Legal Executions

1900-1905

I have come across four examples of legal executions from 1900-1904. All were men serving time in jail for murder. Each record was only one or two pages. One page told their criminal history, previous occupation and birthplace. The next page contained the details of their death. All were hung, as ordered by the governor of Pennsylvania. I am making note of these cases because their inclusion in the County Coroner Case Files seems curious--these are not particularly bizarre or mysterious deaths. I was additionally surprised that there were four--this is rather a lot of legal executions for murder.

I also found an example of a legal execution. The man in this case was sentenced to be legally executed or hanged for the murder of his wife, and upon the verdict of the judge, the coroner decided that an inquest was not necessary. The most interesting part of this file, I thought, was the form that was filled out regarding the fate of the man. It is interesting to see how these forms were worded so long ago. I am thinking of including a copy of the form, without the man's name and information on it, with my final paper because I think that it might be an interesting addition to what I have so far.