John Smith, 1875 July 30

out emotion , He was hanged on a scaffold of the Jone's patent which
jerked him upwards and he ceased struggling forty MAKWKEE seconds,

THE CONSTITUTIONALISE, Augusta, Ga., July 31, 1875.

out emotion , He was hanged on a scaffold of the Jone's patent which
jerked him upwards and he ceased struggling forty MAKHKEX seconds,

THE CONSTITUTIONALIS#, Augusta, Ga., July 31, 1875.

out emotion. He was hanged on a scaffold af the Jone's patent which
jerked him upwards and he ceased struggling forty KXMMKEX seconds,

THE CONSTITUTIONALISE, Augusta, Ga,, July 31, 1875,

SMITH, John
| July 30, 1875

Smith, a 20-year-old black man, and his friend, Joe Gibbes, also
black, both lived on the Sea Islands off the coast of Charleston,

Se Ce, and worked on a sloop, On the evening of Feb, 2), 1875, they
want to the store owned by James Geraty, a respected white man, and
ordered some groceries and whisky. While Mr, Geraty was bent over
drawing the whiskey, Smith attacked and bludgeoned him tnconscious
after which they ransacked the store taking money and other valubbles,
Geraty lived long enough to identify both men and they were both /
arrested the next day, Each made a confession in which he sought ‘to
blame the actual killing on his companion, They were tried before an
all-black jury which convicted both of them and sentenced them to die
without leaving the jury box, After their conviction, both professed
religion, but each continued to blame the other for the actual murder,
On the day before their scheduled execution, the black Lieutenant
Governor of South Carolina, acting for the Governor who was out of
the state, commuted Gibbes' sentence to 20 years imprisonment but he
refused to intervene in the case of Smith, and he was hanged in the

jail yard at Charleston on July 30, 1875, in the presenceof 3,000
persons, all male and mostly blacks from the Sea Islands, The day be&
fore his death, Smith admitted to a reporter that he had been the

actual killer of Mr, Geraty and he went to his death calmly and with-

iS al
Seve ae July 30, 1875
Smith, a 20-year-old black man, and his friend, Joe Gibbes, also
black, both lived on the Sea Islands off the coast of Charleston,
Se Ce, and worked on a sloop, On the evening of Feb. 2), 1875, they
went to the store owned by James Geraty, a respected white man, and
ordered some groceries and whisky. While Mr, Geraty was bent over
drawing the whiskey, Smith attacked and bludgeoned him tnconscious
after which they ransacked the store taking money and other valuables,
Geraty lived long enough to identify both men and they were both /
arrested the next day. Each made a confession in which he sought ‘to
blame the actual killing on his companion, They were tried before an
all-black jury which convicted both of them and sentenced them to die
without leaving the jury box, After their conviction, both professed
religion, but each continued to blame the other for the actual mrder.
On the day before their scheduled execution, the black Lieutenant
Governor of South Carolina, acting for the Governor who was out of
the state, commuted Gibbes' sentence to 20 years imprisonment but he
refused to intervene in the case of Smith, and he was hanged in the
jail yard at Charleston on July 30, 1875, in the presenceof 3,000
persons, all male and mostly blacks from the Sea nejigneey The day be&
fore his death, Smith admitted to a reporter that he had been the

actual killer of Mr, Geraty and he went to his death calmly and with-

SMITH, John ane to, aw
Smith, a 20-year-old black man, and his friend, Joe Gibbes, also
black, both lived on the Sea Islands off the coast of Charleston,
Se Ce, and worked on a sloop, On the evening of Feb. 2, 1875, they
want to the store owned by James Geraty, a respected white man, and
ordered some groceries and whisky. While Mr, Geraty was bent over
drawing the whiskey, Smith attacked and bludgeoned him tnconscious
after which they ransacked the store taking money and other valubbles,
Geraty lived long enough to identify both men and they were both
arrested the next day. Each made a confession in which he sought ‘to
blame the actual killing on his companion, They were tried before an
all-black jury which convicted both of them and sentenced them to die
without leaving the jury box, After their conviction, both professed
religion, but each continued to blame the other for the actual murder,
On the day before their scheduled execution, the black Lieutenant
Governor of South Carolina, acting for the Governor who was out of
the state, commuted Gibbes' sentence to 20 years imprisonment but he
refused to intervene in the case of Smith, and he was hanged in Om
Jail yard at Charleston on sety 2 }, 1875, in the presenceof 3,00

al and mostly blacks from’the Sea Islands, The vey bef
Pore hig death, Smith admitted to a reporter that he had’ been t
actual killer of Mr, Geraty and he went to his death calmly and sath

2 1S

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