Hanged Them
January 9, 1897
Summary
A detailed description of the hanging in Norfolk of two “colored” men for murdering black victims.
Transcription
Norfolk, Va., January 5, 1896
A pall hung over this city last evening and today, and there was hardly a person who was not affected by the knowledge that [two] human beings were to be launched into eternity during the morning hours
[Anyone] in the neighborhood of the grim-looking jail building could hear the chanting and hymns all through the solemn hours of the night, ending only at 1230, when the doomed men sought rest in slumber.
The Songs of Zion
The scene was affecting as the thirteen inmates of the jail gave vent to religious feeling. The men in the cells knew that it was for them the last night on earth, and they called on the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his divine guidance.
The exhibition was too much for the tender-hearted Jailer Friedman and he broke down and cried like a child.
Not so with Sergeant Lawler, he had steeled himself in the determination to perform an unpleasant duty and spent the night in his office, preparatory to the springing of the trap which would send two souls into eternity.
Those Hours of Slumber
William Downing and Charles Williams slept from 1 a m until 4a.m. They were awakened, and bathed themselves. Downing had given the jail officials much trouble, and had threatened to resist, so that the officials would be forced to shoot him. He had been shackled. But all of this determination melted away and he obeyed order with the same alacrity as did his companion, Williams.
Reading the Death Warrants
Sergeant Lawler performed the solemn task of reading the death warrants at 7:30 o’clock. It was an affecting scene. Not a sound save the sonorous reading of the Sergeant broke the stillness, and a sigh of relief followed the conclusion of the task.
Downing, however was deeply affected. Tears trickling down his cheeks and he gave way to passionate weeping.
A Change of Faith
Rev. Father Riley (white) and Rev. Charles Sparks (colored) were the spiritual advisers of the men, but only the latter when to the gallows with them. It is said that Downing at the last moment decided not to be a Roman Catholic and died in the Baptist faith.
The journey from the cells which they were leaving for the last time was solemn. With the measure tread the little company wended their way to the dread instrument of death, which was so soon to perform the task of double execution.
Nearing the Double Gallows
Nearer and nearer they drew. The steps were ascending and the men were directed to their respective positions upon the deadly trap doors. The nooses which were suspended were pulled down and placed around their necks. “Have you anything to say?” was the query.
Williams asked his friends to pray for him, while Downing quietly remarked, “Mr. Lawler, let me pray.” He did so.
Adjusting the Black Caps
At 8:16 a m., the black caps were adjusted, and the motionless forms stood out in bold relief to the gaze of the spectators in the yard below. The signal was given, the trap was sprung. Two bodies shot through the opening.
Through the Open Trap-Door
Downing quivering struggled; while Williams twisted and turned as though endeavoring to break from the rope which was suspending him between the heavens and the earth. It was a fearful sight and many turned away. This sight was too awful.
All was Over
For several minutes, this continued then all was still, the bodies of the men swaying to and from as though fanned by the breeze. The doctors examined the pulses and listened for the heart-beats. It was all over and at 8:36 the men were cut down. They had paid the penalty with their lives.
Then came the coroner’s jury, with its routine verdict and lastly there stood Maurice of Richmond Medical college to take the corpse of William Downing.
The Claiming of a Body
Here was again demonstrated the signs of the laws of Virginia, which not only claimed the service of the body before death, but insisted upon the right to mangle the remains after life was extinct.
In the office of the jail was the family of Williams. It was a sad scene as they sobbed and cried as though their hearts would break.
Later, a solemn procession wended its way from the jail and the remains of Williams were conveyed to the county in which his people lives where it will be buried.
The crime for which Charles Williams paid the penalty with his life was one of the most brutal in the history of Norfolk.
His Victim
His victim was George Bess, a colored driver from Hemingway & brothers, oyster packers. The scene of murder was the schooner Caroline D, which was lying on Hemingway's wharf, in Atlantic City ward. The date was the night of Friday, April 17, 1896.
