Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, June 20, 1922, Page Page Six, Image 6
?Li
MURDER TRIO PAY
Kfrby, Gappins and Fox Electrocuted
Early Friday Morning.
- KIRBT RESISTED TO THE LAST
- ( 'Guppins Leaves Warning to Young
Men and Old?He and Fox Were
Calm at End?Paid for Murder of
Wi Ham Brazcll.
Obstinate, repentant, humble?these
wqrds describe the manner in which
H. jthe, "murder trio" went to their deaths
>. pb the sun peeped over lite penitentiary
walls Friday morning, relates the Columbia
Record .of Saturday morning.
Jt was fool outside, but sweat stood
on the faces of many who were at the
- - - ?,?
death house to soe me vxauuuu ui >?v
three men whose crime shocked u
.state and who sent to an untimely
grave a young Columbian, whose car
they> took and whom they killeJ, to
cover their theft. N
Kirby was obstinate. Because he
was not' allowed to make his final
ataftthicnt to the audience as he stood
at the entrance of the death audi-!
torium, he refused to submit peacer
"JliVly to the strapping Into the big;
chair, and officers were forced to
'.or
handle him with force and to deprive
hinv of the privilege of making his last
statement.
Oappins prayed as he sat in the
chair. "Stand by me, dear fjord, in
my last monunts on this earth," he
began, and then fervently lie poured
out his soul for forgiveness, and the
bind of the electrician was stayed, as
the young man prayed. (But the prayer
was finally ended whcyi the liWO volt
fin nn - *
current was sent huning through his
body.
Both Gappins and Fox warned young
men against bad company and disregard
for law. Fox was humble. "Good
morning gentlemen," he said, as he
f>n ^nffefed the dfath chamber. "I have
very little to say," he muttcre-i. "I
hold nothing against anyone. I hope
to meet the other boys in heaven."
Three ministers held services with
the men before they left their cells. At
this^morning the captain of the j
guard read the death warrant to the
At 6;12 the first man was led to
, the chair room, and within 50 minutes
the triple execution was ended.
The trio "appeared to have slept well
during the night. A light breakfast
was given the men early in the morning.
.
^There were no relatives of the men
present. None cared to witness the
j executions, but later they called at the
prison to make arrangements for disposition
of the bodies. Local undcr^
? ~ Ka llan ,#.m hllHol
UlfttlTS pitpillCM LI ? V LTWIH-O AV*
Captuin Huberts entered the death
house, with reporters, at 5:25, his mission
being to read the death warrant to
the trio. "Boys, I have a very scx'icais
letter, to read to you," the captain began,
and then he proceeded to read the
formal warrant of death, whiih declared
that they should be put to death in
the electric chair between sun-up and
'sun-down on Juno 1C, "and may God
halve* tnercy on your souls."
While the warrant was being read
1 to Pox and Gappins, whose cells adJoin,
Rev. J. C. Abney, state hospital
chaplain, and Rev. Murphy, together
i with tho prison chaplain. Rev. J. W.
Anderson, were holding a little farewell
service of prayer with Klrby, on
the opposite side of the death house,
i. The.-reporters and Captain Roberts
' stood respectfully aside until the little
"service was over, and a prayer service
' ">vtfaS then held for Fox and Gappins,
the penitentiary guard captain
read the warrant to Kirbv.
After the warrant was read to Kirby,
the captain told the doomed man that
he had a very short time to live.
- '!"! have a request to make," said
Kirby.
."What is it?" asked the captain.
"That you allow mc to go out of here
, of fluy Own accord, without being led
by a guard. Papa has gone before and
mamma has gone before me, and the
tjtht?rs will come on soon."
Captain Roberts then told Kirby how
to eut his pants leg so that the electrode
could be properly adjusted when
he reached the chair. And the doomed
man was left to himself for his l ist
~ minutes on qarth.
' At 0:07 the first witnesses were ushered
into the death chamber, and at
t>:10 tiie chair wan tested, one minute
later Kirby entered the death fliainber,
walking behind Captain Robots. In
two minutes he was strapped to the
. chair. Before bring strapped Kirby
wanted t*> make a statement, standing
before the witnesses^ but he was refused,
this being always allowtd after the
~ criminal enters the chair.
