Lee County Newspaper Clippings
Dallas Morning News OSCAR HENNEGAN HANGING AT GIDDINGS Hennegan Pays the Death Penalty for the Murder of Martha Bradley The Scaffold Address Was an Appeal to Trust God - He Went to His Death Unironed- History of the Crime Giddings, Tex., Dec. 17 - Not since the hanging of Bill Longley in 1878 has there been such a crowd in Giddings as there was today. At 1 o'clock, p.m. Sheriff Scarborough brought the condemned man to the photograph gallery and he was photographed. The sheriff had taken the shackles off him and he went from the gallery to the scaffold unironed, riding in a buggy, smoking a cigar and greeting his acquaintances on the way pleasantly. "I am here because my disobedience, I hope you will not do as I have. Trust God, You have got to die and you don't know how soon. I had no schooling. I had a good mother, but did not obey her, went in bad company and did not trust God, who is more than the whole world, white and black. I forgive you all and ask to be forgiven and ask all to lean on God's word. Everybody quit your worldly ways. When you are in a passion, remember me on the gallows. All of the trouble is in this world if you are serving God." He kept on in this strain, talking very earnestly and with a trembling voice and the tears running down his face. For several minutes he was quiet and finally spoke to a friend, telling him that if he did not change, he would go to hell. "Trust in God, and he will make a better man of you. I am glad I am going home to glory." One of the two colored preachers offered prayers and the noose and cap were adjusted at 1:30. The trap fell. His neck was not broken, though there was little struggling. The heart stopped in eight minutes and he was cut down in twenty-two minutes. Oscar Hennegan, the murderer of Martha Bradley was 21 years of age, and was raised in Lee County, Texas. His parents are respectable colored people and live in the eastern portion of the county. Oscar weighed about 180 pounds and was very black. This case was the first time as far as the reporter can learn that he was ever in the courts. The causes leading up to the murder were these: He had been keeping company with Martha Bradley for some time and he had made her some little presents. He was getting along swimmingly with her until another admirer came on the field, and then she paid less attention to Hennegan and went more with the other fellow. Hennegan's jealousy was so aroused at this that he went into the field where the girl and her mother were at work and asked the mother if she would attend his hanging. The girl spoke up and said: "You should not talk that way for fear something might happen to you." He turned to her and told her that she should have her laugh turned into sorrow. On Sept. 14, 1895, Hennegan armed with an old shotgun went to the home of the girl about 11 a.m. and found her asleep on a pallet on the gallery. He place the gun against her head and fired almost blowing her head off, death coming instantly. He then went into the house to kill the girl's cousin another young woman who fled. He snapped the gun at the girl's stepfather, but it failed to fire. He then left and met Mr. Black, an officer, to whom he surrendered and was brought to jail at once, or he would have been lynched by the colored people of the neighborhood. He said he would have been perfectly satisfied could he have killed a lot of the girl's relatives, but his gun was no good and would not fire again. He was tried at the November term of the district court and pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree, and was sentenced to hang by Judge Sinks, Dec. 17, 1895. The prosecuting attorney accepted a colored man on the jury, but Hennegan would not accept him and he was tried by an entirely white jury. After his sentence he made a profession of religion and said he loved everybody even the man who was to take his life. In a conversation he said he was a bad kid and has always wanted to kill somebody and thought he was doing right when he murdered Martha Bradley, but later he knew that he had done wrong and was sorry for it. He said he would soon be in glory and was in good spirits. He slept well and had plenty to eat. The white people were good to him for which he thanked them. He asked Elder Matt Gaines to baptize him. The matter was referred to St. Paul's chapel and that church received him into their fellowship and the ordinance was administered to him in a bath tub in the jail. Hennegan and everybody else were satisfied with the verdict of the jury and sentence of the court. Only two hours were consumed in the trial and no appeal was taken and no application made to lighten the sentence. (December 18, 1895, page 3, transcribed by Peggy Thompson) |
| Galveston
Daily News 1909-07-15 WARREN-STOCKTON-
Giddings Tex. July 14 |