Isaac Yates: A WV Penitentiary Story

Former site of the Death House and Gallows at WV State Penitentiary. After the death penalty was abolished, the space was turned into basketball courts for the North Hall rec yard.

The second half of 1909 was a roller coaster of a time for Isaac N. Yates, a black man from McDowell County, West Virginia. That summer, he was arrested and convicted for the horrific crime of rape against his own 14 year old daughter. It took no time at all for a jury to convict him, and for him to be sentenced to hang at the West Virginia State Penitentiary on June 18th.

Around the same time, another black man from McDowell County—Arthur Brown—was convicted for murdering another man, and was also given a death sentence, to be carried out on the same day. Together, the two were transported to the penitentiary in Moundsville to await their fate in the dreaded Death House.

But, fate would be on their side. After a plea to WV Governor Glasscock, both men were granted a stay of execution until August 27th. This is where Brown’s luck would end; he was hanged on that date after a full confession of his crime (I’ll be posting another blog about him). He went to the gallows with as much dignity as a man who had killed a fellow man could muster. He was said to have an outstandingly cool, calm demeanor.

Meanwhile, Isaac Yates was also displaying behaviors not usually exhibited by a doomed man. Between June and August, the 117 pound man ballooned up to a weight of 171 pounds. He was all smiles, cheerfully chatting and laughing with guards. He even composed a song about his plight. In it, he praised Governor Glasscock for saving his life, but also blamed his own daughter for lying about the attack and getting him arrested. 

By order of the governor, Yates was examined by Dr. L.V. Guthrie of Huntington and Dr. A.J. Lyons of Spencer. Both men agreed that Yates was mentally irresponsible for his actions if not downright insane. As a result, August 27th only saw one man going to the gallows, while Yates was granted another three month reprieve. His new tentative execution date was set for December 3rd. Meanwhile, he would be watched closely to see if he really WAS mentally unsound, or simply faking it to avoid death. 

In late November, Captain Dawson of the WV State Penitentiary made a statement that he believed Yates was truly of unsound mind. As the state would not execute a man of unsound mind, he predicted that Yates’ sentence would be commuted to a sentence of life imprisonment. This is the last time that Mr. Yates pops up in the newspaper archives that *I* have access to. I wasn’t able to find any additional information on him, including any sort of WV death certificate. What is important, though, is that Mr. Yates’ name does not appear on the list of the 112 state sanctioned executions carried out at the former WV State Penitentiary at Moundsville. 

Was he guilty of the crime? If so, was he of sound mind, or was he faking it? And what was his fate? It’s possible he lived the rest of his days at the penitentiary. It’s also possible that he was granted parole at some point. A further possibility is that he was transferred to one of the state hospitals for the mentally ill. What I personally want to know is how anyone in 1909 could pack on an astonishing 54lbs in just a few months, eating nothing but prison rations! 

*MORE WV State Penitentiary Articles*

Sources:

Yates Will Not Hang. 24 November 1909. The Point Pleasant Register.

Isaac Yates Granted Respite. 26 August 1909. The Independent Herald (Hinton, WV).

Respite Granted. 24 June 1909. The Clarksburg Telegram.

Composes Song. 14 July 1909. The Point Pleasant Register.

He Grows Fat. 25 August 1909. The Point Pleasant Register.