Augustus Smith (alias Jim Smith)
Augustus Smith was about 20 years old and had come to work on a farm in Johnston County, and he asked friends to tell his mother that he would meet her in Heaven. On November 18, 1881, he was hanged on the courthouse square in Smithfield before a crowd of about 4,000. The Goldsboro Messenger, as reprinted in The Farmer and Mechanic, reported that he spent the morning in prayer, sang and prayed with a visitor, spoke to the young men in the crowd, and said he was ready to die. The paper also reported that he was strangled and that his neck was not broken. Friends from Harnett County had hoped to bury him beside his father, but after the execution they declined, and the sheriff disposed of his body.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: Goldsboro Messenger, as reprinted in The Farmer and Mechanic (reporters).