The Last Public Execution in America

by Perry T. Ryan

 

RAINEY BETHEA

In various records there are more than one way in which his name was spelled, but he himself spelled it, "Rainey Bethea." A native of Roanoke, Virginia, he stated he was born on October 16. He claimed various years for his birth, which ranged from 1909 to 1913, none of which has been verified. The son of Rainey and Ella Louise (Huggins) Bethea, he attended school for only about three years, where he learned how to read and write, though sparingly.

His father was born about 1894 but died young about 1926. His mother died in 1919. Thus, when Bethea was still young, he lost his mother, and when he was only slightly older he was orphaned by the loss of his father. Records reflect that he probably left home about this time. At least one sister, Ora Fladger, lived in Nichols, South Carolina. One brother lived in Virginia.

In the spring of 1933, Bethea worked at Owen and Rolla L. Rutherford's home, located at 221 East Fourth Street (the corner of Fourth and Lewis Streets), and lived in their basement for about a year. Later, he moved into a cabin located about two blocks away, behind Emmett Wells' home, only about twenty feet from the rear garage.

Later, Bethea rented a room from Mrs. Charles Brown, located at 204 West Seventh Street and worked as a laborer. There are records which reflect that he attended a Baptist church and Sunday School. He occasionally smoked and heavily drank alcoholic beverages.

Bethea was charged with breach of the peace in Owensboro, in 1935, and he was fined $20.00, but this was only one of several crimes he committed. In April of 1935, he entered the Vogue Beauty Shop, located on Frederica Street in Owensboro, and took two purses. Because the value of the purses, which contained money and other valuables, was greater than $25.00, the theft was a felony, and he was indicted for grand larceny. A felony is an offense for which a person may receive a sentence of at least a year in prison. On May 31, 1935, Bethea pled guilty to grand larceny in the Daviess Circuit Court. Commonwealth's Attorney Herman A. Birkhead recommended that he be sentenced to a term of one year imprisonment. Judge George W. Wilson agreed to the recommendation.

On June 1, 1935, Bethea was transported to the Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville where he began his sentence. Upon entering the institution, he was given a routine physical examination. Being a small man, who certainly did not look like the monster he was later thought to be, Bethea stood at five feet, four and three-eighths inches tall and weighed merely 128 pounds. His prisoner number was 11275. While at the institution, he was treated for syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease.

On November 19, 1935, he was interviewed by the Kentucky State Parole Board, which consisted of a Mr. Beale and a Mr. Deskin. The board recommended that he be paroled, and he was released from the State Penitentiary on December 1, 1935, the earliest date which he could be legally paroled. He returned to Owensboro, where he continued to room with Mrs. Clarence D. Brown, at 408 West 7th Street. He was paid about $7.00 per week, and his room and board were free. This compensation, according to many, was a handsome amount for a laborer.

A little more than a month after he was paroled, Bethea was arrested by police and charged with dwelling house breaking. On January 6, however, the charge was amended in the Owensboro Police Court to drunk and disorderly. He was fined $100 and, being unable to pay, served out the fine in the Daviess County Jail. He remained there until April 18, 1936, when he was released. The Kentucky penal system failed Bethea himself, and, more importantly, it failed Lischia Edwards. Kentucky law empowered the Kentucky Parole Board to set conditions of parole. As a standard condition of parole, the releasee was forbidden from committing any other crimes. When Bethea was convicted of this petty offense, the local authorities should have notified the Parole Board to arrange his return to prison. Bethea was not returned to the state prison after his conviction for being drunk and disorderly. Had procedure been followed and had he been returned to prison to serve out his sentence, he would not have been at large, and therefore, he could not have attacked Lischia Edwards.

As another condition of his parole, Bethea was required to file a monthly report with the Parole Board in which he outlined his financial condition as well as other matters. Bethea apparently had lost the forms which he had received from the institution because on May 4, 1936, he wrote his parole officer the following letter:

Owensboro, Ky.

May 4, 1936

Dear Sir:

I have lost my papers and i [sic] can't take any monthly reports and i [sic] won't [sic] you to send me some more if you please sir.

From

Rainey Bethea

408 W. 7th St.

Owensboro, Ky.

About a month later, on Friday, June 5, 1936, around 4:00 p.m., Bethea walked by a house where a seventh grader, Robert Rutherford, who lived with his parents, Owen and Rolla L. Rutherford, at 221 East Fourth Street (the corner of Fourth and Lewis Streets), a distance of only two blocks from where Mrs. Edwards lived. Bethea mentioned that he had dropped an iron on his foot, and Robert noticed that one of Bethea's shoes was cut out to relieve the pressure.

The next day, Saturday, Bethea again met up with Robert Rutherford at about 4:30 p.m. This encounter occurred at Daman Bryant's Store, located across the street from Mrs. Edwards' residence. Bethea was wearing a black ring that had the initial, "R," carved into it. Bethea told the boys that if they found a dice, he would make a ring just like it for them.

On Sunday, June 7, 1936, he committed the crimes which led to his public execution. The specifics of this incident will be discussed in greater detail.

Until he was charged with raping Lischia Edwards, Bethea's status with the Parole Board remained good. The only entry on his record was that, four days prior to his scheduled hanging, on August 10, 1936, Bethea's welfare officer, Jennie Hardin, reported to the State Parole Board that he had been scheduled to be hanged in Owensboro on August 14, 1936, for the assault and murder which he committed on June 7, 1936, in Owensboro. A notation was made that Bethea was presently incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jail.