an escape attempt. She was placed under arrest and he was confined to |
his cell after which he seemed to sink in spirits and realize the hope-
lessnessof his pondition, On November 22 he dictated &o another pri-
soner a letter to his family in which he acknowledged that he had
committed the crime and asked their forgiveness as well as that of
the other members of the Crowdersville Church to which he had belonged
for three years. On April 23, 1877, a dreary and raining day, he was
hanged behind an enclosure at the southwest corner of the jail build-
ing near the basement door in Towsonton before 200 witnesses wo had
obtained admittance by tickets, That morning he had eaten a breakfast
consisting of two boiled eggs, sausage, bread and butter and coffee
and seemed in good spirits until ten minutes before he was to leave
his cell when he momentarily broke down and it was feared that he
would have to be carried to she scaffold, However, he regained his
composure and the only other emotion he showed was when the Sheriff
entered his cell with his shroud and black cap and he cried for mer~
cy. While standing on the scaffold, he asked if another prisoner who
was serving an eight month sentence for attempted rape was
present and when the man answered, Hawkins said: "I've been a warning
to you, Dopsey." After being assured that his uncle was present to
lei his bee, for burial, he spoke his last words: "Goodbye, Goodbye"
and the trap fell, The knot slipped behind his neck and he died of
strangulation, BALTIMORE SUN, 11-23 and Ll-2)-1877
an escape attempt. She was placed under arrest and he was confined to |
his cell after which he seemed to sink in spirits and realize the hope-
lessnessof his pondition, On November 22 he dictated So another pri-
soner a letter to his family in which he acknowledged that he had
committed the crime and asked their forgiveness as well as that of
the other members of the Crowdersville Church to which he had belonged
for three years, On April 23, 1877, a dreary and raining day, he was
hanged behind an enclosure at the southwest corner of the jail build-
ing near the basement door in Towsonton before 200 witnesses wo had
obtained admittance by tickets, That morning he had eaten a breakfast
consisting of two boiled eggs, sausage, bread and butter and coffee
and seemed in good spirits until ten minutes before he was to leave
his cell when he momentarily bpoke down and it was feared that he
would have to be carried to the scaffold, However, he regained his
composure and the only other emotion he showed was when the Sheriff
entered his cell with his shroud and black cap and he cried for mer-
cye While standing on the scaffold, he asked if another prisoner who
was serving an eight month BHXXHHEX sentence for attempted rape was
present and when the man answered, Hawkins said: "I've been a warning
to you, Dopsey." After being assured that his uncle was resent to
claim his body for burial, he spoke his last words: "Goodbye, Goodbye"
and the trap fell. The knot slipped behind his neck and he died of
strangulation, BALTIMORE SUN, 11-23 and 11-2);-1877
an escape attempt, She was placed under arrest and he was confined to |
his cell after which he seemed to sink in spirits and realize the hope-
lessnessof his pondition, On November 22 he dictated to another pri-
soner a letter to his family in which he acknowledged that he had
committed the crime and asked their forgiveness as well as that of
the other members of the Crowdersville Church to which he had belonged
for three years. On April 23, 1877, a dreary and raining day, he was
hanged behind an enclosure at the southwest corner of the jail build
ing near the basement. door in Towsonton before 200 witnesses sho had
obtained admittance by tickets, That morning he had eaten a breakfast
consisting of two boiled eggs, sausage, bread and butter and coffee
and seemed in good spirits until ten minutes before he was to leave
his cell when he momentarily booke down and it was feared that he
would have to be carried to the scaffold, However, he regained him
composure and the only other emotion he showed was when the Sheriff
entered his cell with his shroud and black cap and he eried for mer~
cys While standing on the scaffold, he asked if another prisoner who
was serving an eight month (#IXMIQH sentence for attemted rape was
present and whén the man answered, Havkins said: "I've eee a ae
01 a Af g assured that his uncle was present to
$e fen DOPE ron burkals he gpoke his last words: "Goodbye, Goode”
and the trap fell, The knot slipped behind his neck and he died of
