Typed as spelled and written
Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY DEMOCRAT
Thirteenth Year - Number 6
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, April 10, 1902
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WANTED HANGING PUBLIC.
Roan expressed a desire
that the hanging take place in the court house yard where all could see it.
He wanted to make a public speech to his race and requested a colored minister
from Blue Ridge to preach his funeral publicaly before the house of execution so
that he might hear it himself. This of course was denied him. The
preacher told him that it would do him no good to have his funeral preached to
the public and further advised him that his friends had done about all they
could for him in prayer and that the rest would be between him and God and that
he could better put in his time praying himself than asking others to pray for
him.
Although John has a large family connection
none of them have shown but little interest in him since he was sentenced to
hang. None of them have been about him. He received a letter
Saturday from his sister saying that his brother, Ben Roan, was coming to see
him, but up to nine o'clock Tuesday morning Ben had not called. John has
said little about his relatives ince his incarceration.
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Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for
printing
by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas