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The scene at the seaside Barcley Training Center that afternoon was like a festival. Thousands of civilians waited in high excitement as Doe's motorcade arrived. Workmen busily mounted five telephone poles in the ground alongside four that were already standing. In the meantime, the 13 condemned men were locked in a small white minibus 200 yds. away. The officers' tribunal had sentenced only eight of them to death, recommending life sentences for the other five. Nonetheless, the 17-member Peoples' Redemption Council, headed by Doe, decreed that all 13 should die. The council showed clemency, however, in sparing the life of a 14th defendant, former Information Minister Johnny McClain. It was his good fortune to be one of the country people.
As the crowd waited impatiently, nine of the condemned men were dragged from the bus, shoved against the telephone poles and tied up. Then, for perhaps 20 minutes, they waited desperately while the firing squad tried to get itself organized. Cecil Dennis, one of Africa's most respected diplomats, stood impassively as soldiers heckled him. Frank Tolbert collapsed in a faint or, perhaps, from a heart attack. Charles King, a member of the House of Representatives, looked around nervously, as though he expected to wake up and find it was all a dream. The officer in charge struggled to unjam the rifle of one member of his firing squad. Finally, at 3:43 p.m., he gave the order, "Squad, fire!"
It sounded more like a firefight than an execution. For nearly three minutes, the firing squad discharged volley after volley at the targets. Cecil Dennis continued to stand upright, his eyes closed, as one errant shot after another was fired at him by his executioner. Finally, another soldier stepped out of the ranks and killed him with a sustained burst of automatic fire.
Even before the bodies of the first nine victims were removed, the remaining four had been bound to the posts. They went down in a fusillade of fire that lasted five minutes. Many of the soldiers in the rear formation joined in. As the shooting stopped, a great shout rose from the watching mob: "Freedom! At last we have our freedom!" Some of the soldiers rushed forward to kick and pummel the corpses.
The ceremony at an end, Sergeant Doe's limousine sped through the crowd toward the main gate. As it left the training center, the Mercedes-Benz passed two trucks arriving with four additional telephone poles. They had reached the camp half an hour too late for the show. -