Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-27
THE LAST ACT.
The Hanging OF William RI. Roe q.
NaYasots, and the Crime for
Which He Diedo
AN Onepse of Peculiar Euormity-He Poi.
soned His Wife, Sweet and Most
Worthy Woman.
Special to the Gazette.

special 10 the Gazette.
NAvAsoTA, TEX, May 26.-Willism II
Roe, the murderer of his wife, by poison
ing, WAS hanged at Anderson, the county
seat Of Grimes county, Tex, to-day al
ten minutes after 8 o'clock. The destt
warrant was read to him in his cell By
W. S. Neblett, deputy sheriff. At &
o'clock, accompanied by Sheriff Scott and
deputies, he was conducted to the scsf.
fold one mile south of town. He was
perfectly calm, and persistently declared
his innocence to his spiritual adviser,
Rev. DR.. Pharrar, who read his statement
upon the scsfold. His statement re-
viewed the chief points brought to bear
in the court of conviction.
snd determinedly and positively
declared bis innocence. He ap-
pealed to God In the presence of
the vast audience present to testify to the
truth of his words. After prayer by Rev.
DR.. Pharrar and the question as to whether
he was guilty or not, to which he deliber-
ately answered, "no," the black cap
was adjusted and at 8: 29 he was ierked
and his neck wss Instantly broken. Death
given over to friends and relatives who
took charge OF the remains and laid them
TO rest IN the Anderson cemetery. Roe's
dying declaration that he was innocent
created no Ii tie excitement. and
sympathy snd expressions in the matter
are as various SIS they are peculiar. He
met death bTavely and calmly, and con-
versed with his minister and the sheriff TO
the moment Of his death. Over Elk thou
sand spectators witnessed the execution.
He had previously prepared private
letter to his son, one of the two children
who survive him, In which he asserts his
innocence and warns his boy to brave the
aspersions of critical public. The drop
YVES sprung by Deputy Sheriff Upchurch
and Sheriff Scott. Deputy Sheriff Kelly
snd R v. Pharrar were the last to bid him
good bye. Res execution terminates
remarkable case in the criminal history of
Texas, and, if his dying declarations
should prove true, will end in one OF its
most remarkable and regretted tragedies.
HISTORY CT THE CRIME.
The offense for which Roe wss con-
victed was committed April Z, 1856, and
the peculiar enormity OF the deed was in
tensiied by the fact that his wife was 8
sweet and worthy woman, much liked by
all who knew her. The fact that she
died from strychnine poison WAS 80
clearly demonstrated that no attempt to
deny or cast doubt upon 1t was attempted
-snd neither he nor his counsel plead
mistake or accident, but based the entire
defense on the ground thst he did not
have and had not bought any strychnine,
but thai she was poisoned by two negroes,
4 man and woman, the msin states wit
nesses. But no possible motive for the
crime on the part Of these parties could be
shown, while it was proved, and not de-
MED that her life was insured in his ia
vor for $4,000, the premium of assess
ment on which he had paid dsy or so
after it was due, and day or SO only
before the poison was administered. RE
was raised in Walker and Grimes coun-
ties, and was born in one or the other OF
the counties. He has some very wealthy
connections in both counties. He served
SIS convict guard for long while. and
during the time was indicted in Wood
county for the murder Of one, and proba-
bly, two convicts at the same time, but was
not convicted He served one or more
terms as City Marshal of Huntsville, and
WAS defeated for the Office the day pre-
ceding the murder of his wife, and was
shown to be without employment and out
OF money. He is smooth faced, light
haired man about thirty years Of age, and
has two children, being the fruits Of his
marriage with the wife Of whose murder
he was convicted.