“Well, I hope you are satisfied.”

— George Chew Wing, convicted of murder, electric chair, New York.
Executed June 10, 1937

“The first Chinese to be electrocuted in New York state in more than 20 years” is all one press service recorded. According to authorities, Wing murdered another Chinese man, Yip Chow, while robbing his Manhattan apartment. He sneered his last words at his executioners.

Wing’s case was included in the 1992 book “In Spite of Innocence” among almost two dozen cases in which the editors believed “an innocent person was executed.”

“The Doctors said I felt justified when I killed those people and they are right. I did. It was revenge I was after. The love that I was denied because my parents spent too much time doing church work and they still do, and forcing me to stay home and lead the life they wanted me to live. I got my revenge and I am not sorry now and never will be. . . . I’ve had enough of it, I want to die.”

— Barton Kay Kirkham, convicted of robbery and murder, hanging, Utah.
Executed June 7, 1958

Kirkham was an air force deserter who walked into a small grocery store with the intention of robbing it. When he was given a lesser amount of money than he believed was in the store, he brought the store owner into the back room, where he found another woman, and he laid them both on the floor and shot them. After his murder conviction Kirkham said that he chose to hang because of the novelty and publicity, and to inconvenience the state. The St. Petersburg Times recorded his last words as “I’ve asked God to forgive me.”

“Good-bye, boys. Here goes a brave man!”

— Anthony Azoff, convicted of murder, hanging, California.
Executed June 7, 1895

Azoff and two others were taken by surprise when attempting to rob the South Pacific Train Station Depot. Three officers sprang from an empty boxcar, informed ahead of time of the robbery. While running to escape, Azoff fired wildly, fatally wounding Detective Len Harris in the abdomen. A five-hundred-dollar reward was place on his head before he was finally captured.

Later Azoff spoke with a reporter, telling him that he actually liked prison. “This is better than scrapping for a living outside any day,” he said. “Before I came here I had a dread of the place. Instead I have a fine room, dry and clean and white as snow. And such beds! It’s almost worth hanging to have a nice, soft place to lie in.”