The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-03-04
WAVED AN ADIEU TO BABY
DID WILLIE ROGERS JUST BE-
FORE BEING HANGED.
Told His Sister She Must Not Cry,
and Was the Most Self-COmpOsed
of IA Pathetic Group.

of IA Pathetic Group.
Willie Rogers, a young white man,
was hanged in Savannah on Tuesday,
and although he was self-cOmposed
in a marked degree, almost cheerful,
his last hours before the hangsman 5
moose broke his neck and strangled
out his life were full of pathetic in
terest
The Savannah Press says the con-
demned man was permitted to de-
scend from the cell where he was in
constant conference with Rev. J. S.
Wilder, his spiritual adviser, to greet
his relatives for the last time on
earth His greetings were extended
through the grating which connects
the jailers office with the hall lead
ing to the cells. He was brought
down two flights of stairs to see
those who came to bid him farewell.
His aunt and his elder brother, &C
companied by a young woman rela-
tive, reached the Jail shortly before
9 o'clock and Rogers was called
down to see them.
His brother and the two ladies
conversed in low tones with the con-
demned man for some time before
their departure and left him, the
ladies to see him no more alive.
They had scarcely gone when Rogers
half sister came in with her husband.
The man carried a little girl baby,
fat and smiling, upon his arm. She
was not more than a year and
half old, but she seemed interested
in the proceedings. The woman was
in tears.
AS she had visited the Jail before
the Jail attaches knew her, and lost
no time in having her half brother
notified of her arrival.
Bring Willie Rogers down." was
the command passed from man to
man until the message was delivered
to those responsible directly for the
safety of the man who was soon to
die. Rogers came gladly and will
ingly. He saw his sister seated be-
side the window as he passed the sec
Ond tier of cells. He saw she had
been crying, and stopping for mo-
ment to catch her eye he held up a
warning finger which said as plainly
as if he had spoken the words, "Be
| brave; there must be no tears here. "
InstinctiveIy the young woman at
the grated window dried her eyes
and nodded encouragingly to the
man above her He then quickly
came to the window and perhaps for
| ten minutes they talked in subdued
| tones The man treasured the wO-
man and the woman comforted him
as best she could There was no
goodby kiss-the iron bars forbade
such a parting-but a small feminine
| finger found its way through the
grating to be grasped by the unfort-
innate on the otner side.
Waved Baby Farewell.
Rogers brother-in-Iaw, with the
babe still in his arms, edged in
! closer to get better look at the
! prisoner and to hear better what was
said. He, too, told him goOdby and
| the young man left the window to
return to his cell He ran lightly
up the steps to the floor upon which
| his cell was situated. AS he passed
| the window second time he seemed
to have remembered that he had not
| told the baby goodby, and stopped
! for an instant to wave the little one
a farewell. 1t was such a message
as one might watt who was starting
upon a pleasure journey, being even
accompanied by a smile. Rogers
face lit up for that instant with
more evidence of interest than he
had permitted it to do for many
months where others might see.
Rogers Crime.
Willie Rogers shot and killed his
wife, Ella, on September 30th, 1905.
He approached her from the rear
and fired once into her back. AS
she turned to flee he shot her again
in the right breast. Even after be-
ing shot twice the woman still tried
to get away and just as she was 60
ing into a door fell and died in a
few minutes.