Robert Charlton
Robert Charlton, a 20-year-old Black man, was hanged on February 5, 1892, on a scaffold on the west side of the Henderson County jail, where he was being held. Accounts describe him as calm in his last hours: he thanked the jailer and the ministers who counseled him, sang and prayed through the night, and walked to the gallows in a new black suit. The Evansville Courier reported that his mother did not come to see him because her husband was sick. A county doctor pronounced him dead and said the drop broke his neck. The jailer had said he feared a mob might take the prisoner; a judge declined to move him but authorized extra guards at night, and crowd estimates ranged from about 3,000 to 8,000.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Charlton maintained to the end that Minnie Martin's death was accidental, according to the Evansville Courier.
Reported by: county doctor; Evansville Courier (reporters).