strangulation, BALTIMORE SUN, 11-23 and ‘11-2h-1877
HAWKINS, James Rosebury (''Rosett)
lawkins, a 19-year-old black man, Lived with his parents on a farm in
the thirteenth district of Baltimore County, Md, Around ):30 on the
afternoon of April 25, 1877, he encounterted a 13-year-old orphaned
white girl (Ida Schaeffer), who was walking to the home of her uncle
near the relay house of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from school,
as she passed a wooded tract, Hawkins approached her and when the
girl ran, he chased her down and dragged her into the woods where he
choked her into unconsciousness, tore the clothes from her body and
raped her, When she recovered consciousness, she was practically
strangled to death from her neck having been tightly bound to a sapling
by a leather s trap and was nearly blinded from his having spit tobacco
juice into her eyes, She managed to free herself and staggered to her
uncle's house about one-half mile away where she told of KHAK the
attack, Hawkins was arrested shortly afterwards and protested his
innocence even though the girl positively identified him, A lynching
was narrowly averted by the officers and a change of venue was granted
to Howard County where he was convicted on September 27, Folhowing
his conviction, he was returned to the Baltimore County Jail at Tove
sonton to await his execution, lis spirits were good and he was
allowed the run of the jail corridors until the afternoon of April 19
when his sister, Elizabeth, sought to smuggle him a hatchet to use in
HAWKINS, James Rosebury (‘Roset!)
Hawkins, a 19-year-old black man, lived with his parents on a farm in
the thirteenth district of Baltimore County, Md. Around ):30 on the
afternoon of April 25, 1877, he encountered a 13-year-old orphaned
white girl (Ida Schaeffer), who was walking to the home of her uncle
near the relay house of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from school,
as she passed a wooded tract, Hawkins approached her and when the
girl ran, he chased her down and dragged her into the woods where he
choked her into unconsciousness, tore the clothes from her body and
raped her, When she recovered consciousness, she was practically
strangled to death from her neck having been tightly bound to a sapling
by a leather s trap and was nearly blinded from his having spit tobacco
juice into her eyes. She managed to free herself and staggered to her
uncle's house about one-half mile away where she told of KHAK the
attack, Hawkins was arrested shortly afterwards and protested his
innocence even though the girl positively identified him, A lynching
was narrowly averted by the officers and a change of venue was granted
to Howard County where he was convicted on September 27. Folbowing
his conviction, he was returned to the Baltimore County Jail at Towe
sonton to await his execution, His spirits were good and he was
allowed the run of the jail corridors until the afternoon of April 19
when his sister, Elizabeth, sought to smuggle him a hatchet to use in
HAVKINS, James Rosebury ("Rose")
Hawkins, a 19-year-old black man, lived with his parents on a farm in
the thirteenth district of Baltimore County, Md. Around 1:30 on the
afternoon of April 25, 1877, he encountered a 13syear-old orphaned
white girl (Ida Schaeffer), who was walking to the home of her uncle
near the relay house of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Soh,
as she passed a wooded tract, Hawkins approached her and when
girl ran, he chased her down and dragged her into the woods ee ine
choked her into unconsciousness, tore the clothes from her body and
raped her, When she recovered consciousness, she was practically
strangled to death from her neck having been tightly bound to a sapling
by a leather s trap and was nearly blinded from his having spit tobacco
Juice into her eyes. She managed to free herself and staggered to her
uncle's house about one-half mile away where she told of KKXK the
attack, Hawkins was arrested shortly afterwards and protested his
innocence even though the girl positively identified him, A lynching
was narrowly averted by the officers and a change of venue was granted
to Howard County where he was convicted on Sentember 27, Folaowing
his conviction, he was returned to the Baltinore comir ga at Tove
sonton to await. h: uttons spirits were goo as.
allowed ielemtarcae jail corridors mit the aftomecn of April 19
n his sister, Elizabeth, sought to smggle him a hatchet to use in
Sete stale
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