Crain was then taken back to jail, where he was strongly guarded by details from the militia. The next day he was taken before the grand jury, where he voluntarily confessed the facts concerning himself as related by Music. On the 21 Nov, he was baptized according to the rights of the Christian Church. When the day of his execution came, adn the people had thronged about the jail, and he had only a few more minutes to live, he stood at a window and addressed the multitude as follows: "Gentlemen; I must make a statement in regard to this matter. I feel it is my duty to God and man to make it. I am guilty of killing two men. My punishment is just. I hope all of you will forgive me. I pray God will judge and prosper in this country. Good bye to all." A few passages of Scripture were then read by the chaplan, a song was sung, and a prayer was offered to God. The doomed man was then placed upon the scaffold and prepared for the last struggle, and when asked if he had anything more to say, he replied, " I am the murderer of William Spence and George Sisney. That is all I have got to say." The time being up, the rope holding the platform was severed, and Marshall Thomas Crain was launched into Eternity.
On 25 Dec 1875, James Norris was arrested at a ball five miles SE of Marion, and lodged in the Marion jail,a dn on the 31st of the same month "Big Jep" and "Black Bill" were taken to Cairo for trial. The case was called 28 Jan 1876. The defendants were sentenced to the penitentiary for 20 years. They were prosecuted by Allen and Duff, and defended by Clemens, Calvert and Linegar. At the April term, 1876, of the Wmson Co Circuit Court, James Norris was tried for the murder of James Henderson, and sentenced to serve 18 years in the penitentiary. Samuel Music was tried at the same term for being accessory to the murders of Spende and Sisney, and sentenced to serve 14 years in the State's prison. Also at the same time Samuel R Crain was indicted and arrested as accessory to the murder of Spence, but being ill with comsumption his case was continued, and he placed under bonds of $5000. He died soon thereafter. This ends the narrative concerning the "Bloody Vendetta", but three more homicides have yet to be recorded. On 11 May 1880, John Russell, brother of Thomas, of Vendetta fame, and Henry Stocks, who were close neighbors, had a difficulty over a trifling matter, and met one day on the road about a mile and a half from Carterville, when Russell shot and killed Stocks. Russell ran away, but was afterward brought back to Marion, where he was tried and acquitted. Following this affair, Bennett Stotlar was shot and killed at Carterville by Thomas Hudgens, acting marshal thereof. The action of Hudgens in this matter seemed to be so justifiable that he was never indicted. At the April term, 1887, of the Wmson Co Circuit Court, an indictment was found against David Skidmore and his sister, Hannah Carter, for the shooting and killing of Willie Ford at Creal Springs. The indictment charges that the shooting ttok place on 07 Jan 1887, and that Ford died the next day in consequence thereof. Skidmore is in jail awaiting trial and the sister, having a very young child, has not been arrested.
Wmson Co has a long record of crimes committed therein, but since the days of the "Vendetta" a general peace has been restored, and at present writing the surviving members of the families connected with that affair are all on friendly terms. The spirit of revenge has been subdued, and past offenses forgiven. The people have suffered much on account of the bad men who happened to be among them. Without doubt there was a time when justice was not fairly asministered. The pleas of alibi, adn self-defense, have no doubt cleared criminals who ought to have been severely punished. This seems evident from the fact that when the State began to prosecute with vigor, through the instrumentality of such attorneys as Hartwell, Allen and Duff, and the people determined to bring criminals to justic, the commisson of crime suddenly ceased in a very great measure. It is true three homicides have taken place since that time, but with few exceptions Wmson Co has always been a safe place for those who were not disposed to be quarrelsone. The good people of the county have been slandered and vilified by the papers far and near, on account of their misfortunes. But the dark cloud has passed away, and the light of a brighter day is shining, and a good feeling among the people everywhere prevails. Wmson is as safe a county in which to live as any other county in the United States.