How does a youthful offender at the age of eight get to death row by the age of twenty-seven? Allow me to tell you the story of John William Rook, an inmate I wrote to in 1986.
I first learned of John from a Christian radio program when we lived in Pennsylvania a year before we moved to Virginia. The radio minister had several names of inmates on death row in the North Carolina State Penitentiary, and gave us the address. I chose John Rook.
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J. "Rookster" Rook, 4/24/86
I saved his two letters and a gift he sent me, and I have them before me as I write; his handwriting is beautiful. He taught himself to write very perfectly from a book on handwriting, he said.
Knowing he was on death row urged me to write immediately about the condition of his soul and the afterlife. He informed me he didn't believe in the Bible or in the devil, although he respected my viewpoint. I will quote from his letter dated March 31, 1986, below:
"Mrs. Beachy, I've been in and out of lock ups all my life. The first time I got put away I was 8 years old, and all that time I've seen guys use the Bible to get out, and before you know it they are back in and the first thing they do is pick up a Bible. Yes, Mrs. Beachy, I got Bibles, but there no need for me to pick them up till I believe. . . If I do pick it up, the Lord will know I for real. I had this "Grand" Grandmother and she was a believer, and she told me one time, John don't ever play with the good Lord, when you give your heart to him its for keeps. . . My grandmother, she gone now. Oh I got my mother and father, brother and sister, we just don't talk anymore."
I sent John a book Dan Nicholson, our pastor at Indian Lake Christian Center had written: "From Hippy to Happy", where Dan tells his own story of how Jesus saved him. I prayed the book would reach John in ways I could not. In my reply to his March letter, I pleaded with him to give his life to Jesus, and assured him that Jesus would forgive him and take him to heaven if he would call on Jesus. I offered to be sort of a "mother" to him.
The second and last letter (3 pages) I got from him was dated April 29, 1986. and I quote from that here:
"Look, I'm not going into details about my life, but yes, it was a terrible life, not since I was 8 years old, but from day one. I was just kick out of my home when I was 8. . . Mrs. Beachy right now as my case stands I'll be the next one on death row that will die. Why I'm telling you this is because I'm not going to change before then, and if it's true you go before God on that day, I want him to know I'm not a bad guy and I didn't use his words to help me out of this. Could you tell him for me?
"When I read your letter and go the part of you saying you would like to be my adopted mother it really touch me. I've never had a mother. I had this woman who brought me in the world. I don't know what to say. I think I would like haven you as a mom, but I'm too old now, I'm 27 years old. . . I've been married, got one kid, a boy, never seen him only in a picture. . . Thank you for the book, it's like me as far as the Hippie, I don't know too many Happy. I use to be a biker . . . they were my family. . .don't think what you read about bikers is true. Bikers are loving people, they were the family I never had. . . Well, I'll close for now, but not my friendship for you. Tell the family I said howdy. With love and respect, J. "Rookster" Rook --- Happy Mother's Day. . ."
Along with the beautifully-decorated envelope this letter was mailed in, he also sent a handmade Mother's Day drawing carefully mounted with scotch tape on a piece of cardboard and covered with plastic wrap. I took a picture of it and the envelope. I want to show this to you:
And the Mother's Day drawing --
I took the picture sideways in order to get it all in, but you get the idea. He had such beautiful artistic talent.
Months passed and I didn't hear any more from him. I prayed he was reading the book and taking it to heart. I prayed the Holy Spirit was working in him. I believed his grandmother's prayers were still working too.
Then one Saturday morning I awoke feeling a supernatural happiness in my soul; I couldn't explain it. Dave turned on the radio as I turned over in bed, and the news was on. The first words I heard were: "John William Rook was executed by lethal injection at midnight last night, September 19, 1986, at the North Carolina State Penitentiary." I went cold for a moment, but then realized through my tears that my happiness must have been the Lord's way of letting me know John made it home. I still believe that to this day.
How can you measure the power of a book? You tell me.
P.S. Please go to my website now and order several copies of my book, "Biff and Becka's Springtime Adventures" at www.elaineandfriends.com. Give it to children in your neighborhood or in your family; my goal is to diminish statistics like John Rook. Our nation's homes are a mission field!
Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy
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