Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-02-26
Hanging at Fayette.
Exscution OF Champion, the Negre
Murdercr-He Protests IlIs
to tho Inst.

FAYErTE, Mo, Feb. 2t.-This
bus all day long been IN q state |
,f excitement paralleled only by the
great hanging event Of 1859, when
,no Chapman yiunticnted the ~stcrness
,f the law upon n public gallows.
The history of to-day, in many Of its
leading features, repeats that Of
lClmpman's time, both the ill-fated
protesting innocence to the very
last moment o flifc.
Robert Champion, the negro who
suffered the extreme penalty of the
WIS born and raised n slave, his
liberty coming to him through the
Lincoln proclamation. Bob. has for
yenrs borne II bad reputation, aud
while continued declarations of iuno-
ccncc have created strange feelings
in the minds of many, stltl thLre is no
whatever but that the great
majority of the people firmly believe
he met n deserved fate.
lie was convicted on circumstantirl
evidence. IL was we'll known Of him
that his wife often bore the marks OF
violence. Indeed. he did not deny |
such charge but confessed TO have
beaten her on two different occasions.
On the third Sunday of July last bis
wife, Rachael by name, left the house
of her employrr-she had hot lived
with her husband for some time but
was hired out MS n dumsstic-to keep
an engagement she had made with
Bob to cO,nr to all understanding MS
to the custody of their youngest
child. Bob left his house early.
having. a. his wii.'s sister who WIS
living with linn testified. loaded his
revo,vrr aiid sharpencd Il large
butcher knife before starting out.
Rachel was never after seen alivc,bn
on the Wednesday following, her re-
mains were discovered. Chat is, ali
that "a drove of hogs had seftl, near Il
splii-open and hollow log.
Even al the time of this horrible
discovery, buZzards were pcrchrd
upon the rotten flesh; the head WAS
missing from tic body. and WAS sub
%scquentlv found about thirty rods
away and also shockingIy iTutilated.
the iron gray wool being about the
only dislinguishable marks. From
n careful examination of the rcmalns
the conviction was arrived at that
the head had been severed from the
the body with a sharp knife; that the
same knife had also beetused on the
body, an iucision being traceablc
near the left nipple.
Champion was indicted and, at the
December meeting OF the circuit
court. tried, found gully and SELL
fenced 10 be hanged on the oath Of
january. The morning of the day
OF the execution brought with it n re-
| spite from Gov. WoodsOn to the 2lst
of this month, to-day.
In his cell a minister Of his " color
prayed icrvently and sang with him
| nearly all night. the condemned sleep
ing very little, if any. until daylight.
when for all hour or so he dropped of
into a heavy, uneasy slumber. The
morning was spent in short inter-
views with old friends an a%cquaint-
anccs, white and black, praying and
singing. At noon u most affect
ing parting scene took place between
the dying man and his two sons, IN
of them being quite young and the
other apparently about nineteen OF
twenty wears Of age.
At 1870 l.. NJ. sheriff Burton ap.
pcarcd i'll the courtroom. and Cham.
l'I'u al 'tN iih us ihS' ~" ht'
come. lie received the terrible new:
without the slightest evidences ot
fear. calmly pulled on his boots. bur
toned on his coat. and bowling hi,
head for the long black robe of dealt,
assisted in its adjustment with :
prOmptucss and coulncss truly r.
markable. DO yn the stairs. through
the pathway. lined on either SID,
L.. g 5000. 49,
women. and oil to the open ago
on the bottom of which was his cofhn
he walked without trepidation. II,
sat down upon the long and
narrow box and placidly gazing upoi
the noisy, pushing, crushing crow,
that almost blockadc,l tie streets
rode his ride to death without th,
quakiug of II nerve.
The scltiold had been erected in
large, open pasture lot. about half
mile from town, which locality wa!
black with human beings long hcfor,
the funeral curt' &c arrived. The in
slrulnrut of death was rough looking
exceedingly simple in construction
the Trap being held III place by IL,
upright post and arranged so us Il
rcrdily give way 10 a slight pull up
on the rope that WAS fastened 10 III,
ground cmd and ran upiO tie scairnl,
railing within easy reach OF the sllcr
iT"s grasp. Preparations for til,
solemn finale were made with suci
promptiiude as to show the depth u
sheriff Bur;on's heart, and sooi
Champion was standing upon tn,
frail platform, all that WAS between
him and eternity.
After PRAYER, in which the con
deinncd joiucd with great %fcrvor, II,
was told that he could speak to til,
crowd if he 81 desired. Standing III
firm and scll-posscsscd, he spoke il
substance As follows: | fOrgiV'
everybody : IL | believe God forgive
, me so | forgive everybody who ha
done me wrong; die an innoccu
man. L was wromgtuily treated and
= stand here to go to Il wrongful death
| have been abused. but | forgive all
Voices in the crowd, Good for YOU
Bob, that's right, Bob."1 am no
afraid to die, for God knows | an
} innocent. | am going TO rest, good
bye and God bless every II OF yo'
all. [Another voice: ''Guud-byc
I Bob."l Champion turned ana, look
ing at the man thus accostimg him
replied firmly and loud!y-ln fact al
: most carcleslly--"Good-byc Lowry.
Having announced himself rs read
| to meet his doom, the death warrau
was read to him, after which he wa
bound hand and foot. and even il
: these proceedings he gave all the as
sistance in his power. Bidding She,
: i'll Burton oil affecting farewell Il
=, declared his wish to have it all owe
AS soon as possible, and owe his fac
: fell the black cap.
Standing straight the doomed ma
shot down through the trap lik
an arrow His neck was not broke
but death by slrangulation cnsued al
most instantly. The pulse stoppc
beating in less than five minutes an
; at the expiration of a little owe
quarter of ~ hour life was pronoui
ced extinct by the surgeons. Til
:, body was then placed i'll a coffin, an
no relation claiming it the burial too
!, place at once, the grave having bee
dug neal the scaffold. The crowd pre-
sent numbered between three IN
Z four thousand, and Notwithstanding
). there was much drinking, no distul
! bance of any serious nature occurred