presence, that she may, with thy saints
redeemed from sin's power, praise thee
forever. And us who are left behind
do thou perfect in faith and life till we
shall be called to join the glorified
hosts in thy kingdom above. Grant
these our prayers, for Jesus' sake.
Amen
Nearly all who were near enough to
hear bowed their hads during the
short but earnest supplication. The
condemned woman bows her head
prayerfully for a sentence or two, but
she then looks out upon the vast sea of
spectators.
THE END IS NEAR.
At 1:54 the Sheriff again mounts the
scaffold and with the assistance of his
deputy completes the filial details pre
paratory to taking the woman's life.
Tiie black hood is placed over the pris
oner's head. Her light calico bonnet,
the same worn when she was brought
to jail, worn in court, and worn to her
execution, she gave to che sheriff who
afterwards took it home under his arm.
The deputy unlocks the steel manacles,
and as be places her hands beuind her,
an observer cannot fail to note how
small they are. He biuds them tight
with a small cotton rope. Another
piece of the same rope is tvsind outside
the black robe, just above her knees.
The noose is adjusted under her left
ear.
GOOD BYE.
All have told her goodbye. The
sheriff shakes her already fast-bound
hand. Ministers, officers, all have
come down, the useless timbers are
cleared away, the deputy unties the rope
at the bottom of the strip of plank, and
all is still. A dark robed form stands
in the chilly air alone. The woman
must die the death, but she does not
quake or tremble. Slightly stooping,
she peers through the thin hood toward
the deputy and in a clear voice, speaks
the last;wordsof her life to him, words
that may possibly sound in his ears till
bis dying day in a low clear voice she
asked "Are you ready?" "Yes," said
the jdeputy. Just at that moment a
clean white handkerchief fluttered
from her hand down to the platform
beside her feet. Deputy Van Sellars
gave the rope in his band an awful
ehock which drew the supportingpinj
1892.
and down came the platform and the
hooded figure. With a soul -sickening
jerk the dark, hooded form was check-
ed in mid air after a fall of about
four feet. Not a muscle of the hang
ing woman moved, there was not a
tremor, not a sound. The crowd sur
ged toward the rope pen surrounding
the scaffold. "Get back, get back! ex
claimed the Riflemen who formed a
cordon just without the rope enclos-J
ore. And turning sharp around with
their bayonets, they forced the crowd
back. "It was a good job said one,
her neck was broken at once, and I
feel relieved" All this occupies bare- ;
ly thirty seconds. Here a j horrible
sound of suppressed breathing escapes
from the swinging body as it recovers
from the sudden shock. Her neck
had not been bioken! The hooded ',
face is turned upward to the sky, the
noose is under her chin, the chest is
heaving and struggling in a terrific
effort of nature to supply the lungs with
air. The powerful hand of J the dep
uty lays its heavy clutch on the noose
and tightens it upon the woman's
throat. Respiration is cut off, but the
struggle of nature for air continues.
The scene is sickening beyond endur
ance and the writer turns away and
leaves.
. DEAD AND BURIED,
Dr
exanf
ed,
that
mini
latioj
word
deat
totti
fall 4
ness
Tl
buriei
field
gallo
Tb
was
that
March!
an ille
day tt
that
hild
Imvmrl
stance!
poison
some
box o
29th
on DiJ
Mack
same
with 1
Farra
morni
first
bond
for app&
u U If-IVO1
be committed to jail. The officers then
took the prisoners, Caroline and Mack,
to the graveyard where the child of
Caroline Shipp was buried. The body
of the child was exhumed and Doc
tors Costner and Henderson made
a post-mortem ex 1 mi nation of it.
