| Public Executions in Richmond, Virginia: A History, 1782-1907 Contributor(s): Ward, Harry M. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0786470836 ISBN-13: 9780786470839 Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc. OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback Published: July 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Criminology - Social Science | Penology - Social Science | Death & Dying |
| Dewey: 364.660 |
| LCCN: 2012026540 |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (0.70 lbs) 231 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Virginia's capital city knew poverty, injustice, slavery, vagrancy, substandard working conditions, street crimes, brutality, unsanitary conditions, and pandemics. One of the biggest stains in the city's past was the spectacle of public executions, attended by throngs. Thousands, including the old and the very young, reveled in a carnival-like atmosphere. This book narrates the history of the executions--hangings, and during the Civil War also firing squads--that formed a large part of Richmond's entertainment picture. Revulsion slowly mounted until the introduction of the electric chair. The history has a cast of unusual characters--the condemned, the crime victims, family members, the executioners, and not least an 182 pound gallows dog. |