St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-03-30
Execution of Mrs. Meaker.

Emiline Lucy (Bates) Meaker, whose
execution takes place inside the state
prison walls at Windsor, Friday, March
80, between the hours of one and three
in the afternoon, was born in Barre,
June Is, 1899, and is consequently
nearly forty-four years old. At the
youthful age of eighteen. she married
E. c. Meaker of Plaintield, and in 1861 =.
AlmOn, who was convicted of the crime
for which his mother pays the penalty,
and whose death sentence was commut-
ed to life Imprisonment by the last
general assembly, was born. In 1862,
| Mr.. Meaker enlisted in company ID of
the sixth Vermont regiment and served
two years in the Union army. He was
wounded while in the service, and was
hOnorably discharged in 1864. He now
receives a pension of S24 per month.
| Mrs. Meaker, since her incarceration
has given vent i'll many ways to her
terrible temper, forcibly attacking
the officers and keepers in such a man
ner as to lose the sympathy, not only
of those who are daily with her, but
also of those who would naturally be
her friends. Her own husband and
her dead body brought to their home.
Such a remarkable case has not been
known in New England since the days
of Salem witehcraft. Probably there
never was an execution before in this
country that did not bring out, some
where in the circle of home assO-
ciates, a friend to act as a mediator for
the wretched victim of outraged law.
Mrs. Meaker is friendless and alone.
She has been informed that the law
will be executed with absolute GER
tainty next Friday. When asked il
she desired to say anything ut the time,
she replied, "Perhaps | shall. | want
to see my son once more. He will be
sorry for what he has done, and will
repent of it on his death-bed." In con
versation with Sheriff Amsden, she eX-
pressed a desire to see the gallOws
when he had it erected. She seemed
anxious to know if she would be re-
Quired to ascend the fatal steps alone
asserting that she could do so if neces-
sary. The same gallows will be erect
ed that was used for Phair, Gravelin
MagoOn, TatrO, Carr and Hayden. This
will be the seventh execution in Yer
mont within the last six years. Thi,
will be the first instance of a woman
being executed in the history of the
state. Like all others who have pre-
coded her she stoutly denies that she
has committed any crime, and thai
those who have been instrumental il
securing her conviction will repent o
it in their dying hours. Mrs. Meakel
is deaf as an adder, and has no appre
citation of noise of any kind. All com
municatiOn is done i'll writing. Physi
cally, she is strong and muscular, anC
is much better i'll appearance than wher
she arrived ut the prison over tive
years ago.
Sheriff ROllin Amsden, of Windsor
whose duty it is, as sheriff of Windsor
county, will perform the painful cere
monies at the execution. Already h,
has been besieged as never before fol
passes to witness the execution of this
wretched woman. Probably at no time
in the history of executions in Vernon
has the pressure for passes been SC
great as now. 1t is the expressed de
sire of the prison authorities that the
witnesses be limited to Il small number
1t is impossible to accommodate but !
few ut any event, and as the state pres
will be fully represented, all the par
ticulars will be given to the public
Windsor journal.