Thirty years
ago on this date, August 27, 1984, Reverend Jean Ernest Darter was murdered by Perrie Dyon Simpson in Reidsville, North
Carolina. Perrie Simpson was executed by lethal injection in North Carolina, 22
years later on January 20, 2006. Reverend Darter was a chaplain in the U.S Army
during World War II.
"So long as we live, they too shall live and love for they are a part of us as we remember them."- Gates of Prayer
We, the comrades of
Unit 1012, will make Jean Ernest Darter one of the 26 Christian Martyrs of Unit 1012.
Reverend Jean Ernest Darter |
Source: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43652341 |
INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/simpson1006.htm
Statement by The Family Of Rev. Jean Earnest Darter
Our
grandfather Jean Earnest Darter was a kind, gentle man who lived his life in
service to others.
We, the
family, live with the memory of terror Perrie Simpson inflicted upon Rev.
Darter, but we are not interested in sympathy or being portrayed as victims.
Life goes on and we do our best to make the most of it. Our grandfather would
want it that way.
In
attending the execution, we are honoring the wishes and memory of our parents
and the life of our grandfather. We respect the legal decision determined with
extreme care by three sets of jurors in three separate trials. We are thankful
for the dedication of the officers, investigators, attorneys, and other legal
professionals that worked long hours to properly determine Perrie Simpson's
guilt and appropriate sentence.
We believe
the death penalty saves lives. Clemson and Emory Universities determined 18
lives are saved as a result of each execution. Other studies indicate that each
death sentence and subsequent execution deters up to 25 murders annually.
We hope
coverage of Perrie Simpson's death sentence and execution will cause others to
think about the consequences of taking a life, respect the law, and increase
the value people place on the life of others.
Sincerely,
Curtis Faircloth, Grandson The Family of Jean Earnest Darter
Curtis Faircloth, a grandson of Darter's, who also watched the execution, said it was very peaceful, orderly and humane. "And it should be that way," he added.Darter, a Baptist preacher, would have supported Simpson's sentence, Faircloth said. "Punishment in the Bible is severe and complete," he said. "In a Biblical context, what happened last night is appropriate."
As a number of us, comrades
of Unit 1012: The VFFDP are Born Again Christians, we will dedicate three
prayers from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for him and his family.
A Prayer for All
Conditions of Men:
O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee
for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy
ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we
pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by
thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led
into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of
peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly
goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body,
or estate; [especially those for whom our prayers are desired]; that it may
please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities,
giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their
afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
Burial of the Dead 1662:
I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write; From henceforth
blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they
rest from their labours.
Burial of the Dead 1662:
ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in
the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered
from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity: We give thee hearty
thanks, for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the
miseries of this sinful world; beseeching thee that it may please thee, of thy
gracious goodness, shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect, and to
hasten thy kingdom; that we, with all those that are departed in the true faith
of thy holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and
soul, in thy eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
We will also dedicate this song called, ‘The Mansions of the Lord’ to him and his family,
as he was a World War II veteran.
Marine Corps War Memorial |
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