Typed as spelled and written
Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY DEMOCRAT
Thirteenth Year - Number 8
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, April 24, 1902.
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DROPS TO ETERNITY
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Roan Expiats Crime Upon The
Gallows.
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Stoutly Maintains Innocence.
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The crime for which John Roan was convicted has been expiated upon the gallows
and has paid the penalty with his life and the law has been vindicated.
After a most remarkable fight through the
courts and before the governor, the verdict of the jury before whom he was tried
has been affirmed and there is neither appeal or respite for the negro that has
occupied the attention of the courts, officers and people at intervals for many
months.
The hanging was private to the general
public, though quite a number of people witnessed the execution, including
officers, physicians, newspaper men and others.
John was brought from Waco, where he had
been since the last respite, Friday afternoon, and the death watch was placed
over him, none being permitted to communicate with him save those who had
business there. John came back to the Falls county jail stoutly
proclaiming his innocence, as he did before he left it.
He donned the same suit that he laid aside
on April 8, when he missed hanging only by a little more than two hours.
He wore a black worsted suit, white shirt, turn-down collar and white tie.
Colored ministers called and offered
spiritual consolation. To all John replied that he felt no uneasiness
about his soul--that he was going to heaven.
He talked freely to all with whom he
conversed and to all his answers were the same.
There was a large crowd in and around the
court houseyard. Thee was considerable talking, but it was low and all was
orderly. At eleven o'clock the B. C. Clark Light Guard, Captain Geo. H.
Carter in command, took up position around the jail and were at the service of
the sheriff.
As the hour hand pointed to twelve the
crowd outside began to grow impatient, but said little. Within the jail
all were busy executing the sentence of the court. The condemned man, was
soon to become a corpse.
John was nervous, but retained his
composure remarkably well considering the circumstances.
At 11:40 his pulse beats were 134.
At 11:52 he was led out of his cell and
through the narrow corridor down the narrow steps to the jail yard, where stood
the gallows. He ascended the same with a firm and unfaltering step.
He took his stand on the trapdoor, and facing the crowd, made his statement, in
substance, was:
"Good morning, friends. Well,
gentlemen, this is the time set for me to go. I, for one, know ell and
good I am not guilty, but I have to go. If this is the way the good Lord
would have me to go, I am ready to go. I thank my good white friends, for
what could do they did and they did all they could to save me from this place.
I am about to go and I thank them all for what they did for me. I hope to
meet them in the other world."
Rev. Magill, a colored minister, then read
from the 14th chapter of John, to which Roan paid strict attention.
At the conclusion of the reading Rev.
Magill announced the song, "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand," which he said was
a favorite hymn of John's and asked the crowd to join in the singing. John
sang also in a steady voice.
At the conclusion of the song Rev. Magill
led in prayer. He fervently implored the Divine being to have mercy on the
soul of the condemned man. He was followed by Roan, who prayed very
devoutly for several minutes. He placed himself at the mercy of the
heavenly father and showed much feeling in his prayer.
His legs and arms were pinioned and the
black cap slipped over his face at 12:16. At 12:18 the noose had been
adjusted. Sheriff Carlton asked John if the noose was too tight.
John said it was and the sheriff loosened it slightly.
The sheriff asked John if he had anything
further to say.
John said: "Good-bye to all; I am not
guilty of this crime,"
The sheriff: "Are you ready, John?"
John, "I am ready."
The sheriff touched the lever and John
Roan's body shot through the trap-door to eternity.
The rope was a few inches too long and his
feet slightly touched the ground sill of the gallows. The rebound,
however, carried him clear of the timber.
There were one or two convulsions and
twitching of the knees, a moving of the head and the body became still.
At eight minutes after the drop the
physicians pronounced life extinct and two minutes later the body was lowered to
the coffin.
It is the opinion of the physicians that
the neck was not broken by the fall and that death resulted from strangulation.
The body was turned over relatives and was
buried out at Shady Grove, near where John lived.
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Note: In this
paper there were two drawings of the gallows-lsc
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Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for
printing
by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas
