Executed
Joseph Fife
Joseph Fife, a Black man, was executed by hanging in the yard of the Richmond city jail in August 1897, according to a report in The Austin Weekly Statesman. The paper reported that he went to the gallows penitent, and that his last words to the deputy sheriff were a remark about sending a telegram from heaven. He died in the presence of the deputy sheriff as the sentence was carried out.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state