When Kirby'a right arm was strap
ped to tlie chair, his left arm being am
= gair to nervously tap the arm ol the
? big oaken chair with his fingers and
Z continued this until the two body
. straps were adjusted. He forced liirn.
self forward in the chair, making it
hard for the officers to properly adjust
the straps. He then told the officers
that the right arm was too tight, and
ifjiy^they should loosen it, making some
remarks about a peculiar feeling that
he always had iu that arm. A few mo ?
ments later he slipped his aim from
, the strap. The officers again adjusti?
ed the strap, and K'rby made a second
attempt to get his arm from the strap.
^ An assistant then forcibly held the
hand against the oaken arm of the big
c; chair.
.? Kitby repeatedly iWistcd peaceful
4 effort-- to have himself properly adj
* justed in the chair and seeing ills cfforts
to resist authority, the officers
# took the situation forcibly in hand and
*, jiercmptorily strapped him down, de**
priving him then of the pri\'.kre of
Witfl .a
i rush he was strapped tiprlit in the chair
and the current was turned on. The
'first voltage entered the body at 6:16.
The switch was held for one minute.
The body was exumined and the doctors
requested another shock. The 1900
| volts were again sent through his body |
and five minutes af^cr the li:.st shock ;
!thc leader of the murder gang was de- |
Iclared dead. It took ten amperes to'
kill Kirby.
Kirby's body was brought out and
| stretched on the table in the anteroom,
where the bodies are always
j straj>i>cd tliat the limbs may become
| straight after the effects of the electric |
shock. The witnesses were then esjcorted
to the fresh air und a new audi- j
once whs ushered in. In the little auditorium
were a half hundred faces,]
I waiting to gase for the last time on
jthe living form of young Jts.'ie Gap-I
pins.
With tears in his eyes, the young
man of the trio entered the death 1
chamber, and was strapped to the
chair, at ,6:32. Superintendent Sanders !
then "asked hint if he had a statement j
to make:
in'miriiivn, uu jwunti nun ...... ?.i?
ones too," began the young criminal, "1 i
advise to keep good company. I am
here today to die, for keeping bad
eompuny. If tlie truth were known,
and God knows it, I would not he here j
to die today. V it had bceii b ft to me,
young lirazell would have been living
today. l??t this biia warning to everyjbody.
You may not believe what I say, .
but before God it's so; Jesus knows my
heart. I know lots of faces among
you." Gapplns said, glancing round the
room. I
"Sargeant," the young man in the
chair said to "Kitty" Sargeant, the
staff photographer of The Record, "tell
all <my friends I said goodbye. I have
not had justice. Jesus died, after a
perfect life. Good-bye everybody.
Good-bye Sargeant." These were the
last words of the young man, except a
short and curnest prayer, as ne sat in
the deadly chair, and in the eyes of
even the hardest in the audience there
were big tears, *
"Stand by me, dear Lord, in my last
moments on this earth," the young:
criminal prayed; and then in a quiet
tone, for a whole minute without interference
from the executioner, who
waited as he prayed, a hand on the
switch, the young murderer poured out
his soul to God. for forgiveness. The
officers waited, but the best of earth's
J privileges must end, and the hand of
the big prison sergeant threw the
switch, and a powerful 13-ampcre,
1,900-volt current leaped through the
huge frame of the young lad.
It was two and three-quarter minutes
and Gappins was pronounced
dead.
Fox,, the inan who stabbed Brazell,
of over 200 pounds avoirdupois, dramatically
entered the death auditorium
at 6:47.
"Good morning, gentlemen," he said,
saluting the witnesses who sat in front
of him. At 6:48 he was asked if he
had a last statement.
"I have very little to say," Fox began,
"except that I want .to warn all
poor fellows out tn the world to live
right; I am sorry I got in bad compuny;
but I'm not good company. I
bear no malice for any one; I have
nothing to say against the other boys,
and I hope to meet them all in heaven."
At 6:50 the switch was thrown and
the physicians had to call for a second
shock, to make sure that the big man
was dead. In four minutes and seven
seconds the "dead" signal was given.
Three bodies were strapped to three
separate tables in the ante-chamber of
the death cell. Three lives had passed
out, in expiation of the most dastardly
crime the state has known in years. To
dishonored graves were carried three
murderers, and to the people of the
state a lesson is taught; to the young
manhood of the state is sounded a
! warning, by the clanging bell on the
penitentiary wall, a warning against
violation of law. The just and iron
hand of the law has closed, as it will
close again on him who throws the
laws of man and of God to the winds,
j South Carolina's worst drama of crime
' is ended, and to the great yonder have
j passed its actors.
