The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-05-25
ROBERT BOOKER HANGED.
The Murderer Of Charlie Brown tx
plates his Crime With a Broken
Meek.

la0t IlluhN llnlllliH III tiit county
iail of Prince Edward.
Some weeks before the date set for
his execution the condemned man
made profession Of religion, and upon
the scailold he expressed his willing
ness Ia die.
il was just six O'Clock when Sheriff
Dickinson went into Booker's cell and
read the death warrant At that time
Rev. f.. A. =. Cheek, pastor Of the
First Baptist Church, colored was
reading Scripture lessons 10 the PRISON.
er. Booker said all right, after which
he was handcuiled, his arms being
locked behind. lie walked with a
steady nerve from the cell to the scat
fold and without command OF hcsi-
fancy mounted it and took position
upon the trap. The preacher then
read another scripture lesson and Of
ferred prayer, while the prisoner stood
erect and gazed at the company Of
witnesses about him. Sheriff Dickin-
SON asked him if lac wished TO say
anything and he replied that he had
written all he wanted to say. Deputy
sheriff j. j. Harvey Immediately adj
iusted the black cap and the rope, and
Sheriff Dickinson pulled the trigger
Booker shot down with a sickening
thud IL was exactly six minutes af-
ter SIX o'clock when the trap was
sprung, and at 500 Drs. Anderson,
ellis and Crute pronounced him dead
His neck was broken in the fall.
ON the evening before the execution,
when the pastor was visiting him,
Booker handed himanote upon which
was written: "I want sung in the
morning, Softly and Tenderly Jesus
is Calling Calling for you and for
Me.
Booker could not write, but the fol-
lowing letter was dictated by him to
fellow prisoner, who in an adjoining
cell took it down as it came from his
lips.
Well, must die. it Is Gods will il
should be done. The Lord has for
given me for all my sins and ! am go
/ ing home To rest with God forever and
forever, where no more pain no more
sorrow, no more accusation Of man on
| this sinful earth. Man will be done
/ Judging me uujustly. will live with
God forever and forever more May
all men remember my life. / have
lived from my birth unwilling to God
will. Now ] ann warning everybody,
young and old To turn to God and
serve Him before it will be too late
had almost OVerstayed the day Of
grace but by his power he has saved
me. Now ] am waiting patiently on
the Lord was travelling a few
nights ago, and i'm my travel saw a
great storm Ii was night, and yet 10
seemed like full hour Of day The
sun was on fire, the elements were
burning, and / fell down on my knees
and said that the great day of his
wrath is come. In that storm / saw
letters running through the clouds !
could not read them and don't know
what they meant, but ! made out
these letters, G.. +. and r. / will be
put 90 death tomorrow morning, and
tell AN men 10 look for that storm for
II is sure coming. ! am willing and
ready To go. Jesus has promised To
make the rope easy TO my neck, and !
am trusting I'm him. ] have mother,
father. sister and brother who have
gone before, and / shall shake their
hands i'm the morning on the bright
celestial shores. / warn my three
sisters who ! leave here. Prepare 10
meet me i'm Heaven, where will be
mo- more sickness, no more pain, no
more sorrow. ! was born i'm May,
ls73.and die on May IS, O6. ] am
thirty-three years old, have finished
my time i'm this world and ann going
home 10 my father. have building
not made with hands.
This is the record Of my life.
Signed ROBERT BOOKER.
The crime for which Booker was
hanged was the killing Of Charlie
Brown on the night Of January 2)th,
1906.
He went 10 the home Of Brown and
calling him 10 the door shot him i'm
the face. Booker escaped TO the
woods, and was not captured for sew
eral days. He was tried at the March
term of the Court, and sentenced to
hang ON the 18th day Of May, but m am
effort To have his sentence commuted
TO life Imprisonment, Governor Swan
son respited him for two weeks, max
ing the date of his execution the 18th.
There have been but two legal hang
ngs in this couutyformanyyears and
one Of these, Soloman Marable, was
for crime committed in Lunenburg,
the murder Of Mrs Lncy Jane Pol
lard
Booker's body was shipped on the
II o'clock train to the State Anatomi-
col -,.feft qf Rfahunoud