The testimony of the witnesses and
the opinions of the physicians were
such as to warrant the coroner's jury
in rendering a verdict of poisoning
against Caroline Shipp. She was com
muted to jail that day, where she re
mained until last term of court,
which was held in last October, begin
mng on the 21st, Judge Graves pre
siding. The grand jury found a true
bill against Mack Farrar and Caro
line Shipp for murder and accessory
before the fact. A special venire of
150 men was summoned. The jury
was selected and a vast amount of
competent testimony taken. Farrar
was acquitted, having proven an alibi
for the entire day on which the child
died. This fact more than any other
fastened the guilt upon the mother of
the child. The evidence : seemed
clear. The case went to the jury,
and the verdict was "guilty." This
is in brief, a history of the j trial and
couviotion of this unfortunate'colored
girl. It is useless now to review
the testimony in the case. In - anoth
er place the writer will refer to certain
portions of it. O. F. Mason, Esq.,
one of the counsel for ; the j defense,
used every exertion to secure her com
mutation, but in vain. He secured a
respite from Dec 18, till Jan 22. The
Governor granted this that he might
have time to investigate fully. Re
newed exertions for a commutation
were made, but in vain. Judge Graves,
Solicitor Osborne, and Mr. Mason's law
partner all refused to sign the petition
for commutation. The Judge said:
"There is nothing to recommend her
to mercy except the fact that she is a
woman." The Solicitor declared:
"She is guilty of an outrageous mur
der and should die." ' t J
Governor Holt declared that it was
his duty to execute the law in this
State, and the law forbade a distinction
00 aoccount of sex. After fully inves
tigating, he wrote the sheriff at length,
declining to commute her sentence.
IMClaii n fYiao a nnef mftrtflm I
1.50 per Annam,
lath In Advance.
His oath of office and his conscience,
he said, forbade it. And the woman
was hanged.
THE WOMAN'S STORY OF HER LIFE
AND THE CRIME.
Between five and six o'clock or
Thursday the day before her execution
the writer was permitted to interview
the coudemned woman in her cell.
She occupied the middle cell or cage
of a row of three which stands between
two windows. The light falls on the
two cages at the ends, but is cut off by
partitions from direct entrance to the
middle cage. It is a cold day. : The
woman is cuddled up on a hard pallet,
or mattress, on the floor to keep warm.
There is no chair or stool to sit on.
The woman sits up, but does not
speak until she is spoken to. When
addressed she spoke slowly and in the
polite way -common to most colored
people. I then told her what I had
come for, that her end was near, she
ought to conceal nothing, that I want
ed the truth of the crime for which
she was to die, that I would print it in
the paper and the world would then
read, it as she told it. She said there
was nothing she wanted to conceal and
would tell the story as it happened.
Of course, many facts were related in
answer to direct aud cross questions
from me. These were brought out to
make her story clearer. I give it in
her own language as nearly as I can
reproduce it from full notes. Nearly
every word she sob e was written down
as it was spoken. She said:
i I am twenty or twenty -one years old.
My father belonged to the Mt. Holly
Shipus in slavery time. 'Twas on
Tuesday 4iferJMtarch court. Mack
r came to my house, l was nv-
ith Uncle Solomon Holland and
Jin n v. his wife. He (Solomon!
ired me to wrk forTinnv.wri'a
ay two weeks before, I had got
jison and give it to Mack Far-
got it from Mr. Charley mom-
ck told me to get 15 cents from
Solomon Holland and get the
on. that he needed it. I Here
1 if she knew what the poison
1 1 ted for. She declared she. did
ow. Had Mack ever hinted
le wanted it ioirl jno, nejust
needed it, and when I kept on
him he said MI'm not a gwine
nothing to you with it; you
J.SrV,SSf !
take vour money to buy poison
ick Farrar"? He said he
ay the fifteen cents back. On
day morning, two weeks before
pned my baby I met Mack and
im the poison, not knowing
was going to do with it. He
and went on to bis home, and
to mine. On Tuesday tnorn
r March court Mack came to
be and asked where Aunt Jinny
nie. SMe'3 gone to carry some
I to Mr. John Farrar's. He
pe for a drink of water. I told
liere was none there, and I went
spring to get some. Time I got
r nigh back to the house, he
jrunning away. I asked him
(you running off for?" He says
Pi you again," and kep' a goin.
as about ten or eleven o'clock.
Jby was playing on the floor; it
took sick. It was knocking on
or with a little stick, had a
the stick. Child was a boy.
one month being a year old.
Ed Brown's child meaning
2d Brown was the father.
loog- befsre- it took aick . with
in-up" and then it bad spasms
Oho
and died between four and five o'clock
that : evening. It died with its
hands shut right tight together.