On that evening Bess boarded the schooner. Shortly afterwards he was followed by Charles Williams. What happened thereafter will never be positively known, but according to the best information obtainable, the two quarreled over a game of casino. When Williams left the boat in the early hours of Saturday morning, Bess lay n ten feet of water by the boatside with his head split open. The gory axe with which the deed was done lay upon the deck which was red with blood. The murderer had disappeared.
Where They Caught him
Williams was apprehended a few days later, however by the then Chief-of-Police King. He made several confessions, alleging [self-defense], but afterwards denied them.
When the case came up for trial in the Corporation Court, Williams was found guilty of murder in the first degree. Motion for a new trial was overruled. The case was carried up to the Court of Appeals on application for the writ of error, which was refused.
Council Fought for him
The doomed man’s indefatigable attorneys, Messrs. Hugh Miller and P.J. Morris, then appealed to the Governor to grant their client a respite of thirty days. Williams having been sentenced to hang on December 3rd. The reprieve was granted, Williams being respited until January 5, 1897. His Excellency was then presented with a lengthy petition, asking for communication for the condemned man’s sentence to life imprisonment. The Governor refused to interfere with the execution of sentence.
The ground upon which Williams’ attorneys based their plea for new trial was that the jury had been taken to the scene of the crime and had held conversation with a number of parties, the prisoner being absent.
The shooting of Emma Lane by William Downing, alias Bill Dodd, alias “Black Dick,” on the evening of Saturday, May 2, 1896, was apparently motiveless murder. The women knew Downing only by sight, having ordered him off the place about a week before the tragedy. She lived in Allen’s Lane a dark quarter of the city. With her resided Caroline Portlock, a colored woman, who did occasional washing for Downing.
Downing’s Visit
Shortly after 8 o’clock on the night of the murder Downing went to Emma Lane’s house and demanded a clean handkerchief of Caroline. She had none to give him and Downing became abusive. The Lane woman, who was in the adjoining room, hearing the noise, started to open the door separating the two apartments. She had hardly done so when Downing, quickly drawing his revolver, fired three times in rapid succession. One of the balls pierced the woman’s body. The other two lodged in the wall.
Sank to the Floor
The Lane woman sank to the floor exclaiming “I am shot,” and her assailant cooly wiped his pistol, put it in his pocket, and departed. The woman was taken to the hospital and died two days later.
A short time afterwards Downing came back to the city voluntarily and was arrested, sent on to the grand jury, and tried. Here again, as in the Williams case the jury was taken to the scene of the murder and conversed with a number of parties out of the hearing by the prisoner. He was convicted of murder in the first degree.
A Parallel case
Thenceforward, his case was exactly parallel with that of Williams to the minutest details. Mr. Julius T Saunders moved for a new trial, which was refused; the case was taken up on application for writ of error, the same point being made as in the Williams case. The Court of Appeals refused to grant the petition. Downing was sentenced to be hanged on December 3rd and was respited until January 5th. Governor O’Ferrall was presented with a lengthy petition, asking that the condemned man’s sentence be commuted to life imprisonment and Mr. Saunders laid the case before the Governor at length, but his Excellency refused to interfere with the process of the law.
Became Violent
From the day he was sentenced, Downing has been intermittently violent. He swore he would never die on the gallows saying he would kill his guards if he could; if not, he would break away from them and die attempting to escape.
He became so unruly that finally he had to be shackled and even then he made so much noise that a stream of water from a hose had to be turned on him before he would promise to behave himself. On giving this promise, he was again permitted the privilege of the corridors, but about a week ago he causelessly and brutally attacked a sailor prisoner. He was then shackled again, hand and foot remained in this condition until the day of execution.
No Fear Manifested
Neither of the two men exhibited during their confinement the least trace of fear. Downing, though outwardly defiant, was probably the more affected by the thought of his impending doom. Williams throughout was a model prisoner and earned the goodwill of the jail officials.
