This week in 1881
February 27th, 2015 by admin
“All young men take warning and never be guilty of theft, however small, because they might deserve the small penalty I am about to suffer. I have five minutes to live. I can think of Heaven in that time. While there is life there is hope.”
After kicking off his slippers:
“I will give them to the poor. The Courier-Journal cannot say I died with my boots on.”
— John Vanderpied, convicted of murder, hanging, Kentucky.
Executed February 25, 1881
The murderer of Rebecca Johnston, Vanderpied climbed the scaffold smoking a cigar. Although his full speech has not survived, it was reported that in it he maintained his innocence and read from the Shelby Sentinel, saying the newspaper misreported the story.
Filed under Uncategorized