By God's Judgment — Will Purvis Slipped Through the Noose

1899

And Accordingly the Man Convicted of Murder Most Cowardly is Let Free by the Executive of the Bayou State — Cannot Be Retried

A case of modern "judgment" has just been brought to the attention of many who had forgotten the strange case of Will Purvis of Mississippi, through the pardon that was granted to him a few days ago by Gov. McLaurin. Purvis figured conspicuously in the great whitecap sensation of several years ago, and his release from the penitentiary terminates a case which for sensational developments and dramatic details stands remarkable in the history of criminal jurisprudence.

In 1895 Purvis was accused of the murder of Will Buckley, a fellow whitecapper of Marion county. Buckley had fallen out with the band with which Purvis was said to have been one of the most aggressive members, and he had made open threats that he would divulge their secrets and bring them all to punishment. One of the oaths of the band prescribed to each member upon initiation was that the first man who turned traitor was to suffer death. Accordingly, a meeting was held to try Buckley, and he was condemned to die. Purvis participated at this meeting.

Shortly afterwards a second meeting was held to select the men who should execute the sentence of the band. This meeting Purvis failed to attend, whether from excess of caution, from accident or from qualms of conscience is not clear. Naturally his absence aroused the suspicions of his comrades. Nobody but the men present will ever know what took place at this second meeting, and there is nothing positive but that shortly afterwards Buckley was assassinated one evening after sundown on his way home from work. It was rumored around the neighborhood that Purvis was the guilty man. The rumors gained credence, and Purvis was arrested. At the trial Buckley's brother, was with him on the night he was murdered, testified that he recognized Purvis as the murderer.

Whether innocent or guilty, Purvis was sentenced to be hanged, and the day of execution was fixed and the gallows erected. The hanging was to be a public one, and as there had not been one in many a year in the neighborhood, crowds from all over the country gathered to witness the gruesome event. There were the usual preliminaries which attend such occasion. The prisoner was led upon the scaffold and allowed to say a last word. A minister of the gospel walked with him in the shadow of death and offered up prayers for the salvation of his soul.

At last the fatal moment came. The black cap was pulled down over the horrified eyes of the prisoner, and the noose was made fast around his neck. There was a hush in the great multitude of spectators, a pause, and then the trap was sprang and the body shot downward through the trap. Many sickened at the sight and turned away. For a moment the body writhed and quivered in midair, and then the knot slipped and the prisoner fell heavily to the ground. A wild shout greeted this denouement, the first of its kind the people of Marion county and the adjacent counties had ever witnessed. Eagerly the crowd pressed forward and assisted Purvis to his feet. As soon as he began to revive he called God to witness that he was innocent of the crime of which he was accused, and for which he had almost paid with his life.

But law is law, and the sheriff soon ordered the people to stand back and began preparations for a second attempt at execution. The people now asserted themselves. They cried down this act and threatened violence. To them it was an inscrutable sign on the part of Providence that Purvis was really innocent, and that a judicial murder had been prevented by divine interference. Purvis was taken back to jail, and soon afterwards was rescued by a mob. Gov. Stone, who was then in office, was besieged by pleading and threatening letters in behalf of the culprit, but he remained firm. When Gov. McLaurin came into office Purvis was recaptured, or, rather, he was brought back to jail by his friends, and his sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life.

"God's judgment" seems to have deeply impressed the people of Marion county. A brother and an uncle the murdered man signed the petition to the governor clamoring for Purvis' pardon, and all the Marion county folks attached their names to the document. The entire state of Mississippi seems to be on the side of Purvis, and very likely on the side of justice, so far as any one knows.

—The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, Feb. 11, 1899, p. 3.