When C. J. Kirby, C. O. Pox and
Jesse Gapping, the famous "murder
trio," went to the electric chair, they
I paid the penalty for the most dastardly
crime committed in the state in
' many a year, the slaying of an innocent
taxi-driver, who was murdered in
I cold blood on a lonely highway, his
| body left in the dew, his miirdi *? >
| taking his automobile with a view t<>
| its sale. For the first time in the his:
tory of the electric chair in this state,
j three white men went the electric route
J the* same day, and for the first time
I sin<u- 1!HS a white man paid the death
' penalty.
Hundreds of people wanted to see
tin- electrocution, and made application
to the penitentiary officials to be
admitted. It was thought ^liat the
I execution would take place shortly
ibefore noon, jik is usual in such eases,
j Hundreds of people were gathered at
the prison gate at 11 o'clock today, exIpoctinp
to trot some rip'.it of the doomed
men. I'.ut the prison officials had
thwarted the gaze of the morbidly curi|
ous. The electrocution v.as staged at
(i o'clock and nobody but a few officials.
newspaper men and members of
the families ot tin- doomed men know
anything about it. There was ureal
i surprise when it was announced early
j in the day that the three men had' been
sent to the other world early. The sun
had not been up long, when lie saw
I three corpses brought from the death
j house, Kirby, Fox and Cappins, and
South Carolina's sensational murder
story was'ended.
Young Hrnzell was murdered during
the night of August 7. Inst year. The
'three men engaged his car to take
them to Augusta, whence they were to
go to Florida,.to soil the* car, after thoy
DEFENDER AND CHALLENGE]
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Tlrtr. picture v.'as taken on the d
E. L.Bull, with tlic American dcfc
W. J. Daniels, with tiie English cha
completely outclassed the challenge
place in Little Neck Day.
had black-jacked the driver and loft |
him on the roadside. The yoOng driver
was black-jacked as the party travel- j
cd through Lexington county, but the
black-jack broke. Then to complete
their job they had to put the chauffeur
out of the way. Kirby devised the I
scheme of killing him. He ordered
Oappins to inflict the death wound, I
but the young man refused. Then Fox
was ordered, and lie obeyed, the knife
v..,,,,,, f'ninrn. i
Ut'lllK Jliuutu 1II vw I..*
bian's body and twiste d around se veral
times for each oi>eration. The body
was thrown in the underbrush near the
i-oad and the three men proceeded on
to Augusta. *
After leaving Augusta a short distance,
the men had tire trouble, and
stopping to get help, Klrby told of
their criminal act, and they were arrested.
The next day, August 9 Kirby
was brought back to Lexington and lie
assisted officers in finding the body
of young Bruzcll. Later he was
brought to the penitentiary, escaping
^efforts of a band of men to get him.
Fox and Gappins were held in Augusta.
A mob stormed the jail, in an
effort to get them. lAtor they were
taken to JSuvannah ancr thence in dead
of night they were smuggled to Charleston,
and several days later t still
is,.*? ivnp? hmiii'ht in Columbia, after!
a mob hud starched trains and auto,
mobiles and. guarded roadsides for
days, in an effort to get hold of tln^
two men.
All three of the men confessed to
the killing. On the witness stand in
Lexington, when they were tried last
September, they told, unflinchingly, the
horrible details of the crime, and then
on September 14, they were convicted
and sentenced to the electric chair,
October 21 being set as the date for
their execution. All three appealed,
however, and their appeals stayed their
executions. The appeals, without mcril,
were never perfected, and on motion
of Solicitor Callison in Lexington on
May 23, they were again sentenced to
j die, this time June 1(1 being set as the
I date.
And June 10 has come, and into the
eternal yonder the three men, who
brutally killed another young inan,
have passed, their livis being wiped
out by the revenging arm of the law,'
the future of their souls left to a forgiving
God.
Vain attempts have been made in
recent weeks to have the governor
j save the#lives of the prisoners. Petitions
for their commutation have
| been presented in behalf of Gappins
land Fox, these'signed by some of
the jurors who convicted tin in. Hut
PRETTIEST OF PASS/
0 ...... .
Ir . _
Miss Eliza Dana, otherwise "?
the prettiest cirl nt the Pleasant
I quoddy tribe in Maine. The tribe. g<
I IN INTERNATIONAL RACE. y
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ock at Bayflide, L. I. On the left 13
ndcr, l'olka Dot, and on the right
llengcr, Endeavor. The Polka Dot
r in their fir^t contest, which took
4
\
to alt these tliu governor turned a
deaC ear, and the justice of the law
was maintained, and a crime that
shocked a commonwealth was respited. '
1
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GENERAL NEWS NOTES.
