Here's to you, Nicola and Bart...

Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 96 anos...

   

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir, em 1925, a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

   

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Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que juntamente com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

   

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Mary Surratt foi enforcada há 158 anos...

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt (Waterloo, Maryland, 1820 or May 1823 – Arsenal Penitentiary, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H. Surratt, Jr., who was later tried but was not convicted in the assassination.

   

(...)

  

The military tribunal considered guilt and sentencing on June 29 and 30. Surratt's guilt was the second-to-last considered, because her case presented problems of evidence and witness reliability. Sentence was handed down June 30. The military tribunal found Mary Surratt guilty on all charges but two. A death sentence required six of the nine votes of the judges. Surratt was sentenced to death, and the sentence announced publicly on July 5. When Powell learned of his sentence, he declared that Mary Surratt was completely innocent of all charges. The night before the execution, Surratt's priests and Anna Surratt both visited Powell, and elicited from him a strong statement declaring Mrs. Surratt innocent. Although this was delivered to Captain Christian Rath, who was overseeing the execution, Powell's statement had no effect on anyone with authority to prevent Surratt's death. But George Atzerodt bitterly condemned her, implicating her even further in the conspiracy. Powell's was the only statement by any conspirator exonerating Surratt.

Anna Surratt pleaded repeatedly for her mother's life with Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, but he refused to consider clemency. She also attempted to see President Andrew Johnson several times to beg for mercy, but was not granted permission to see him.

Five of the nine judges signed a letter asking President Andrew Johnson to give Surratt clemency and commute her sentence to life in prison, given her age and gender. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt did not deliver the recommendation to President Johnson until July 5, two days before Surratt and the others were to hang. Johnson signed the order for execution, but did not sign the order for clemency. Johnson later said he never saw the clemency request; Holt said he showed it to Johnson, who refused to sign it. Johnson, according to Holt, said in signing the death warrant that she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg".

   

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865

    

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Here's to you, Nicola and Bart...

Vergonha - Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 95 anos...

   

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 1920, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

   

in Wikipédia

    

  

   

Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

   

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A inocente Mary Surratt foi enforcada há 157 anos

    

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt (1820 or May 1823 – July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H. Surratt, Jr., who was later tried but was not convicted in the assassination.

   

(...)

  

The military tribunal considered guilt and sentencing on June 29 and 30. Surratt's guilt was the second-to-last considered, because her case presented problems of evidence and witness reliability. Sentence was handed down June 30. The military tribunal found Mary Surratt guilty on all charges but two. A death sentence required six of the nine votes of the judges. Surratt was sentenced to death, and the sentence announced publicly on July 5. When Powell learned of his sentence, he declared that Mary Surratt was completely innocent of all charges. The night before the execution, Surratt's priests and Anna Surratt both visited Powell, and elicited from him a strong statement declaring Mrs. Surratt innocent. Although this was delivered to Captain Christian Rath, who was overseeing the execution, Powell's statement had no effect on anyone with authority to prevent Surratt's death. But George Atzerodt bitterly condemned her, implicating her even further in the conspiracy. Powell's was the only statement by any conspirator exonerating Surratt.

Anna Surratt pleaded repeatedly for her mother's life with Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, but he refused to consider clemency. She also attempted to see President Andrew Johnson several times to beg for mercy, but was not granted permission to see him.

Five of the nine judges signed a letter asking President Andrew Johnson to give Surratt clemency and commute her sentence to life in prison, given her age and gender. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt did not deliver the recommendation to President Johnson until July 5, two days before Surratt and the others were to hang. Johnson signed the order for execution, but did not sign the order for clemency. Johnson later said he never saw the clemency request; Holt said he showed it to Johnson, who refused to sign it. Johnson, according to Holt, said in signing the death warrant that she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg".

   

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865

    

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Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 94 anos...

