BACKGROUND
Rainey Bethea, was born in Roanoke, Virginia, he was orphaned after the death of his mother in 1919 and his father in 1926. Not much is known of his childhood, but we do know that Bethea moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, in order to find work in the tobacco fields. He was charged with various petty offenses, but in 1935, he was convicted of a felony, grand larceny because the values of the purses he stole exceeded $25. After convicted he was sentenced to two years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary.
THE CRIME
On the early morning of June 7, 1936, Bethea was intoxicated and broke into the home of Lischia Edwards by climbing onto the the roof of a building next door. From there, he jumped onto the roof of the servant’s quarters of Emmett Wells' house, and then walked down a wooden walkway. He climbed over the kitchen roof to Edwards' bedroom window. After removing a screen from her window, he entered the room, and she became awake. He then proceeded to choke Edwards and violently raped her. After she was unconscious, he searched for valuables and stole her rings. In the process, he removed his own ring, and failed to retrieve it. He left the bedroom and hid the stolen jewels in a barn not far from the house.
Throughout the next four days, the police searched for him and on Wednesday, Burt "Red" Figgins was working on the bank of the Ohio River, when he spotted Bethea in the bushes. Figgins reported this sighting to his supervisor, and asked him to call the police. By the time he had returned to the spot on the river bank, Bethea had moved to the nearby Koll's Grocery. They followed him and then found a policeman in the drugstore, but when they searched for Bethea, he again eluded capture. Later that afternoon, Bethea was again spotted. This time, he was cornered on the river bank after he tried to board a barge. When police officers questioned him, he denied that he was Bethea, claiming his name was James Smith. The police played along with the fabricated name, fearing a mob would develop if residents were to learn that the murderer had been captured. After his arrest, Bethea was identified by a scar on the left side of his head.
Throughout the next four days, the police searched for him and on Wednesday, Burt "Red" Figgins was working on the bank of the Ohio River, when he spotted Bethea in the bushes. Figgins reported this sighting to his supervisor, and asked him to call the police. By the time he had returned to the spot on the river bank, Bethea had moved to the nearby Koll's Grocery. They followed him and then found a policeman in the drugstore, but when they searched for Bethea, he again eluded capture. Later that afternoon, Bethea was again spotted. This time, he was cornered on the river bank after he tried to board a barge. When police officers questioned him, he denied that he was Bethea, claiming his name was James Smith. The police played along with the fabricated name, fearing a mob would develop if residents were to learn that the murderer had been captured. After his arrest, Bethea was identified by a scar on the left side of his head.