A pall hung over this city last evening and today, and there was hardly a person who was not affected by the knowledge that [two] human beings were to be launched into eternity during the morning hours
[Anyone] in the neighborhood of the grim-looking jail building could hear the chanting and hymns all through the solemn hours of the night, ending only at 1230, when the doomed men sought rest in slumber.
The Songs of Zion
The scene was affecting as the thirteen inmates of the jail gave vent to religious feeling. The men in the cells knew that it was for them the last night on earth, and they called on the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his divine guidance.
The exhibition was too much for the tender-hearted Jailer Friedman and he broke down and cried like a child.
Not so with Sergeant Lawler, he had steeled himself in the determination to perform an unpleasant duty and spent the night in his office, preparatory to the springing of the trap which would send two souls into eternity.
Those Hours of Slumber
William Downing and Charles Williams slept from 1 a m until 4a.m. They were awakened, and bathed themselves. Downing had given the jail officials much trouble, and had threatened to resist, so that the officials would be forced to shoot him. He had been shackled. But all of this determination melted away and he obeyed order with the same alacrity as did his companion, Williams.
Reading the Death Warrants
Sergeant Lawler performed the solemn task of reading the death warrants at 7:30 o’clock. It was an affecting scene. Not a sound save the sonorous reading of the Sergeant broke the stillness, and a sigh of relief followed the conclusion of the task.
Downing, however was deeply affected. Tears trickling down his cheeks and he gave way to passionate weeping.
A Change of Faith
Rev. Father Riley (white) and Rev. Charles Sparks (colored) were the spiritual advisers of the men, but only the latter when to the gallows with them. It is said that Downing at the last moment decided not to be a Roman Catholic and died in the Baptist faith.
The journey from the cells which they were leaving for the last time was solemn. With the measure tread the little company wended their way to the dread instrument of death, which was so soon to perform the task of double execution.
Nearing the Double Gallows
Nearer and nearer they drew. The steps were ascending and the men were directed to their respective positions upon the deadly trap doors. The nooses which were suspended were pulled down and placed around their necks. “Have you anything to say?” was the query.
Williams asked his friends to pray for him, while Downing quietly remarked, “Mr. Lawler, let me pray.” He did so.
Adjusting the Black Caps
At 8:16 a m., the black caps were adjusted, and the motionless forms stood out in bold relief to the gaze of the spectators in the yard below. The signal was given, the trap was sprung. Two bodies shot through the opening.
Through the Open Trap-Door
Downing quivering struggled; while Williams twisted and turned as though endeavoring to break from the rope which was suspending him between the heavens and the earth. It was a fearful sight and many turned away. This sight was too awful.
All was Over
For several minutes, this continued then all was still, the bodies of the men swaying to and from as though fanned by the breeze. The doctors examined the pulses and listened for the heart-beats. It was all over and at 8:36 the men were cut down. They had paid the penalty with their lives.
Then came the coroner’s jury, with its routine verdict and lastly there stood Maurice of Richmond Medical college to take the corpse of William Downing.
The Claiming of a Body
Here was again demonstrated the signs of the laws of Virginia, which not only claimed the service of the body before death, but insisted upon the right to mangle the remains after life was extinct.
In the office of the jail was the family of Williams. It was a sad scene as they sobbed and cried as though their hearts would break.
Later, a solemn procession wended its way from the jail and the remains of Williams were conveyed to the county in which his people lives where it will be buried.
The crime for which Charles Williams paid the penalty with his life was one of the most brutal in the history of Norfolk.
His Victim
His victim was George Bess, a colored driver from Hemingway & brothers, oyster packers. The scene of murder was the schooner Caroline D, which was lying on Hemingway's wharf, in Atlantic City ward. The date was the night of Friday, April 17, 1896.
