This week in 1922
“Take a step forward, lads. It will be easier that way.”
— Erskine Childers, convicted as Irish patriot, firing squad, Dublin
Executed November 24, 1922
Although he was born in Britain, a member of the Royal Navy, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, Childers, a husband and father of two, was labeled a traitor. A supporter of Irish home rule, he navigated the treacherous Ireland shores with his yacht the “Asgard” to bring firearms and ammunition to volunteers, an act that caused Irish immigrants from the U.S. to donate to the cause. Childers became an Irish citizen worked as a newspaperman. But when Ireland was given their home rule, he soon began supporting and creating propaganda for a total Republic Ireland, or as commonly known now as the IRA. He was eventually captured by the ruling Free State soldiers, believed to be the inspiration behind IRA attacks and assassinations. Shaking each of his executioners’ hands, Childers proclaimed that despite being branded a traitor by Britain, he proclaimed he still loved his native country.
This week in 1933
“I don’t hold it against all you folks because you have condemned me without a fair trial. I don’t even hold it against the jury. Ignorance is not the fault of the ignorant. I don’t even have any malice for the courts, although they defied all laws in affirming my case. I forgive all of you. You loved the girls. You let your desire for revenge overshadow your sense of justice.”
— Earl Quinn, convicted of murder, electric chair, Oklahoma.
Executed November 24, 1933
Quinn was described as a “one-time alcohol runner” by the Associated Press, but few other details survive except the names of his victims: schoolteacher sisters Jessie and Zexia Griffith.
This week in 1994
“I’ll see you.”
— Warren Bridge, convicted of murder and robbery, hanging, Texas
Executed November 22, 1994
At 19 years old, Warren Bridge shot and killeda 62-year-old convenience store clerk. Bridge shot the man four times while his accomplice robbed the store. The clerk died four days after Bridge was arrested, two weeks after the incident. Bridge served prison time for burglary and had been implicated in the bombing of another inmate’s cell before receiving the death penalty.
