After the initial volley of bullets failed to kill him:
“Oh my God! Oh my God! They have missed!”

Wallace Wilkerson, convicted of murder, firing squad, Utah. Executed May 16, 1879

Wilkerson, age forty-five, refused the traditional blindfold and restraints during his execution for killing a man over a disputed card game. A cigar remained in his hand during his final moments. Unfortunately for Wilkerson, the bullets missed his vital organs, and he struggled for breath for fifteen to twenty-seven minutes, depending on the account, before dying. A reporter from the Ogden Junction newspaper criticized the execution, writing: “The French guillotine never fails.”

“Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! Don’t hang me! I can’t die! I’m not ready to die! I don’t want to die!”

— Henry F. Andrews, convicted of burglary, hanging, North Carolina.
Executed May 16, 1879

The spring of 1878 became known as the “season of terror” in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Andrews was one of three men responsible. Andrews and his accomplices were accused of committing a “series of burglaries and attempts to violate the persons of young ladies.” In the end, Andrews, once described as stout and athletic, met the noose in a fragile physical and emotional state.

— Henry F. Andrews, convicted of burglary, hanging, North Carolina.
Executed May 16, 1879

The spring of 1878 became known as the “season of terror” in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Andrews was one of three men responsible. Andrews and his accomplices were accused of committing a “series of burglaries and attempts to violate the persons of young ladies.” In the end, Andrews, once described as stout and athletic, met the noose in a fragile physical and emotional state.

“God, forgive my brothers and my sisters for the sins I have committed. God, forgive me. God, I give my life for my brothers and sisters.”

— Jesse De La Rosa, convicted of murder, lethal injection, Texas.
Executed May 15, 1985

De La Rosa was convicted of slaying a man during a convenience store robbery. Because the store’s cash register wouldn’t open, the take from the robbery was only a six-pack of beer.