Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-01-24
Women Who Have Been Hanged
Mrs. Swisshe Inns Note -Book.1

The first white person executed
in Minnesota was a woman. AS an
illustration of her class Of intellect,
it was told that when she went to
the Territory she took with her
from Central Illinois bucket of
butter, kept it in her state-room on
a.frst-class boat and carried it in
her hand to first-class hotel (the
Merchant's), keeping it by her side
in the parlor and her bedroom,
while leaving her other baggage to
be handled by porters. She had
heard that butter was scarce in that
part of the country, and had brought
her supply. This and her general
appearance and behavior led to the
belief that she was person Of weak
mind. She married man who
treated her cruelty and died with
symptoms of poison. A chemist
thought be found arsenic in the
stomach, and druggist had sold
her some of that drug to "poison
rats" There was no attempt to dis
pute the chemical tests. This ex-
pedient was discovered lately for
the benefit of a woman who has not
outlived the charms which once
drove rival claimants for her hand
to the verge CT suicide and mad
ness. Being old, unattractive and
poor, none but the ladies of st. Paul
took any special interest in her case;
and those could only besiege the
Governor for pardon. His wife
led a deputation of them, knelt at
his feet, and with tears and passion
ate entreaty begged executive elem
ency; but the ugly woman was hung
by the neck until she was dead.
A poor German woman was ex
ecuted near Philadelphia about five
years ago; and her confession in
her broken English, was one of the
saddest things l ever read. Her
man had ."peat'' her, peat her so
much, made her work in the field
when she was so sick and tired !:
peat her for not keeping up; peat
her for stopping to nurse her baby :;
made her work in the house while
he rested and smoked, and peat her
if she was not ready to go out to
work when he was She was so
tired could "nevcr get no rested;"
she want to leave him and 90 away,
but he take the children from her !:
she Lave tour little children he
peat them, too she could not leave
her children she was SO tired that
she gave her man stuff, she sorry
she kill her man !; but she no know
what to do, she so tired.
The dailies made occasional news
items out Of the case, and the poor,
old, worn-out slave was universally
voted a monster Of iniquity. The
majesty of the law was vindicated
by sending her from the gallows to
the unerring judgment, where her
toil-worn hands and tortured soul
must have been very white COM
pared to the bejeweled fingers of
the charming monsters who slip so
gracefully through the elastic
meshes of our man-made law.
Mrs. Sugart, now under sentence
of death in Butler County, Pa, who
is to be hanged when the present
treatment in the Rixmont Insane
Hospital shall have so far restored
her reason as to make her sensible
of the solemnlty Of the occasion, is
gray-headed and a grandmother,
and in personal appearance the op-
posite of charming.
Mrs. Grinder, who was executed
at Pittsburg, some eight years ago,
had studied the art of poisoning to
the neglect of that of pleasing. She
was not charming, and such charms
as she had were reserved for her
husband.