Harangue from Scaffold

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 22 April 1935, Page 7

Harangue from Scaffold

Condemned Man’s Outburst Against Woman SHOCKING SCENE IN KENTUCKY (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright). NEW YORK, April 19. An instance of the shocking manner in which American justice is often administered is reported from Smithland, Kentucky, where, after he had harangued for 45 minutes 1500 citizens of Western Kentucky who had gathered to see him die, William Ds boe, aged 23, was hanged to-day in the courthouse yard for attacking the wife of a shopkeeper during a robbery. Deboe on the scaffold denounced Mrs Marjorie Johnson, the woman he was accused of attacking, as a “coldblooded murderer owing to her activities as chief witness for the prosecution.

Nine separate times the doomed shook his manacled hands at Mrs Johnson, whose whereabouts in the crowd had been indicated to him, and he denounced her loudly. “AVhy don’t you speak;’ are you satisfied to stand there and say nothing and see me die?” he demanded. “You should be here in my place.” . The woman’s face remained expressionless until. Deboe in a final outburst yelled, “If I had had 500 dollars I would not be on this scaffold; she would have taken the money and said nothing 1” The woman shrieked: “Not if you had offered me a thousand dollars!” A third of the crowd were women. Deboe in his rambling speech criticised them for being present. He also denounced Randolph Johnson, the woman’s husband, and the State’s attorney, Mr Lisinby, as parties to a “terrible miscarriage of justice.” Deboe then went to his death calmly. Deboe’s father and sister, _ aged 19, saw the hanging.