Junius Robinson
Junius Robinson, a Black man, was hanged on January 2, 1900, at the Dinwiddie courthouse jail-yard in Virginia, after being held in jail in Petersburg and Dinwiddie. Accounts say he was allowed visits from friends at all times, received spiritual counsel from a pastor, shook hands with the officers as he left the jail, and carried a Bible. His wife was reported to be in North Carolina, and his mother and other relatives lived in Dinwiddie county. According to the Virginian-Pilot, he walked to the scaffold with a firm step and urged those present to avoid strong drink and firearms before the trap was sprung, while the Richmond Dispatch described the execution as quiet and orderly with few witnesses and said his unclaimed body was to be sent to a Richmond medical college; the two papers differ on where he was held beforehand.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: Virginian-Pilot (Petersburg dispatch) (reporters); Dinwiddie County Court (court).