The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-08-22
CHAS. LEE HANGED.

CHAS. LEE HANGED.
C0NvERfED AFTER CONVICTION AND
BAPTIZED IN A BATH TUB.
The Ceremony Followed By ExtrsoF.
dinary Religious Ixaltatien-Col.
Ored Ministers Singing Hymns
On the Way to the GalleWs.
AUG. 3.-Charles Henry Lee. colored,
was hanged at Richmond for the murder
of Daniel Miller. The hanging was wit
messed by about one hundred persons,
bnt crowd of two or three thousand,
mostly negroes, hung around the Jail
yard, and climbed ON walls and house.
tops in their efforts TO see the gallows.
Lee said early this morning that he had
slept little, because he had spent most
of the night talking with God. He said
before he left his cell: II am going to
be married to-day to Jesus" Three
cofored ministers were with him all the
morning and small number Of his
friends were admitted to his cell, where
preliminary services were held, and all
joined him in singing the hymn:
Oh, for an overcoming faith
To cheer my dying hour.
Lee then prayed, asking divine bles-
sing on his mother and father, on "the
officer who will pull the props from
under my feet, all the witnesses who
testified against me, and the officers Of
the court and the jury who convicted
me-" He bade his father and mother
farewell, the scene being most affecting.
Barbara Miller, his paramour, who Is
under sentence of death for the same
crime, requested that she might be allow
ed to present Lee with pair of cotton
gloves and herself put them on his hands.
This was granted. She was taken to his
cell and put the gloves On his hands,
showing great emotion for the first time
since her conviction. She then kissed
him and said: "Good by Charlie, I'll try
to meet you in heaven"
Lee requested that he might be allowed
to walk to the gallows in his stocking
feet. He seemed to have an idea that
with white gloves and white socks he
would be better prepared to 60 to heaven.
This request was granted. The process
sion then started for the gallows, the
ministers preceding with hymn books,
and singing:
Dark and stormy Is the desert,
| Through which the pilgrims make their
way.
Lee exhibited no fear. On the scaffold
one of the ministers gave out the hymn:
"Come let us join our Friend Above"
which he lined out, and the ministers
joined in the singing. Lee made short
speech. He advised his friends to take
warning, and not be led off as he had
been, and concluding said: II think I
am prepared to make my peace with God
and tr,ist that I will be able to meet you
all in Heaven"
The Rev. Mr.. Boswell, one of the col
ored ministers, then said: 1--WE are here
on serious occasion, and not on frolic,
and every one of you stands chance Of
coming to this under similar conditions.
I don't see anything to frolic over" He
said that his dear friend would in per-
haps ten minutes be in glory and could
say as was said in Romans: "Henceforth
is laid up for me q righteousness"
Mr.. Binga, a brother minister, whis-
pered in his ear, and Mr.. Boswell con-
tinued. "In Timothy my brother says,
but undoubtedly thought it was in
Romans" He then shook hands with
Lee and said: "If you get to the King
dom of God look out for me, l am coming
too"
Lee from first to last never finched.
The drop was nine feet. His neck was
broken.
Lees crime was committed on Febru-
ary 14th, 1883. His victim was found
dead ON the railroad track about sunrise
of the day named. The impression tf0n
was that Miller came to his death while
lying asleep on the track, and the body
was buried at the expense of the railroad
company. Subsequently certain circum.
stances aroused suspicion, and the result
was that Lee and Barbara Miller, the
dead mans widow, were arrested. An
examination before q magistrate resulted
in Lee and Barbara being held for indict'
ment. Soon after ward the woman made
statement in Jail, to the effect that Lex
had killed her husband, carried his body
to the railroad, and laid it on the track
to create the impression that Miller had
been run over by train, and that She
knew nothing about it until after the
deed was done. At Lees trial thu
woman was used as States evidence, ant
upon her testimony he was convicted
and sentenced to be hanged on July n
A new trial was obtained; but, like thu
first, it resulted in verdict of murder il
the first degree, and the date for thu
hanging was fixed for August Sd. Lex
had all along stoutly maintained his in
nocence; but a few days after his secont
conviction he professed religion ant
made confession in the presence Of th'
Commonwealth Attorney, the jailer
and Barbara Miller, who, at his own re
quest was brought into his cell. He sale
that on the morning Of the murder hi
was awakened by Barbara between fou
and five o'clock, and on going out of tn
house, found MINER lying on the ground
The woman said her husband had fallel
in fit, and that while in that condition
she had struck HIM several blows will
an axe. She told him to take and plac
the body on the railroad track, which h
did. The woman denied having ha'
anything to do with the murder, ant
said:
Charles, you say you've found Jesus
Iknow you amt got religion. Pray
child, for if you were converted yo'
wouldn't lie like you have, and if yo'
, don't do better you'll 60 to hell
On July 18th Barbara Miller was trie'