The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-17
HENRY ROBERTS,
FAYETTE COUNTY
TERROR, KILLED
Character That Belonged to
Another Age Meets Death
at the Hands Of Sheriff
Ross and Posse.
UNDER LIFE SENTENCE
FOR MURDER AND ESCAPED
Career Of 0utIaWry Brought to
an End While He Faced the
Officers and Fought for
Freedom.

Freedom.
SoMERVILLE. Tenn. April IL. tspl)
"A sherifts posse went out from SOM
erville, Tenn. Thursday. morning at
O'Clock and surrounded the cabin home
Of Henry Roberts mother and called
for Henry to come out. Henry came
out lie came out shooting. but the
odds were against him and they killed
him,
He died with his trusty gun in bis
hand. the gun that as In the case of
all desperadoes, failed him at last, the
gun that heretofore had brought him
out OF all tho difficulties that II had
gotten him into, which were many, and
finally closed short but varied and
tempestuous career
The posse Of 10 men was led by Tom
Ross, the sheriff of Fayette county, a
mild-mRnnered man who goes after
them hard and fast when they call
themselves bad
Henry Roberts was type that was
out Of place in tho modern civilxa-
tion, He got q bad start In life. Things
went against him In his youth and he
became emhttered against the world
He believed the hand OF every man
was against him. He stole the LIQUOR he
drank and the guns he fought with.
Bad as a Youth.
When mere youth he ana his
brothers were incorrigible and a terror
TO the community, The younger
brothers were sent TO the State Reform
school In Nashville, II got lonesome for
Henry without his brothers, and he had
no other friends. He boarded through
freight train and went TO Nashville and
got them He shot his way through
| the guards, but no had effects resulted
from the escRpade, They went back to
| Eayette county and were never sent
back to the school,
| After many minor eseApadss in which
/ ne and his brother Jim participated.
Y kNth ~ Rhe0t nv own rural matt boxas,
breAkink tho liquidation. on telegraph
ana telephone lsoies and breaking IN
negro church nfeettngs. Jim got Jail
sentenee and Henry was sent To the
| pNnitentiAry, s@
Henry and noiEhbor were operat-
Ing on 4 goose for hard craw" aud
| Henry didn't like the way the Job was
| IN the face with brick and then shot
him. He got . year In the penltentiary
and served his time. Jim robbed and
assaulted = peddler and was glvon
| workhouse sentence, lie escaped from
the county road. Then he entered the
| NihS nlu SUaIss
Killed Deputy Sheriff.
Henry got into trouble again as soon
as he got out OF the peniteutiary. He
broke into stores and stole weapons and
ammunition and broke into railroad
depots and stole liquor. Sheriff Jor-
dan and his deputy, Dobhins. Of Wil-
llston, went out to get Henry. They
found Henry in the yard. They spoke
TO him and his mother and his wife and
| told Henry they had come for HIM,
| When tho word was spoken Henry
flashed an automatic pistol from his
overalls. severely wounded the sheriff
and shot the deputy through the neck
He was captured after several weeks
In Mississippi, followed a number OF
encounters In which his ankle was
shattered He was taken to Memphis
and kept until the time for his trial.
He was convicted OF first degree MUIR
der and sentenced to be eleetrocuted,
| The supreme court sustained the YER
dict Then he was taken TO the Da-
wilson county jail in Nashville, to be
lheld for execution,
Bowers Act Saved Life.
| After his conviction and before tho
sentence could be carried out. the
Bowers law Rbolishing capital punish
ment was passed II did not interfere
| with tho verdict in his case, but Gov,
Rye felt that while the law was not
retroactive and could not be. he was
not justified in permitting the execu-
ton OF criminal after capital punish
| ment was abolished
Tho governor visited Henry IN the
jail He talked with him without lot
ting the boy know that he was talking
with the governor. He was impressed
with his ignorance and his lack OF un.
derstandng Experts visited him and
declared that he had the mind OF a,6-
year-od boy.
After serving about two years Of his
life sentence Henry and one or two
themselves on n switch engine In the
penitentlary grounds and rode out on
It, When they were safely outside the
walls Henry drew pistol and COM
manded the engineer TO steam ahead
No ono knows whore he got the pistol
and the engineer didn't ask.
Then came frantic search through
the Cumberland river bottoms and the
whole country, but Henry successfully
evaded his purusuers and went TO Ar
kansas II is believed that he was
there until he returned to his old home
Monday night.
His brother, Jim, was released from
the army n few months ago. He went
TO Arkansas and induced Henry to re-.
turn with him. The word was quickly
sent out that the Roberts boys were
back In Fayette county Sheriff Ross
began watching the house. He was
assisted by Deputies Burton and Latta,
Died as He Had Lived.
Early Thursday morning they de-
clded the boys were inside They ap-
preached the house and the dogs be-
xan barking, Tho boys realized that
Something was wrong. Henry dashed
out OF the house with his IS automatic
in his hand He saw he was surround
ed He opened fire upon the posse
and shot until he had no more shells.
Finally he dropped In his tracks dead.
The posse then got Jim and took him
10 tan He will serve the remainder
OF his sentence which he began moro
| than four years ago,