Browse Items (25 total)

The Last Public Execution in the United States: Rainey Bethea's Hanging, 1936

Photograph capturing the public hanging of Rainey Bethea on August 14, 1936, in Owensboro, Kentucky. The photo shows a large crowd gathered as…

The evening world (New York, N.Y.), August 6, 1890, (EXTRA 2 O'CLOCK)

Newspaper featuring the first person, William Kemmler, to be executed by the electric chair

The Death Penalty: How Do Santa Cruzans Feel?

Newspaper article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The article is split between 7 columns and lines the top of the page.

San Quentin Gas Chamber

The gas chamber that was located in San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California. The chamber was dismantled in 2019 when Governor Gavin Newsom…

Ruth Snyder in "Chair"

The woman in the chair is Ruth Snyder, who was found guilty of murdering her husband and was the first woman to be sentenced for execution in the Sing…

Professor Stephen Vladeck

Photograph of Stephen Vladeck sitting in a chair speaking into a microphone

Mugshot of Gee Jon

Mugshot of Gee Jon, taken in Nevada State Prison. Gee Jon was the first person to be executed by lethal gas in the United States.

Lynching announcement. John Hartfield will be lynched.

The article is a full page. The article demonstrates the level of mob justice and racial violence and how such culture impacted executions, legal and…