SIMS, Robert (d. 1897)
A Tennessee Negro Suffers Death for Murder
Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 17 – Robert SIMS (colored) was hanged today at Jonesboro, Washington county, Tenn.
SIMS shot and killed Walter GALLOWAY, July 9 last. He recently made a confession and died professing hope of salvation. The execution was private, but on the hillside surrounding the inclosure [sic] were large crowds.
When GALLOWAY called on Miss Effie BARING, to whom he was engaged, SIMS, an employe [sic] on the BORING farm, was asked to put up GALLOWAY’s horse. SIMS refused to do so on account of an old grudge. When GALLOWAY was at the barn stabling his horse, SIMS got a gun. Miss BORING ran out to warn her lover. No sooner had she met GALLOWAY than SIMS arrived and fired, and the young man fell almost into Miss BORING’s arms.
SIMS was followed many days before he was captured and narrowly escaped lynching twice. So great was the excitement produced by the death of GALLOWAY that Miss BORING was nervously prostrated, and after several days of intense suffering she died.
Source: Los Angeles Herald, Volume 27, Number 49, 18 November 1897. Available at the California Digital Newspaper Collection. <http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc>