THE LAST LEGAL EXECUTION
[continued from I'AGE 4|
Lancaster engaged in cheerful con
versation on his way and ascended
with firm tread, looking over the
crowd with a smile on his face.
Jiev. J. (’. Brown offered up a
‘very fervent prayer.
The warrant was read by Sher
iff Case, who asked Lancaster if
he wished to say anything, lie
said “1 had concluded not to say
anything on the gallows as I had
jsaid what 1 intended to say several
days ago, but 1 have changed my
niind. It may do some one good,
if you don't want to come to the
gallows don't be criminals; if .\ou
don’t want to la* criminals, shun
bail company. Bad company
brought me here. I am here to
day but don't know where 1 will
be tomorrow, yet my laith in the
Lord Jesus leads me to believe
that I am going home. 1 pray 11 is
blessings upon you all (raising his
hands). 1 forgive all who have
uiiiruwl me Mild DTUV 111)011
them the mercy which I expect to
receive.”
lh* was perfectly cool and dis
passionate and looked like a man
in his daily avocation not a mus
cle quivered. After the rope was
adjusted he said: Let me yet
hack so my face will not strike
that thiny. ”
When the cap was adjusted he
raised it and said: “Let me look at
the crowd.” With a calm and se
rene smile he ylanced hurriedly
over the crowd and said: “1 am
ready.” He then bade the sheriff
good-bye and said: “1 die from
false testimony, but if you feel as
well as I, when you die you will be
all right.” At 1:29 the drop fell.
He gave about half a dozen jerks
and in 11 minutes was pronounced
dead by Mrs. Case and Weaver.
He was cut down at six minutes
Of two o'clock. His face was then
as calm as when he ascended the
scaffold. The physicians differed
a* to whether his neck was broke.
■y—~
His body was given to his friends
who carried it to Stone county tor
interment.
HIS LAST HTATKMENT.
On last Wednesday he wrote
the following and gave it to (ien
eral Thompson, one of ids attor- i
neys, for publication, as his last
utterance:
I am under death sentence and
as the time is drawing near when
! have to meet death, I would like
to speak a few words to the public
in our paper before l march to
the scaffold, which is not a lit
place to speak only a place ot ex
edition. I will say what l ha\c
to say before I start tor the
wretched gallows, but my leadings
are oppressed with that fatal houi
now, so what I say now is spoken
with the same feelings as I would
say them on the trap.
If it is the will of Almighty Hod
that 1 should die, 1 will say in His
presence as well as of the people
that I ditl not get justice done me
when 1 was tried for the killing of
Thomas .Johnson, trusting every
| word I say will be spoken in truth,
justice and charity. As I did not
look on my offense ns being more
than manslaughter, I was very
much surprised when the verdict
was brought in, “Guilty of mur
der in the first degree,” but I was
more surprised at the version of
the tragedy given to the jury by
the prosecution. People may think
1 felt bad when the verdict was
rendered, tint as the fatal blow ot
| injustice had already struck me,
the rendering of the verdict had
no more effect on me. 1 lie death
sentence only pricked the deep
wound which had been inflicted by
the revengeful tongues of those
who were fully determined to
avenge the life of Thomas John
son. What a terrible revenge! I
can’t bear to think about it. The
only way 1 can conquer such feel
ings is to fail on my knees and ask
God to forgive those who have
avenged themselves on my help
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THE JOURNAL,
Newark, . . Arkansas.
t
loss body, as I pray God to have
compassion and mercy on me.
May God forgive them; I do.
As for my killing Johnson, I j
never denied it, but as to my do
itig it with premeditation or malice
aforethought, I utterly deny all
such accusations; because 1 killed
him in the sudden heat of passion
brought on by angry disputes and
quarreling between him and me.
As to premeditating the killing, I
did not. I ask Almighty High
God to be my judge as 1 say I
never thought of killing Johnson
one minute before 1 did it. Even'
when 1 drew my pistol it was not
with the determination of shoot
ing; if it had been 1 never would
have asked or warned him not to
crowd me.
As to justice being done me,
aside from the evidence, 1 have no j
right to complain, only 1 think
when the jury dispersed among
the people, when public opinion
was at its highest against me, it
had a great influence on their
minds in making them render the
verdict they did. I do not blame
the jury in the least, because the
overwhelming evidence of the
State was enough to set any one
against me, and at variance wit h
the true facts of the ease, which
were entirely concealed from both
the jury and the public. As for
my counsel, 1 believe they did the
best they could do with the evi
dence as it was.
1 have been placed in an unfor
tunate position ever since the trag
edy. For the want of means or
influential friends I was unable to
obtain evidence to show the truth, j
and contradict the false account of
the affair which was circulated as
rumors, and related by the news- ,
papers as well as given in the evi
dence. However, I can stand all
that now, as the world lias no long
er any charms for me.
Rad a man as 1 have been made
out to be, 1 feel it due to loved
friends to say I was never guilty
of taking an advantage or aveng- j1
ing myself on an adversary when
he was helpless.
1 trust 1 will die in charity with
all mankind and obtain the mercy i
of my God. I pardon all who have t
injured me, and ask forgiveness '
of all whom I have injured, and of
God against whom only 1 have
sinned. Robert N. Lancaster.
THE INTERVIEW.
A few da.\ s before the execution,
a reporter of this paper visited
Robert Lancaster in his cell and
had a long interview with him. |
was 2S years of age and was a
ive of that part of Stone eotin
that was cut off from Izard
mty, this State. He lias lived
urge portion of his life on the I
uitiers of Texas and Kansas.
I'he fir-4 difficulty 1 ever got in
to was in Kansas. 1 was working
with a man in the stone mason s>
business
s and had a misunderstand- j
ing with him about some money
and shot him. Had company led j
me to it. I left Kansas and came
back to Arkansas, and in about a
month shot Johnson. '1 his 1
thought 1 did in self defense. If
I had thought it a cold-blooded
murder 1 should have left the
country. This 1 did not attempt
to do. The utmost 1 thought could
be made of it was manslaughter.
The witnesses put up a job on me
through malice. They took the
dark side and did not see anything _
in my favor. The boys treated
me wrong. 1 don’t accuse them ,
of lying, but they made bad mis
takes. 1 will give you in detail (
the circumstances of the murder. |
About dusk 1 got to McMurtry &
Whitfield’s store and did some
trading. About an hour in the ’
night a lot of us boys combed out ,
heads and started to the dance, t
llendron said to me, “Bob, y°u
[continued on page 7.J
O. F. Craig, A. A. Henderson,
I Craig: & Henderson, 1
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