The History of Public Executions Banned Centuries Ago in the US
Details of the last public execution carried out in the United States in the 1930s and the process by which this practice was banned are presented.
The last public execution in the United States took place on August 14, 1936, in Owensboro, Kentucky, with thousands of people in attendance.
The Day of the Last Execution Attended by Crowds
Tens of thousands of people had filled the area, coming from near and far for the public hanging carried out on the banks of the Kentucky River on August 14, 1936.
Despite the scorching weather, a large number of people had spent the night near the gallows to keep their spots, and young people had sold popcorn and soft drinks to the crowd.
Rainey Bethea's Trial Process
Rainey Bethea, an orphan in his twenties, had been sentenced to death after being convicted of robbing, raping, and murdering 70-year-old Lischia Edwards.
The afternoon before his execution, Bethea had his last meal consisting of foods such as fried chicken, pork chops, mashed potatoes, and lemon pie.
The Female Sheriff and the Execution
The gathered crowd had closely followed rumors that the widow of the local sheriff, who had died four months earlier, would carry out the execution.
Since the female sheriff refused to pull the trigger mechanism, a hired hangman fulfilled the duty that sent Rainey Bethea to his death.
The Banning of the Practice
This event and the circus-like atmosphere that formed around the execution embarrassed many people in Kentucky, and the governor of the era banned public executions 18 months after the incident.