     

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 1920, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

in Wikipédia

  

  

   

BartolomeoVanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

   

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O governo federal dos Estados Unidos executou a inocente Mary Surratt há 156 anos

    

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt (1820 or May 1823 – July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H. Surratt, Jr., who was later tried but was not convicted in the assassination.

   

(...)

  

The military tribunal considered guilt and sentencing on June 29 and 30. Surratt's guilt was the second-to-last considered, because her case presented problems of evidence and witness reliability. Sentence was handed down June 30. The military tribunal found Mary Surratt guilty on all charges but two. A death sentence required six of the nine votes of the judges. Surratt was sentenced to death, and the sentence announced publicly on July 5. When Powell learned of his sentence, he declared that Mary Surratt was completely innocent of all charges. The night before the execution, Surratt's priests and Anna Surratt both visited Powell, and elicited from him a strong statement declaring Mrs. Surratt innocent. Although this was delivered to Captain Christian Rath, who was overseeing the execution, Powell's statement had no effect on anyone with authority to prevent Surratt's death. But George Atzerodt bitterly condemned her, implicating her even further in the conspiracy. Powell's was the only statement by any conspirator exonerating Surratt.

Anna Surratt pleaded repeatedly for her mother's life with Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, but he refused to consider clemency. She also attempted to see President Andrew Johnson several times to beg for mercy, but was not granted permission to see him.

Five of the nine judges signed a letter asking President Andrew Johnson to give Surratt clemency and commute her sentence to life in prison, given her age and gender. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt did not deliver the recommendation to President Johnson until July 5, two days before Surratt and the others were to hang. Johnson signed the order for execution, but did not sign the order for clemency. Johnson later said he never saw the clemency request; Holt said he showed it to Johnson, who refused to sign it. Johnson, according to Holt, said in signing the death warrant that she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg".

   

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865

    

in Wikipédia

Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 93 anos

   

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 1920, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

in Wikipédia

  

  

   

BartolomeoVanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

   

in Wikipédia

A primeira execução de uma mulher pelo governo federal dos Estados Unidos foi há 155 anos

    

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt (1820 or May 1823 – July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H. Surratt, Jr., who was later tried but was not convicted in the assassination.

   

(...)

  

The military tribunal considered guilt and sentencing on June 29 and 30. Surratt's guilt was the second-to-last considered, because her case presented problems of evidence and witness reliability. Sentence was handed down June 30. The military tribunal found Mary Surratt guilty on all charges but two. A death sentence required six of the nine votes of the judges. Surratt was sentenced to death, and the sentence announced publicly on July 5. When Powell learned of his sentence, he declared that Mary Surratt was completely innocent of all charges. The night before the execution, Surratt's priests and Anna Surratt both visited Powell, and elicited from him a strong statement declaring Mrs. Surratt innocent. Although this was delivered to Captain Christian Rath, who was overseeing the execution, Powell's statement had no effect on anyone with authority to prevent Surratt's death. But George Atzerodt bitterly condemned her, implicating her even further in the conspiracy. Powell's was the only statement by any conspirator exonerating Surratt.

Anna Surratt pleaded repeatedly for her mother's life with Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, but he refused to consider clemency. She also attempted to see President Andrew Johnson several times to beg for mercy, but was not granted permission to see him.

Five of the nine judges signed a letter asking President Andrew Johnson to give Surratt clemency and commute her sentence to life in prison, given her age and gender. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt did not deliver the recommendation to President Johnson until July 5, two days before Surratt and the others were to hang. Johnson signed the order for execution, but did not sign the order for clemency. Johnson later said he never saw the clemency request; Holt said he showed it to Johnson, who refused to sign it. Johnson, according to Holt, said in signing the death warrant that she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg".