On that evening Bess boarded the schooner. Shortly afterwards he was followed by Charles Williams. What happened thereafter will never be positively known, but according to the best information obtainable, the two quarreled over a game of casino. When Williams left the boat in the early hours of Saturday morning, Bess lay n ten feet of water by the boatside with his head split open. The gory axe with which the deed was done lay upon the deck which was red with blood. The murderer had disappeared.
Where They Caught him
Williams was apprehended a few days later, however by the then Chief-of-Police King. He made several confessions, alleging [self-defense], but afterwards denied them.
When the case came up for trial in the Corporation Court, Williams was found guilty of murder in the first degree. Motion for a new trial was overruled. The case was carried up to the Court of Appeals on application for the writ of error, which was refused.
Council Fought for him
The doomed man’s indefatigable attorneys, Messrs. Hugh Miller and P.J. Morris, then appealed to the Governor to grant their client a respite of thirty days. Williams having been sentenced to hang on December 3rd. The reprieve was granted, Williams being respited until January 5, 1897. His Excellency was then presented with a lengthy petition, asking for communication for the condemned man’s sentence to life imprisonment. The Governor refused to interfere with the execution of sentence.
The ground upon which Williams’ attorneys based their plea for new trial was that the jury had been taken to the scene of the crime and had held conversation with a number of parties, the prisoner being absent.
The shooting of Emma Lane by William Downing, alias Bill Dodd, alias “Black Dick,” on the evening of Saturday, May 2, 1896, was apparently motiveless murder. The women knew Downing only by sight, having ordered him off the place about a week before the tragedy. She lived in Allen’s Lane a dark quarter of the city. With her resided Caroline Portlock, a colored woman, who did occasional washing for Downing.
Downing’s Visit
Shortly after 8 o’clock on the night of the murder Downing went to Emma Lane’s house and demanded a clean handkerchief of Caroline. She had none to give him and Downing became abusive. The Lane woman, who was in the adjoining room, hearing the noise, started to open the door separating the two apartments. She had hardly done so when Downing, quickly drawing his revolver, fired three times in rapid succession. One of the balls pierced the woman’s body. The other two lodged in the wall.
Sank to the Floor
The Lane woman sank to the floor exclaiming “I am shot,” and her assailant cooly wiped his pistol, put it in his pocket, and departed. The woman was taken to the hospital and died two days later.
A short time afterwards Downing came back to the city voluntarily and was arrested, sent on to the grand jury, and tried. Here again, as in the Williams case the jury was taken to the scene of the murder and conversed with a number of parties out of the hearing by the prisoner. He was convicted of murder in the first degree.
A Parallel case
Thenceforward, his case was exactly parallel with that of Williams to the minutest details. Mr. Julius T Saunders moved for a new trial, which was refused; the case was taken up on application for writ of error, the same point being made as in the Williams case. The Court of Appeals refused to grant the petition. Downing was sentenced to be hanged on December 3rd and was respited until January 5th. Governor O’Ferrall was presented with a lengthy petition, asking that the condemned man’s sentence be commuted to life imprisonment and Mr. Saunders laid the case before the Governor at length, but his Excellency refused to interfere with the process of the law.
Became Violent
From the day he was sentenced, Downing has been intermittently violent. He swore he would never die on the gallows saying he would kill his guards if he could; if not, he would break away from them and die attempting to escape.
He became so unruly that finally he had to be shackled and even then he made so much noise that a stream of water from a hose had to be turned on him before he would promise to behave himself. On giving this promise, he was again permitted the privilege of the corridors, but about a week ago he causelessly and brutally attacked a sailor prisoner. He was then shackled again, hand and foot remained in this condition until the day of execution.
No Fear Manifested
Neither of the two men exhibited during their confinement the least trace of fear. Downing, though outwardly defiant, was probably the more affected by the thought of his impending doom. Williams throughout was a model prisoner and earned the goodwill of the jail officials.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Brian Schrott
Citation
“Hanged Them,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed October 9, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/22.