Rape executions in USA, 1800-1964

Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 18:27:40 -0600
From: vile 
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: Rape executions

                           RAPE EXECUTIONS IN USA----1800/1964

  Since 1800 in the USA, 924 men have been executed for rape and 80 for
  attempted rape.      

  487 were hanged, 458 were electrocuted, 1 was shot and 58 went to the
  gas chamber.  There were 48 double executions, 9 triple executions               
  and the famous "Martinville Seven", when 7 black men went to the
  electric chair in Virginia on 2 May 1951 for the rape of 1 white girl.                   
  It includes 6 men hanged for rape during WWII in the US Military Prison 
  at Shepton Mallet in the UK.  It does not include murder/rape where 
  it is assumed murder is the capital crime.  The emphasis is on women 
  and girls having the opportunity to relish the horrific punishment 
  inflicted on men who wilfully indulge their forbidden perverted desires.  
  Executions for attempted rape have an even greater impact------for the  
  obvious reason.
      
  A State by State summary of rape executions follows----------------

      ALABAMA           50 men executed for rape and 4 for attempted rape 
                        (26 hanged and 28 electrocuted.)               
                        Includes 5 double executions.

      ARKANSAS          36 men executed for rape.  
                        (16 hanged and 20 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 2 double executions.

      CONNECTICUT       1 man hanged for rape.

      DELAWARE          18 men executed for rape.   (All hanged)
                        Includes 2 double executions. 

      FLORIDA           48 men executed for rape.  (6 hanged and 42 electrocuted.)
                        Includes a triple execution on 4 October 1944. 

      GEORGIA           105 men executed for rape and 3 for attempted rape.
                        (41 hanged and 67 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 7 double executions. 

      INDIANA           1 man hanged for rape.

      ILLINOIS          2 men electrocuted for attempted rape.

      IOWA              3 men executed for rape. 
                        The 3 men were hanged on 5 July 1918 -----the
                        only rape execution in Iowa's history. (What a story !)

      KANSAS            3 men hanged for rape.

      KENTUCKY          44 men executed for rape and 2 for attempted rape.
                        (34 hanged and 12 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 4 double executions.
                        (See footnote re rape punishment in Kentucky.)
        
      LOUISIANA         42 men executed for rape and 4 for attempted rape.)
                        (32 hanged and 14 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 2 double executions.

      MARYLAND          58 men executed for rape.  (All were hanged.)
                        Includes 3 double executions.

      MASSECHUSETTS     6 men hanged for rape.

      MISSISSIPPI       28 men executed for rape and 1 for attempted rape.)
                        (13 hanged, 7 electrocuted and 9 asphyxiated in the
                        gas chamber.)
                        1 double execution and a triple execution on 16 March 
                        1934.                                          

      MISSOURI          16 men executed for rape.  (10 hanged and 6 to the gas
                        chamber.)
                        1 double execution.

      NEW JERSEY        1 man hanged for rape.

      NORTH CAROLINA    103 men executed for rape and 4 for attempted rape.
                        (38 hanged, 24 electrocuted and 45 to the gas 
                        chamber.)                                                      
                        Includes 9 double executions and a triple execution on                                
                        14 November 1947.

      OKLAHOMA          5 men electrocuted for rape.

      SOUTH CAROLINA    45 men executed for rape and 24 for attempted rape.
                        (10 hanged and 59 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 2 double executions and a triple execution on
                        7 February 1941.

      TENNESSEE         45 men executed for rape and 3 for attempted rape.
                        (15 hanged and 33 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 2 double executions and 3 triple executions 
                        on 4 April 1934, 13/14February 1942 and 31 August
                        1938.                                                                                       

      TEXAS             136 men executed for rape and 1 for attempted rape.
                        (43 hanged, 93 electrocuted and 1 shot.)
                        Includes 3 double executions and 2 triple executions
                        on 28 April 1893 and 5 September 1951.
                        30 of the rape executions were in the 1950's (all
                        electrocuted)

      VIRGINIA          105 men executed for rape and 31 for attempted rape.
                        (85 hanged and 51 electrocuted.)
                        Includes 2 double executions and 2 May 1951 when
                        7 black men were executed in the electric chair
                        (over a 3 day period) for the rape of a white girl.     
                        69 of Virginia's rape or attempted rape executions
                        occurred in the 19th century.                                                                                                                                
               
      WASHINGTON DC     6 men executed for rape.  
                        (2 hanged and 4 electrocuted.)

      WEST VIRGINIA     13 men executed for rape and 1 for attempted rape.
                        (all were hanged.)

      SHEPTON MALLET    6 men hanged for rape.  Includes 2 double executions.

    Footnotes:
    1  Kentucky         For some years, the standard reference works stated that,
                        "In Kentucky, men found guilty of rape are publicly hanged."
                        That is not strictly correct.   In 1911, Kentucky introduced
                        electrocution as the method of implementing death
                        sentences and in the next 9 years, 5 rapists (4 blacks and
                        1 white) were among those executed in the electric chair at
                        Eddyville Prison.
                        In 1920, hanging was restored as the punishment for rape.
                        Public execution was not specifically prescribed but this  
                        was the logical interpretation as the new law provided
                        that rapists "be hanged in the county in which the crime
                        was committed."  
                        From 1921 until 1938 when Kentucky again reverted to
                        electrocution as the method of execution for rapists, 9 men
                        were hanged for rape or murder/rape.  In the event, only 4
                        were publicly hanged (including a double execution on
                        25 November 1927) although 2 other executions were
                        permitted to be witnessed by large numbers of local
                        spectators.  The remaining 3 died in private disgrace on 
                        the gallows in a prison yard, watched only by the hangman
                        and jail officials.
                        After 1938, Kentucky conducted 7 more rape executions
                        (the last in 1956) but without the intense emotion of the
                        historic 1921/1938 period (which was mainly directed at
                        child rapists, with the ignominy of death by public 
                        execution considered to cause the greatest pain and 
                        humiliation.)

    2  Mississippi      The last rape execution in USA was carried out in
                        Mississippi's gas chamber on 8 May 1964.  However,
                        Louisiana has recently introduced the death penalty
                        (by lethal injection) for child rape.

    3  Assistance       Additional detail or background information will be greatly
                        appreciated and will be added to this record.  In
                        particular, info re multiple rape executions.  Also, there
                        must be many dramatic stories in relation to these 1004
                        men, their crimes and their executions.  Scenarios which
                        would jump out-----a stepfather betrays his trust, a
                        local baseball star is teased beyond endurance by a sexy,
                        precocious bitch of a 14yo "jailbait" blonde, a very
                        young girl accuses a respected elderly man, a family
                        friend succumbs to temptation, a 23 yo soldier loses 
                        control on a date and discovers he will never be 24 years 
                        old.  All leading down the slippery slope of no return
                        from the shameful oblivion of rape execution. 

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