   

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865

    

Execution

Construction of the gallows for the hanging of the conspirators condemned to death, among them Mary Surratt, began immediately on July 5 after the execution order was signed. It was constructed in the south part of the Arsenal courtyard, was 12 feet (3.7 m) high and about 20 square feet (1.9 m²) in size. Captain Christian Rath, who oversaw the preparations for the executions, made the nooses. Tired of making nooses and thinking Surratt would not hang, he made Surratt's noose the night before the execution with five loops rather than the regulation seven. He tested the nooses that night by tying them to a tree limb and a bag of buckshot, then tossing the bag to the ground (the ropes held). Civilian workers did not want to dig the graves out of superstitious fear, so Rath asked for volunteers among the soldiers at the Arsenal and received more help than he needed.
At noon on July 6, Surratt was informed she would be hanged the next day. She wept profusely. She was joined by two Catholic priests (Jacob Walter and B.F. Wiget) and her daughter Anna. Father Jacob remained with her almost until her death. Her menstrual problems had worsened, and she was in such pain and suffered from such severe cramps that the prison doctor gave her wine and medication. She repeatedly asserted her innocence. She spent the night on her mattress, weeping and moaning (in pain and grief), ministered to by the priests. Anna left her mother's side at 8 A.M. on July 7, and went to the White House to beg for her mother's life one last time. Her entreaty rejected, she returned to the prison and her mother's cell at about 11 A.M. The soldiers began testing the gallows about 11:25 A.M.; the sound of the tests unnerved all the prisoners. Shortly before noon, Mary Surratt was taken from her cell and then allowed to sit in a chair near the entrance to the courtyard. The heat in the city that day was oppressive. By noon, it had already reached 92.3 °F (33.5 °C). The guards ordered all visitors to leave at 12:30 P.M. When she was forced to part from her mother, Anna's hysterical screams of grief could be heard throughout the prison.
Clampitt and Aiken had not finished trying to save their client, however. On the morning of July 7, they asked a District of Columbia court for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the military tribunal had no jurisdiction over their client. The court issued the writ at 3 A.M., and it was served on General Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock was ordered to produce Surratt by 10 A.M. General Hancock sent an aide to General John F. Hartranft, who commanded the Old Capitol Prison, ordering him not to admit any United States marshal (as this would prevent the marshal from serving a similar writ on Hartranft). President Johnson was informed that the court had issued the writ, and promptly cancelled it at 11:30 A.M. under the authority granted to him by the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act of 1863. General Hancock and United States Attorney General James Speed personally appeared in court and informed the judge of the cancellation of the writ.
On July 7, 1865, at 1:15 P.M., a procession led by General Hartranft escorted the four condemned prisoners through the courtyard and up the steps to the gallows. Each prisoner's ankles and wrists were bound by manacles. Mary Surratt led the way, wearing a black bombazine dress, black bonnet, and black veil. More than 1,000 people - including government officials, members of the U.S. armed forces, friends and family of the accused, official witnesses, and reporters - watched. General Hancock limited attendance to those who had a ticket, and only those who had a good reason to be present were given a ticket. (Most of those present were military officers and soldiers, as fewer than 200 tickets had been printed.) Alexander Gardner, who had photographed the body of Booth and taken portraits of several of the male conspirators while they were imprisoned aboard naval ships, photographed the execution for the government. Hartranft read the order for their execution. Surratt, either weak from her illness or swooning in fear (perhaps both), had to be supported by two soldiers and her priests. The condemned were seated in chairs, Surratt almost collapsing into hers. She was seated to the right of the others, the traditional "seat of honor" in an execution. White cloth was used to bind their arms to their sides, and their ankles and thighs together. The cloths around Surratt's legs were tied around her dress below the knees. Each person was ministered to by a member of the clergy. From the scaffold, Powell said, "Mrs. Surratt is innocent. She doesn't deserve to die with the rest of us". Fathers Jacob and Wiget prayed over Mary Surratt, and held a crucifix to her lips. About 16 minutes elapsed from the time the prisoners entered the courtyard until they were ready for execution.
A white bag was placed over the head of each prisoner after the noose was put in place. Surratt's bonnet was removed, and the noose put around her neck by a Secret Service officer. She complained that the bindings about her arms hurt, and the officer preparing said, "Well, it won't hurt long." Finally, the prisoners were asked to stand and move forward a few feet to the nooses. The chairs were removed. Mary Surratt's last words, spoken to a guard as he moved her forward to the drop, were "Please don't let me fall."
Surratt and the others stood on the drop for about 10 seconds, and then Captain Rath clapped his hands. Four soldiers of Company F of the 14th Veteran Reserves knocked out the supports holding the drops in place, and the condemned fell. Surratt, who had moved forward enough to barely step onto the drop, lurched forward and slid partway down the drop - her body snapping tight at the end of the rope, swinging back and forth. Surratt's death appeared to be the easiest. Atzerodt's stomach heaved once and his legs quivered, and then he was still. Herold and Powell struggled for nearly five minutes, strangling to death.

