Margaret Harris
Margaret Harris was hanged in public at Calhoun, Georgia, on October 19, 1883, after the governor declined to intervene in her case. Newspaper accounts put the crowd at about 1,000 to 4,000. She told those present she was innocent, asked that a hymn be sung, and joined in singing it. She asked to be buried beside her mother and sent words to her sister and children. One paper reports that her neck was broken and that she died without a struggle, while another says she was declared dead about twenty minutes after the trap was sprung.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Harris told the crowd she was innocent and asked others to take warning from her fate, according to the newspaper report.
Reported by: newspaper telegraph report of the hanging.