Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/237

DELAWARE COUNTY. 213 pretensions of friendship to the prisoner, and protested his willingness to aid in his escape. After having won his confi- dence, and when about to take his leave of the prisoner, Smith reached out his hand, which was cordially grasped by Grraham, not doubting for a moment his sincerity. He was soon unde- ceived, however, for Smith seized his arm with a firm hold, pulling it through the door and calling for help. The prisoner was held in this position until a hole was made in the back part of the cell large enough to admit the body of a man, when the officers crawled into the cell and succeeded in secur- ing and ironing him. The weight of the irons was forty pounds.* The grand jury found a bill against him on the 16th of June, and the following day he was tried, and pronounced guilty by the jury. I make the following extract from the records of the county clerk's office : — " June 20. — The prisoner, James Graham, being arraigned to receive the sentence of the court, was asked if he had any thing to say why judgment should not be pro- nounced according to law. The court therefore ordered and adjudged that the said James Grraham be returned to prison from whence he came, and there to remain until the 29th day of July next, then, between the hours of 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock, to be taken from thence and hung by the neck until he be dead, and his body be delivered to Asahel E. Payne and Ambrose Bryan, surgeons, for dissection.'^ The execution of Graham was to be a public one, and con- sequently great numbers of men, women and children prepared to witness the proceedings. The following information was furnished me by Isaac Burr, Esq., an eye witness. The people commenced pouring into Delhi from all points, ^ I obtained the above information of Robert Leal, Esq., sheriff at the time, and who is still living, aged 77 years.