Now, Caroline, how do you know that
Mac Farrar poisoned your child? Well,
I'll tell you now,how come I knowed he
poisoned it. On the next Friday he
come to uncle Solomon's and called me
a time or two. Aunt Jinuy says, "Go
see what he wants." I says "I don't
reckon he wants anything" right that
a way, and then went out to see what
wanted. He says to me, "'Spose you
lost your baby." Yes. And he laugh
ed like he was mighty glad of it. He
asked me three or four times, "Do you
know what killed your baby?" I told
him I didn't know. He says "Don't
you go tell Aunt Jinny what I'm tel
ling you? I know what killed your
bahy." Aud be laughed and laughed
and said he. knowed what killed it
knowed all about it. And he told me
"If you go back and tell, I'll kill you."
And from that I knowed he give it the
poison. Here. I questioned the Wo
man closely about saying in court that
she gave Mack the spoon and helped to
mix the poison. I did not hand him
a sHXn. He asked me did I want a
dram, I told him no. Mr. Kit. Ham
let and Gerard Thomson swore that I
told them I helped mix the poison, j
They swore it on me and I couldn't ;
help myself. But I never to d them so !
and I never done it. I Didn't you tell
on the witness stand that you got some ;
water ror MacK, neipeu mix tne poison ,
in spoon, aud then went and looked
away because you didn't want to see :
the child take the poison? "No, sir," ;
she said, "I didn't," Mr. Osborne .
asked me if I was satisfied that Mack i
Farrar poisoned my baby. I told him, j
Yes, sir, I was satisfied Mack done
it." Aboutlhis part of her testi mony
I cross questioned her. It seems to be
in direct conflict with what good men
declare that she had told on the witness
stand. I asked if she had told anything
untrue in court which she now wished
to take back. She meditated awhile and
said she couldn't think of any thing
untrue she had told. She said they -
asked her so many questions, she
didn't know what all she bad said in
court, but she had told Mr. Osborne :
she knowed Mack Farrar poisoned the
child. Once or twice during the inter
view she would repeat to herself in a
whisper Uie last words of answer to my
questions. This fact with contradic
tions named above would seem to in
dicate that her mind was not clear.
When asked why .Will Davenport and
Billy Cuiinou swore that Mack worked
for them all that Tuesday when her
baby died, she answered that they were
mistaken about the day. And in mak
ing inquiries we find that several good
men think these two witnesses were
honestly mistaken about the day Mack
Farrar worked with them.
No. 4.
She added further! I started to tell . -'.
at the magistrates trial just how it was.. - t
But Mack wouldnt let me. tie says . .
"You hush up: the leasfrsaid the easiest
mended." I was afraid of Mack. Did '
Mack give you ten dollars to swear him
clear? No. The day he left here after
be came clear, he handed me ten ' dol- .
lars twice but I give it back; told -him - "
I didn't want it. He didn't offer me
ten dollars to swear him clear. -,
I THE BEST SHE COULD DO. ' V
That much of her story related lo" ,
her crime. When asked if she bad
ever done any thing real bad in ber:..v
lifei she said no.. When asked bow.. f.-.-i
many children she had ever bad she
said two the first oue died three or
four years ago at the age of sir months-.
She was a very young - mother. . That ..;
child, too, was taken with a i'th'o-in1- . .-.
np." It died from a hurt, the doctor.'
said. It was jumping in a chair and
jumped out on its face. It died bleed- ?
ing at the nose, and the doctor Cost- - .
ner, I think said it was hurt inside.
I asked if any one had ever hinted to
her . that she bad poisoned that child,' "
too. She answered no. She said that ... . -one
was Jack Davenport's child. When
asked-wby she threw herself away with ,
these men, she said it was the best she
could do. Her parents died wbenv she ' ;
was thirteen or fourteen years .old. , ,
Her folks were mean to her, and would ... '
take up her wages where she worked, ''
not allowing her-to have them. She-'-
took np with these -men because- they
would help support . her. - .With what: y. 7
they gave her and what she made, she ,.f ... u
could make out a living, 1 ' ' '
"JUST LIKE I'M TELLING ' YOTJ
! i - THAT'S THE TRTJTH ' '
' , She said she had a sister which she ;
expected to come to see her' before she
was banged. But the sister never l
came, and Caroline had already seen K ,
. her for the last time. On one of the ','
iron bar" lay a small red covered copy '
of the New Testament. "Can you
read?" I asked. "I can read a little,' V
washer answer. It was time forme
to return home.- I told her the time
was drawing near for her to die, and
insisted that she tell the truth, if she' t'
hadn't told it. She declared that just-'.r .
