Executed
Roxalana Druse
Roxalana Druse was a mother whose children were named Mary and George. She was hanged in Herkimer on February 28, 1887, and accounts of the execution say the drop did not break her neck, so she took about 15 minutes to die. Women's rights supporters took up her case, and many letters from across the country asked Governor David Hill to spare her. Her case drew wide public debate over whether a woman should be hanged, and it helped prompt New York's move toward the electric chair.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Accounts say the drop did not break her neck and she took about 15 minutes to die, which critics called a botched execution.