Hanging set for Friday

Walter Sprague
NLJ Arts & Culture Reporter
 
A reenactment of one of the darker nights in the history of Newcastle will take place this Friday night, July 5. William “Diamond L. Slim” Clifton hanged for the murders of John and Louella Church, a popular couple in Weston County. The hanging took place on May 28, 1903. 
The controversy surrounding the Church murders, Diamond Slim’s supposed confession, and his hanging is in the News Letter Journal’s publication Western Heritage Presents Newcastle Legacy Series, which can be picked up at the NLJ office as well as other locations throughout Weston County. 
The reenactment will start at sundown in the parking lot of Isabella’s Restaurant on the corner of South Sumner Avenue and Main Street. People start lining up to witness this event around 8 p.m., so come early to claim your space. The city will turn off the street lights to give a more genuine atmosphere. This event’s sponsors are the NLJ and the Weston County Arts Council.  
After a brief commentary and a scene around a real campfire, the “mob” will break into the night’s makeshift jail, force the sheriff to release Diamond Slim to them, and march him to the gallows where the “hanging” will take place. The enactment of the hanging will take place about 50 yards from the actual location of the original hanging. While this is not a celebration, it is a chance for the city of Newcastle to remember the history of the town, even though this is one of the darker elements of that history. First presented last year, “The Hanging of Diamond Slim” is hoped to become an annual event.