argument and killed her; that he was a participant in a $20,000
Louisiana bank robbery and had murdered one of his accomplices, also
black, because he feared the man was going to turn him in; and that he
had-murdered a Mexican in a Beaumont, Texas, bebbery for which he was
held as a suspect for 21 days before being released, There was no
appeal and no clemency and he was electrocuted at Menard om Dec. 22,
1933. After he had been seated in the chair, he-requested that his
sister in Laurel, Misse, be notified of his death and provided the
warden with her name and address, It was subsequently learned from
the Beaumont police that the Mexican he had said that he. had killed
had recovered from his wounds and that the reason Gray was held in
jail there for 21 days fias for riding the rails,
CENTRALIA, Ill., EVENING SENTINEL, 11-13-1933; 11-23-1923; 11-25-1933;
12-21-1933 and 12-22-1923
argument and killed her; that he was a participant in a $20,000
Louisiana bank robbery and had murdered one of his accomplices, also
black, because he feared the man was going to turn him in; and that he
had-murdered a Mexican in a Beaumont, Texas, bobbery for which he was
held as a suspect for 21 days before being released. There was no
appeal and no clemency and he was electrocuted at Menard om Dec, 22,
1933, After he had been seated in the chair, he-requested that his
sister in Laurel, Misse, be notified of his death and provided the
warden with her name and address. It was subsequently learned from
the Beaumont police that the Mexican he-had said that he had killed
had recovered from his wounds and that the reason Gray was held in
jail there for 21 days fias for riding the rails,
CENTRALIA, Ill., EVENING SENTINEL, 11-13-1933; 11-23-1923; 11-25-1933;
L2-21-19 33 and 12-22-1933
argument and killed her; that he was a participant in a $20,000
Louisiana bank robbery and had murdered one of his accomplices, also
black, because he feared the man was going to turn him in; and that he
had-murdered a Mexican in a Beaumont, Texas, bobbery for which he was
held as a suspect for 21 days before being released, There was no
appeal and no clemency and he was electrocuted at Menard on Dec. 22,
1933, After he had been seated in the chair, he requested that his
sister in Laurel, Miss., be notified of his death and proyided the
warden with her name and address, It was subsequently learned from
the Beaumont police that the Mexican he-had said that he had killed
had recovered from his wounds and that the reason Gray was held in
jail there for 21 days fas for riding the rails,
CENTRALIA, Ill,, EVENING SENTINEL, 11-13-1933; 11-23-1923; 11-25-19335
12-21-1933 and 12-22-1923
grey i a eB, e198; MoADN8) 895
GRAY, Martin
Gray, alias Ed Brumfield, a 28-year-cld native of McComb, Miss., who,
by his own confession, had been bigamously married four times, tra-
veled over the United States by hopping rides on freight trains, work-
ing asa laborer occassionally, but generally existing through bur-
glaries and robberies, In the early part of 1933 he arrived in Cen-
tralia, Ill., where he obtained room and board in the home of Mrs,
Susie Gregory, a 5l-year-cld black widow, Early on the afternoon of
July 12, 1933, he attacked Mrs, Gray in her home and stabbed her re-
peatedly with a knife. The woman ran into her front yard, collapsed
and was taken to HX a Centralia hospital where she died a short time
later. Gray fled from the house wut was taken into custedy that
afternoon, After he had been in jail for 45 days, he confessed and
said that he had been hired by Mrs. Gregory's daughter to kill her
and promised one-half the proceeds of an $1100 life insurance policy
and the daughter was also arrested. At his trial, Gray pleaded guil-
ty and two days later the daughter was acquitted of any comlicity
in the mbder, Gray was then sentenced to die and transported te
Menard Prison, After he arrived there he admitted that he had mur-
dered an unnamed black man at Chicago Heights in 1923 in a $300 _
robbery; that he and a black woman had set fire to a lumber yard in
Quitman, Miss., and that he had subsequently cut her throat in an
GRAY, Martin
Gray, alias Ed Brumfield, a 28-year-cld native of McComb, Miss., who,
by his own confession, had been bigamously married four times, tra-
veled over the United States by hepping rides on freight trains, work-
ing asa laborer occassionally, but generally existing through bur-
glaries and robberies. In the early part of 1933 he arrived in Cen-
tralia, Ill., where he obtained room and board in the home of Mrs,
Susie Gregory, a 5l-year-cld black widow, Early on the afternoon of
July 12, 1933, he attacked Mrs, Gray in her home and stabbed her re-
peatedly with a knife. The woman ran into her front yard, collapsed
and was taken to HA a Centralia hospital where she died a short time
latere Gray fled from the house gut was taken into custedy that
afternoon, After he had been in jail for 5 days, he confessed and
said that he had been hired by Mrs, Gregory's daughter to kill her
and promised one-half the proceeds of an $1100 life insurance policy
and the daughter was also arrested. At his trial, Gray pleaded guil-
ty and two days later the daughter was acquitted of any comlicity
in the mbder, Gray was then sentenced to die and transported to
Menard Prison, After he arrived there he admitted that he had mur-
dered an unnamed black man at Chicago Heights in 1923 in a i
robbery; that he and a black woman had set fire to a lumber yard in
Quitman, Miss., and that he had subsequently cut her threat in an
GRAY, Martin
Gray, alias Hd Brumfield, 2 28-year-cld native of McComb, Miss., who,
by his own confession, had been bigamously married four times, tra-
veled over the United States by hopping rides on freight trains, work-
ing asa laborer occassionally, but generally existing through bur-
glaries and robberies, In the early part of 1933 he arrived in Cen-
tralia, Ill, where he obtained room and board in the home of Mrs,
Susie Gregory, a 51-year-old black widow, Early on the afternoon of
July 12, 1933, he attacked Mrs, Gray in her home and stabbed her re-
peatedly with a knife. The woman ran into her front yard, collapsed
and was taken to KX a Centralia hospital where she died a short time
later. Gray fled from the house wut was taken into custedy that
afternoon, After he had been in jail for 5 days, he confessed and
said that he had been hired by Mrs, Gregory's daughter to kill her
and promised one-half the proceeds of an $1100 life insurance policy
and the daughter was also arrested. At his trial, Gray pleaded guil-
ty and two days later the daughter was acquitted of any complicity
der. Gray was then sentenced to die and transported to
coe Prison, After he arrived there he admitted that he had mur-
dered an unnamed black man at Chicago Heights in 1925 in
robbery; that he and a black woman @ fire toa lumber yard in
Quitman, Miss., and that he had rae cut her throat in an
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