This week in 1857
August 3rd, 2013 by admin
“For God’s sake, don’t do that again.”
— Danforth Hartson, convicted of murder, hanging, California.
Executed July 15, 1857
Hartson (aka Sailor Jim) claimed self-defense in a fight that followed his argument with “estimable citizen” John Burke, whom he knocked to the ground and then shot in the chest. Burke was able to make a full statement, naming Hartson as the murderer, before he died.
Hartson’s last words came after he slipped through the noose and fell through the trap door.
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