Items of Interest Gathered hrom Mil
Over the World.
? Sandusky, <)., June 15.?Mrs. 15. V.
Calmer, chairman of civics committee
<if Federation of Women's, clubs, served
as a juror several weeks. Monday
she appeared before the .county commissioners
and ask<d that rocking
chairs be provided women jurors and
that cuspidors used by male jurors be
kept in sanitary condition. ,
? Flagstaff, Ariz., June 15.?jObservations
of the planet Mars in progress
at the Lowell observatory here for
months, will reach a climax Saturday
night when Mars passes through the
point in its orbit directly in line with
the sun and tlie earth and June 18
11 ,..;i! i,,, i,, the earth bv
several million miles than at any timesince
l'JUD. \
? Washington, June 15.?Dispute over
a quart of, whisky tvas said to have
started the riot on a steamer plying
between Washington and a Potomac
river resort last night in which 400
excursions ts took pa^t and one man
was killed and a score injured, one
probably fatally, before the disorder
(ended when one of the contending
factions left the vessel at Alexandria,
| Va. 'Top" bottles.,and knives inflictI
ed most of llic injuries. A number of
arrests were made by police who met
I the steamer on its return here and
also at Alexandria. .
? Washington, June' 15.?Andrew
Durhin, son of William Durhin, ehuir|
man of the Ohio State ISksnocratic
committee was indicted today by a
I Distriet of Columbia grand Jury on
j charges of having obtained money
I under fa 1st- prctynses through tl>c [
| passing of worthless c hecks. Durhin]
has been in jail here since his arrest
'several weeks ago. When arrested lie
, had just left the office of Senator
Watson of Georgia, who later in the
'senate accused the department of
| Justice of endeavoring to 1'frnme" the
! young man heeatise he luid furnished
| information to a senator with respect
to acts of the Attorney Gone ml.
? Chicago, June 1-i.?"Duster," a
bulldog described by Alexius Dampe,
as a "large, awe-inspiring. civil-look ing
beast," successfully pleaded' his
i own ease in municipal court today.
1 Dampe told how the dog attacked him
c
^MAQUODDY TRIBE.
^ ^ ^ ^ - ; ' '. - . . - ^ I
lllss Passamaquoddv." Is thl)J w oo
Point reservation of the PoawtDa
bos West this summer for a tour.
and nsktd $1,000 for repairs. Then"'
Someone whistled. "Buster" hopped
CiT a chair, waddled to the witness
tipx, sniffed Lampe's trnuscr.', wagged '
a Iriendly t<ii 1 at the bailiffs, rubbed
against the Judge's leg and then
hopped back on Ills chair. In a few
toijnutcsf catnc the verdict, "discharged."
? Athens, Ala., June 13.?The Limestone
county graml jury today began
inquiry into the cases of Hussell Mai- |
loy and Oakley Kcnncmer, charged j
with an attack upon a Florence, Alabama,
girl while she was attending a
church convention here Sunday. The
girl, whose age was given ,'is 15, and
her father appeared before the grand
jury as witnesses. Following an automobile
ride with the men, the young
"""" i" lolil i-onveiit ion officials and
oounty authorities that she hail been
Attacked and held n virtual prisoner in
the woods for several hours. Malloy
was a delegate to the convention from
Woodlatvn and Kennemer was his host.
One hundred new missionaries
have been sent out to Japan, China,
the Philippines, Alaska and other
fields, by the Protestant Episcopal
church during the Inst year.
IIIMIIIIiliUllllllllllllllllIIIIIilHIIIIIIIIIIIll
| CATHOLIC BOOKS |
Ej SENT FREE ON APPLICATION. =
= GET YOUlt INFORMATION
5 FIRST HAND.
5 QUESTIONS ANSWERED I3Y 5
5 MAIL.
= WRITE TO
| REV. W. A. TOBIN
Saint Anne's Church
ROCK HILL, S. C.
ifiiiiisiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiifHT
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
Dr. C. L. WOOTEN
-DENTISTOFFICE
OVER THE POSTOFFICE
Telephones: Offioe, 128; Residence, 53
5 CLOVER, - - S. Cv
71 t. t. 6m
*
J. 25. U-fctlUHi
Attorney At Law.
Prompt Attention to all Legni
Business of Whatercr Nature.
Office on Main Street in the Moore
Building, First Floor, formerly occupied
by S. E. Spencer.
J. A. Marion W. G. Finley
MARION AND FINLEY
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Office opposite the Courthouse.
Pkone 126. YORK.S. C.
