eursionists wanted to lynch Evans but he was placed on a boxcar and _
taken to the Tangipohoa Parish jail at Amite where he was chagged
with the murder. Convicted in January, 1878, he was sentenced to
hang and the conviction was not appealed, At 12 o'clock noon on May
10, 1878, he was hanged from a scaffold erected just behind the
Parish Prison facing west in the presence of 2,000 witnesses, At his
request, his funeral services were conducted from the scaffold before
the execution in the presence of the witnesses, and he sat on the
platform, impassively chewing tobacco, Afterwards, hemade a brief
speech during the course of which he faced Dr, Bowen in the crowd
and admitted killing his son with no provocation and saying that his
punishment was just. His courage remained with him until after he
had been bound and the noose and black cap placed over his: head when
he began trembling violently and was heard to pkteously moan just
| before the trap was sprung: "Oh, Lord Jesus, have mercy on meg" He
was pronounced dead in 25 minutes and taken immediately to a cemetery
two miles from tawn where he was interred,
NEW ORLEANS DAILY PICAYUNE, 510-1878 and 5-11-1878,
NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE, May 18, 1878, Page 11, Colum 1.
| cursionists wanted to lynch Evans but he was placed on a boxcar and |
taken to the Tangipohoa Parish jail at Amite where he was chagged
with the murder. Convicted in January, 1878, he was sentenced to
hang and the conviction was not appealed. At 12 o'clock noon on May
10, 1878, he was hanged from a scaffold erected just behind the
Parish Prison facing west in the presence of 2,000 witnesses. At his
request, his funeral services were conducted from the scaffold before
the execution in the presence of the witnesses, and he sat on the
platform, impassively chewing tobacco, Afterwards, hemade a brief
speech during the course of which he faced Dr, Bowen in the crowd
and admitted killing his son with no provocation and saying that his
punishment was just. His courage remained with him until after he
had been bound and the noose and black cap placed over his head when
he began trembling violently and was heard to p&teously moan just
before the trap was sprung: "Oh, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me," He
was pronounced dead in 25 minutes and taken immediately to a cemetery
two miles from tawn where he was interred.
NEW ORLEANS DAILY PICAYUNE, 510-1878 and 5-11-1878,
NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE, May 18, 1878, Page 11, Column 1,
| cursionists wanted to lynch Evans but he was placed on a boxcar and
taken to the Tangipohoa Parish jail at Amite where he was chagged
with the mrder, Convicted in January, 1878, he was sentenced to
hang and the conviction was not appealed, At 12 o'clock noon on May
10, 1878, he was hanged from a scaffold erected just behind the
Parish Prison facing west in the presence of 2,000 witnesses. At his
request, his funeral services were conducted from the scaffold before
the execution in the presence of the witnesses, and he sat on the
platform, impassively chewing tobacco, Afterwards, hemade a brief
speech during the course of which he faced Dr, Bowen in the crowd
and admitted killing his son with no provocation and saying that his
punishment was just, His courage remained with him until after he
had been bound and the noose and black cap placed over his: head when
he began trenbling violently and was heard to piteously moan just
before the trap was sprung: "Oh, Lord Jesus, have mercy on mes" He
was pronounced dead in 25 minutes and taken immediately to a cemetery
two miles from tewn where he was interred.
NEW ORLEANS DAILY PICAYUNE, 5=10-1878 and 5-11-1878,
NADIONAL POLICE GAZBITE, May 18, 1878, Page 11, Column 1,
ate a SiS ete
" gvANS, Isaiah on eS a
oo I= /0-/o Us
Evans, a 23-year-old black man, was born into slavery. in Choctaw Co,,
Alaey the property of a man named Evans, After the conclusion of the
Civil War, he moved to Crystal Springs, Miss., where he worked as a
laborer both on farms and on the railroad. Gnerally considered a
peaceable man, he became unruly when drinking and on separate occa=
sions had seriously wounded four men in arguments, three by stabbing
and one by shooting. However, as all of these men had recovered and
there were extennating circumstances in each affray, he was prosecuted
in none of them. On the morning of July 25, 187%, he joined an exeur-
sion party on a train trip from Crystal Springs to Manchac, Tangipohoa
Parish, La. Prior to leaving Crystal Springs, he began drinking and
consumed more whisky at each stop made by the train, When it reached
Manchac, he spent the day drinking and by that evening was intoxicated
He and a group of other black men were dancing on a platform and Evans
became rowdy, He took a dislike to a young whitk man, Edward Bowen,
the son of a Brookhaven, Miss., pliysician who had also come on the
trip and picked a quarrel with him during the course of which Evans
drew a pistol and bhot Bowen through the head, killing him instantly,
le passed his pistol to another black man and then, when accused of
the killing, said that he was unarmed and that Bowen had shot him
self accidentally when he tried to shoot Evans. A number of the ex-
JS fO-S$S FF
Evans, a 23-year-old black man, was born into slavery. in Choctaw Co, 5
Alae, the property of a man named Evans, After the conclusion of the
Civil War, he moved to Crystal Springs, Miss., where he worked as a
laborer both on farms and on the railroad. Gnerally considered a
peaceable man, he became unruly when drinking and on separate occa=
sions had seriously wounded four men in arguments, three by stabbing
and one by shooting. However, as all of these men had recovered and
there were extennating circumstances in each affray, he was prosecuted
in none of them. On the morning of July 25, 1879, he joined an exeur=
sion party on a train trip from Crystal Springs to Manchac, Tangipohoa
Parish, Lae Prior to leaving Crystal Springs, he began drinking and
consumed more whisky at each stop made by the train, When it reached
Manchac, he spent the day drinking and by that evening was intoxicated,
He and a group of other black men were dancing on a platform and Evans
became rowdy. He took a dislike to a young whith man, Edward Bowen,
the son of a Brookhaven, Miss., pltiysician who had also come on the
trip and picked a quarrel with him during the course of which Evans
drew a pistol and bhot Bowen through the head, killing him instantly,
He passed his pistol to another black man and then, when accused of
the killing, said that he was unarmed and that Bowen had shot him
self accidentally when he tried to shoot Evans. A number of the ex-
J=/O-/7E 78
Evans, a 23-year-old black man, was born into slavery. in Choctaw Co.»
Ala., the property of a man named Evans, After the conclusion of the
Civil War, he moved to Crystal Springs, Miss,, where he worked as a
laborer both on farms and on the railroad, Gnerally considered a
peaceable man, he became unruly when drinking and on separate occa=
sions had seriously wounded four men in arguments, three by stabbing|
and one by shooting. However, as all of these men had recovered and
there were extennating circumstances in each affray, he was prosecuted
in none of them. On the morning of July 25, 187%, he joined an exeur-
sion party on a train trip from Crystal Springs to Manchac, Tangipohoa
Parish, La, Prior to leaving Crystal Springs, he began drinking and
consumed more whisky at each stop made by the train, When it reached
Manchac, he spent the day drinking and by that evening was intoxicated,
He and a group of other black men were dancing on a platform and Evans
became rowdy. He took a dislike to a young whith man, Edward Bowen,
the son of a Brookhaven, Miss., plysician who had also come on the
trip and picked a quarrel with him during the course of which Evans
drew a pistol and bhot Bowen through the head, killing him instantly,
He passed his pistol to another black man and then, when accused of
the killing, said that he was unarmed and that Bowen had shot hin
self accidentally when he tried to shoot Evans. A number of the ex-
12rd Na ay a
Tyr i
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