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Book Signing
<b>WHAT:</b> Book signing for Diane Goeres-Gardner’s “Necktie Parties.”
<b>WHEN:</b> 7 p.m. Wednesday
<b>WHERE:</b> Douglas County Library, 1409 N.E. Diamond Lake Blvd., Roseburg.
<b>INFORMATION:</b> 440-4305.
<b>WHEN:</b> 7 p.m. Wednesday
<b>WHERE:</b> Douglas County Library, 1409 N.E. Diamond Lake Blvd., Roseburg.
<b>INFORMATION:</b> 440-4305.
If you enjoy true crime stories, and if you are curious about Oregon history, you will really appreciate "Necktie Parties: A History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905."
Sticking closely to the facts, author Diane Goeres-Gardner of Tyee introduces each case as a story, with cast of characters, a murder, a trial and a summing-up of the testimony. Most of these 50 men confessed before they were hanged, though a few protested their innocence. The father of one of hanged man, August Schieve, later confessed to the crime his son was supposed to have committed.
Goeres-Gardner has done an amazing job in ferreting out the details about this specific area of Oregon history.
One can see why the early settlers needed a responsible government. While on the wagon trains they had to punish criminals immediately, either by banishment or lynching, but, once settled, they quickly created a system of law and order. Hanging was considered a fitting punishment for the heinous crime of murder, and it was also considered to provide a moral example to the communities.
Goeres-Gardner pored through legal records, historical archives, and microfilmed newspapers to discover the stories behind these 50 documented hangings. Witnesses to the murders, judges, jurymen, and those who legally witnessed the hangings are duly noted. Photographs are often included.
The motives for the crimes are usually the same as those plaguing us today. Wives sometimes left or divorced their husbands, often because of abuse or another man. Husbands cheated and wives found out. Men wished to marry the girl who turned them down, and didn't want anyone else to have her. Neighbors disliked neighbors. Those with money tempted others by either carrying it on their person or hiding it somewhere around their farms.
Heavy drinking was common, and saloons were the meeting places of the day. Many of the murderers claimed that drinking led to their crimes, and some tried to use it as an excuse. Another excuse was that the defendant wasn't "right in the upper story." Occasionally the attorney for the defense pleaded insanity. Obviously, none of the excuses worked in these cases.
The local sheriffs were the main protectors in the community, and Goeres-Gardner points out how they often needed good detective skills to properly lay out their case. They also needed skills in engineering the scaffolds: the trapdoors, the drops, and the ropes all needed to be just so for a proper and quick hanging. Otherwise, the head might be wrenched off, or the man would die slowly, dangling helplessly for a long time.
The sheriffs provided the jail cells, but they apparently had the right to sell the criminal's property to recover their costs. The listings of the values of these possessions are fascinating.
Apparently no provision was made for the widows and children, though one sheriff in Portland tried. He proposed charging a fee to those who wanted to view the hangings, with the monies going to the child who survived his mother's murder by his father. The Portland community quickly scotched that and hangings continued to be free entertainment.
The criminals usually wore new clothes for the occasion, and were given the opportunity for a repentant oration to the crowd. Some speeches were quite lengthy -- one man spoke for well over an hour, trying to delay his hanging beyond the appointed hour so it might be declared illegal!
Often these confessions were printed in a pamphlet and later sold to the public, since they were considered edifying examples of how depraved living led to terrible consequences.
There were always witnesses. Usually the hangings were open to the general public, but sometimes the sheriffs sent engraved invitations to a select few. Even so, many peered over fences, looked through knotholes, or sat on roofs. The crowds were often rowdy.
Occasionally a handsome defendant would attract young women -- what today we'd call groupies -- who had attended every day of the trial and wanted to see the hanging. An occasional attempt was made to ban women and children.
Crime and punishment has been a neglected area of Oregon history -- perhaps because we like to idealize our pioneers. "Necktie Parties" makes fascinating reading.
Historians will appreciate the many particular details about daily life in the towns and settlements, those who appreciate Oregon trivia will enjoy the facts and figures, and aspiring novelists may even get ideas for characters and plotlines. It's all here.
Sticking closely to the facts, author Diane Goeres-Gardner of Tyee introduces each case as a story, with cast of characters, a murder, a trial and a summing-up of the testimony. Most of these 50 men confessed before they were hanged, though a few protested their innocence. The father of one of hanged man, August Schieve, later confessed to the crime his son was supposed to have committed.
Goeres-Gardner has done an amazing job in ferreting out the details about this specific area of Oregon history.
One can see why the early settlers needed a responsible government. While on the wagon trains they had to punish criminals immediately, either by banishment or lynching, but, once settled, they quickly created a system of law and order. Hanging was considered a fitting punishment for the heinous crime of murder, and it was also considered to provide a moral example to the communities.
Goeres-Gardner pored through legal records, historical archives, and microfilmed newspapers to discover the stories behind these 50 documented hangings. Witnesses to the murders, judges, jurymen, and those who legally witnessed the hangings are duly noted. Photographs are often included.
The motives for the crimes are usually the same as those plaguing us today. Wives sometimes left or divorced their husbands, often because of abuse or another man. Husbands cheated and wives found out. Men wished to marry the girl who turned them down, and didn't want anyone else to have her. Neighbors disliked neighbors. Those with money tempted others by either carrying it on their person or hiding it somewhere around their farms.
Heavy drinking was common, and saloons were the meeting places of the day. Many of the murderers claimed that drinking led to their crimes, and some tried to use it as an excuse. Another excuse was that the defendant wasn't "right in the upper story." Occasionally the attorney for the defense pleaded insanity. Obviously, none of the excuses worked in these cases.
The local sheriffs were the main protectors in the community, and Goeres-Gardner points out how they often needed good detective skills to properly lay out their case. They also needed skills in engineering the scaffolds: the trapdoors, the drops, and the ropes all needed to be just so for a proper and quick hanging. Otherwise, the head might be wrenched off, or the man would die slowly, dangling helplessly for a long time.
The sheriffs provided the jail cells, but they apparently had the right to sell the criminal's property to recover their costs. The listings of the values of these possessions are fascinating.
Apparently no provision was made for the widows and children, though one sheriff in Portland tried. He proposed charging a fee to those who wanted to view the hangings, with the monies going to the child who survived his mother's murder by his father. The Portland community quickly scotched that and hangings continued to be free entertainment.
The criminals usually wore new clothes for the occasion, and were given the opportunity for a repentant oration to the crowd. Some speeches were quite lengthy -- one man spoke for well over an hour, trying to delay his hanging beyond the appointed hour so it might be declared illegal!
Often these confessions were printed in a pamphlet and later sold to the public, since they were considered edifying examples of how depraved living led to terrible consequences.
There were always witnesses. Usually the hangings were open to the general public, but sometimes the sheriffs sent engraved invitations to a select few. Even so, many peered over fences, looked through knotholes, or sat on roofs. The crowds were often rowdy.
Occasionally a handsome defendant would attract young women -- what today we'd call groupies -- who had attended every day of the trial and wanted to see the hanging. An occasional attempt was made to ban women and children.
Crime and punishment has been a neglected area of Oregon history -- perhaps because we like to idealize our pioneers. "Necktie Parties" makes fascinating reading.
Historians will appreciate the many particular details about daily life in the towns and settlements, those who appreciate Oregon trivia will enjoy the facts and figures, and aspiring novelists may even get ideas for characters and plotlines. It's all here.
