The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-06-09
HANGED
Gabriel BattaiIe Pays
Penalty Of His Crime.
HE SHOWED NO EMOTION
Said He Was Going Home
To Glory.
he SHOWED NO EMOTION
BODY SENT TO MEDICAL COLLEGE


] iNIHtlNl 10 lt L itt lallltf
King George &. June S,19OG, 1910 An
Gabriel llattailc, the Ii year old Negro
| who committed criminal assault oi
! Lena Rogers. the half wittcd l6 year
old daughter of Mr.. Rudolph Rogers, o
! King George, paid the penalty OF th,
crime ON the galow- here this morning
The drop frll at 81 = and ait.r cNami
nation and being pronounced dead 10y
Medical Student v -. Caruthcr-, Jr, oil
the College OF Medicine. Richmond, h,
was taken down N G.:i3 and the body
given in charge oi Undertaken j. W
Walker. who shipped 1t at once 10 the
college OF Medicine Battaic exhibited
wonderful nerve from the time sentence
WAS pronounced up To the end
The history OF the crime Is familiar L.
the readers Of thi- paper Batthile was
taken from Jail here Thursday evening
hy Sergeant j G.. Chichester. delivered
10 Capt NJ b. Rowe. of the Washington
Guards. who with 36 members OF the
company carried him 10 King George g.
H. and lodged him ia jail 10 await eX-
ccutiun.
Battaile slept well. arose about {
O'Clock and ate "A hearty breakfast. after
which be- was called from hi- cell hy
Sheriff T. Owens, who read The death
warrant 10 him He seemed perfectly
careless OF the situation and smoked "a
cigarette during It's reading When 10
was over be- threw TIE cigarette away
and returned 30 his cell
Rev Frederick Winston. his spiritual
adviser. then entered and spent short
time with him in prayer
In the meantime preparations were
being completed for the execution.
Around the jail was "a Gordon of soldiers.
AZ Cos Battaile emerged from Jail
dressed iu black suit tightly huttourd
up. with % bouquet ON the Lapel ~ hi-
coat accompanied 10y Sheriff Il /
Owens. his two SONS. j l.. and j. j.
Owens. "a detail Of ten men under Lieut.
7 VI. larhin. and mar. he'd with % firm
step % the "a lows.
h. stood there calmly while Sheriff
Owens WIS preparing the black cap aud
moose. When Rev. Winston asked him If
hc had anything to say hi- reply Wa.
Good hy- ali friends, am going homo
t0Jc-us Then the black cap Was PLACED
over his head. the moose allu-tcd and his
last words a- The trapwa- sprung. wcr,.
II am going home tu glory
The drop was u distance oi five i""t
and his neck was broken 10y the fat.
There WAS no motion OF the body and
only the tWitchug oi one Of his limbs.
There was none of bis relatives pms
ent. Ills mother was given an uppor-
tunity 20 SEQ him, but declined % come.
The -caiiold was imam enclosure 2ON3O
feet and ! , iect high Ii was of ordinary
timber cut from The woods nearb", (
feet high. with platform and trap door
Z bet from the ground. Tie whole was
located in the rear OF the large stable ON
the courthouse green There were about
% witnesses To the execution. The en-
CLOSURE was guarded hy detail OF sol
diar- i'm charge of Lieut.. 4. q. Isl Kingsley,
18th the following men: Sergeant Pry-
ton Rowe Corporals Robert Howe and
T.. j. Cain. and Pnvaf's Henry Walters,
Oscar Lewis. John Mcdonnell. Charles
Perry. VI Hogan Carl Cox, Allyn H,r,y.
NJ McCarty Hugh ThOmpson.S. TIL mp
son. q. Thompson. Robert Newton VII
lie Favil. Gordon shepherd. Arthuc II.
Lewis and Wallace Newton
After Battaile was pronourc d dead.
the people who had come with the hone
OF witnessing tine execution Weie All
mittcd into the enclosure. TLcIe We're
about City from th" county and this
number was increased by O'clock.
The body WAS Immediately placed in a
plain pine coffin. a. prescl ,hcd by state
law. aud shipped to the Colege Of Mcdi-
cine an Richmond
Their was asmoothneSs in thearrapge-
mentS for the execution for which Sheriff
Owens deserves credit.
At7o'clock Capt. Rowe received the
dischargr from Sheriff Owens OF his COM
mand, aud the company left for Freder-
icksburg