Gabriel Battaillo
Gabriel Battaile, a Black young man reported to be 16 or 17 years old, was executed by hanging on the morning of June 8, 1906, in Virginia, after being held in the King George jail. Witnesses described him as a small, composed young man who smiled a little at the crowd, and he ate a hearty breakfast and prayed with a spiritual adviser before going to the gallows. Before he died he sent word to his mother: "Don't grieve for me; I hope to meet you in glory." Newspaper reports say the sheriff read him his death warrant that morning, that the hanging took place at the King George Court House, and that the fall broke his neck.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: historical newspaper accounts of the June 8, 1906 hanging (reporters).