like she had told me "that's the way
it is that's the truth" I am readyto
go.' I am innocent of tonrdetftigmy "
Pressed my sympathy for her,aynfc tfc
baby. I am not afraid to die." 1 ex;rf r
was hard to have to die Innocent, but
it was better for her to die that way
than to die guilty. She said yes, she
was innocent and wasn't afraid to-dia. ,
, ( "yes, a couple of boxes." -; ; .
I then told her I did not. know
that I should speak with her again,and
asked if there was anything 1 could ao
for her before she left this word -anything
she wanted. She hesitated,
moment while I stood in mosfc-enri-
ous suspense, wondering what she '
would ask for. ; VYes," she said, "I'd
like to have some sardines." "Is that
all you want, just one box or- two or
three?," I said. "Well, a couple of
boxes, please," she answered. I .prom
ised to send them and asked Mr.
Campbell, who stood by, if he Would
see that the sardines were brought to
ber. I bade her good-bye and left. . .
STILL; DECLARES HER INNOCENCE. :'
The next morning just before the.
execution, I saw the open boxes on
the iron bars and I remarked that she
bad got ber sardines.- "Yes, sir,?', she
said, and I am very much obliged to ,
you." Mr.'. F. King, of the Atlap$
Journal, in the presence of myself and
one or both of the colored ministers
asked her again, if, as she knew she
had to die within two hours, she had
told the truth about the murder ot
her child. She declared that she had
told the truth, that Mack Farrar poia-.
oned her child, and that she was ready;
to die. Mr. King then asked if there
was something she wanted She want
ed two oranges and he got them for
ber. We again bade her good-bye,
and never spoke with ber again. The
same story about the death of her
child which she related to us sepa
rately and together, . she - related -and
re-affirmed on the scaffold .
a few minutes before her death. Oa ,
the scaffold she varied the story only
by adding the incident of old man Sol
omon Holland's finding the box of
poison out near his house. ,
j j GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?
That question was asked many times' :
on 1 that hangman's day. , -The jury, .
with the evidence before them, had
said she was guilty. Standing within,
a few moments of eternity the' wo
man declared she was innocent. Was
she guilty or not guilty?. Mr. Mason,;
the most active of the lawyers in ber
(lofVtii.oA wflfl of t.tiA nninion that hA
was Kuilty an accessory; but that'
BQe was a simple minded tool used by i
Mack Farrar who was the guiltier of
the two Mr. jj. F. Tipton of the Mfc.
Holly News, says that in his opinion"
sha w;ia entirely iruiltv. He la doubU '
less acquaiuted With facts of her char-,
acter and circumstances which justify
this belief, as it was in the ML Holly
vicinity ; that she lived and was
known. 1 . .
OUGHT NOT TO HAVE BEEN HANGED. '
1 For my own part, I do ' not think '
she ought to have beeu hanged. I do
not know all the circumstances; I do ,
not know mat auy one man it ae
quaiuted with all the circumstances, '
but from my knowledge of the case I
thoroughly believe that she was either
innocent or of weak and unsound
mental faculties. Both alternatives
may be true, I believe the latter it
true, that she was a weak- minded easy,,.
aud pliant tool in the hands of her par-
; amour, wnat rignt under heaven nad
- the State of North Carolina to require
' a lot of men to take this ignorant wo
' man out into an open field and clioke
j the life out of her with a big'rope?,
Was it for vengeance or far the praven
i tion of .crime? If for vengeauce tho.
Stateis wrong. If for prevention of
: crime, could not something else bare
been done with her to conserve the
: safety of society? If this woman was
guilt, she just got rid of her child be
cause it was in her way and she didn't
: want jit. That is just about the - way
the: State of North Carolina treated
Caroline Shipp, , -... -
." i " ! ". ' '
I-