; YORK FURNITURE CO.
Undertakers ? Embalmers
YORK, - - 8. C.
in All Its Branches?Motor Equipment
. Prompt Service Day or Nlfcht In
Town or Country.
' JOHN R. HART
ATTORNEY AND GOUN8ELLOF
AT LAW.
1 ? ' - ? * " All
[Prompt and oarorui mienv -n 10
Business Undertaken.
, Telephone No. 69. YORK. 8. C
7(1 f.t 11
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Deer forests of Scotland provide
wealthy owners with sport during a
few weeks in the year. The greater
part of this land could be profitably
farmed. The total area of those forests
is J,:?S5 acres. The slums of
ISdinburich and Glasgow become nvre
congested and the emigration lists
from Scotland increase us the deer
forests grow In extent.
ji Y0RKV1LLE COTTi
ij FIRST CL/
OUR HOLLER Mil
j! condition and in charge <
j | business, has been throi
11 ing, and we arc
||| GIVING A SATIS]
IFIEST CLASS FL<
WHEAT.
OUK PATUONS tvtto
got bettor satisfactio]
where. Ihing us vour
YORKVILLE COTTi
I UNDERWOOD
M.
We have made arra
? writer Emporium, (Shi]
? Chicago, for the sale of
if Typewriters in this t(
j? Ward Mfg. Co., speciali
|$ wood machines, devotiuj
I? cago to this wbyk alone
? years they have rebuilt i
& sands of Underwood T
% which is sold under an ir
|| every way equal to NEV
| antee. Every machine
machine, in cither No. 4
X 4 carries 7(> characters u
X acters. Both have 10 im
|
| We will sell you eithc
| stallments as you prefc
for $77.50 and the No. <
M '
? press charges. The in
| ments is $3.00 cash, and
| If you prefer to pay <
| is 10 per cent less than
X plus the express charge
?
| The Shipman-Ward
1* sponsible references as
? buyer on installments.
X v . *
X We will be pleased t<
y formation you might des
L. M. GRIST'S ?
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[ERE IT I
rEVER YOU V
IF you're lookir
I you have somet
results surely ar
WANT ADS.
THERE ARE III
waiting to make
/ and many of the
whom you want l<
f THE WANT AD
itable fairy god-m
time or other, so
j? / Opportunity.
I
| The Yc
A
t
! t Tin* removal from the south of
Franco of the famous fourteenth century
(lolhlc ruin of the Oratory of
J {olio Croix, at Villcneuve, is being
I protested l>y French archeologista. The
ruin consists of one pointed .arch and
a few scattered stones. It was purchaaed
by an American antiquary in
i 1!)1S for a large sum.
)N OIL COMPANY ||
\SS FLOUR 11
jIj, always kept in pood j;
of a Miller who knows his ! |
iplt a complete overhaul- | |
n * ?mrt-r?TT trj*iT rv?Am % ,
ff'AU'lUltl I 1 ill JUjL/ KJ? j|
OUR FROM GOOD
tify that they arc unAblc j|
it than we give them any- j j
wheat. j!
ON OIL COMPANY jj
,?
TYPEWRITERS f
iiigemcnts with the Type- |
pmari-Ward Mfg. Co.), of |
their Rebuilt Underwood J"
jrritory. The Shipman- f
zes 011 rebuilding Under- $
g a large building in Chi- $
. During the past dozen !;
tnd sold hundreds of thou- &
ypewriters, evciy one of ?
on-clad guarantee to be in %
ff with a Five-Year Guaroffered
is an ^p-to-date &
or No. 5 Mpdelsf-the No. X
md the No. 5" has 84 char- X
ch carriages. v
>r model for Cash or on in- $
i*. The Model No. 4 sells $
5 for $83.50?plus the ex- $
itial payment on install- '?
$5.00 per month. ^
cash on delivery, the price |
L 111C lllKiaillUClll pnvco? ^
Mfg. Co., requires two re- |
to responsibility of the J
I
> give you any further in
are. See or address? 5;
JONS, YORK, S. C. |
Y
W%%H*MAM*,V'rA'\nrrr#"rr?"rT r \ *
'KtCKilM^iC'KJC'KiC'K
S! I
VANT!
ig for a "job," or if jj
hing to sell?to get.
id quickly, use the r
HXDREDS of people just C
an exchange of some sort, J
in are just Hie ones with ?
> get in touch. J
S MAY 10 PROVEN a ver- C
oilier to most folks .it some f
avail yourself of the same f
I
trkville Enquirer .
I
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