    

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Há trinta anos um inocente foi excutado barbaramente na cadeira elétrica

   
Jesse Joseph Tafero (October 12, 1946 – May 4, 1990), was convicted of murder and executed via electric chair in the state of Florida for the murders of Florida Highway Patrol officer Phillip Black and Donald Irwin, a visiting Canadian constable and friend of Black. The officers were killed during a traffic stop where Tafero, his girlfriend Sunny Jacobs, and their children were passengers. The driver, Walter Rhodes, confessed to shooting the officers after Tafero's execution.

  

The crime, trial, and execution

On the morning of February 20, 1976, Black and Irwin approached a car parked at a rest stop for a routine check. Tafero, his partner Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs, her two children (ages 9 years and 10 months), and Walter Rhodes were found asleep inside. Tafero had previously been in prison and was on probation. Black saw a gun lying on the floor inside the car. He woke the occupants and had first Rhodes then Tafero come out of the car.

According to Rhodes, Tafero then shot both Black and Irwin with the gun, (which was legally registered to Jacobs who bought guns on behalf of Tafero - he couldn't legally apply for a license because of his record) and led the others into the police car and fled the scene. According to Tafero, Rhodes shot the officers and handed the gun to him so that Rhodes could drive.

They later disposed of the police car and kidnapped a man and stole his car. All three were arrested after being caught in a roadblock. When they were arrested, the gun was found in Tafero's waistband.

Gunpowder tests found residue on Rhodes consistent with “having discharged a weapon”, residue on Tafero consistent with “handling an unclean or recently discharged weapon, or possibly discharging a weapon”, and residue on Jacobs and her son consistent with “having handled an unclean or recently discharged weapon”.

Prior to his conviction for murder, Tafero had been convicted of attempted robbery and "crimes against nature" when he was 20 years old. Rhodes entered into a plea agreement for a reduced sentence of second degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Tafero and Jacobs. At their trial, he testified that Jacobs fired first from the back seat, then Tafero took the gun from her and shot the two officers. Rhodes later recanted his testimony on three occasions, in 1977, 1979, and 1982, stating that he shot the policemen, but ultimately reverted to his original testimony.

Tafero and Jacobs were convicted of capital murder and were sentenced to death while Rhodes was sentenced to 3 life sentences. He was released in 1994 following parole for good behavior. The children were placed in the care of Sunny Jacobs' parents until their deaths in a 1982 plane crash. The children were then separated and Sunny's younger child, Christina, was placed into foster care with a friend of Jacobs. Sunny's older child, Eric, who was in his mid teens, first resided with Sonia's brother Alan, then lived on his own, struggling to survive by working at a pizza restaurant and various odd jobs.

Tafero and Jacobs continued their relationship through letters while serving time in the prison. Because there was no death row for women in Florida, Jacobs was put into solitary confinement for the first five years of her imprisonment, let out only once or twice a week for exercise. She learned yoga to pass the time, and after being moved to the general prison population, began teaching yoga to other prisoners.

Although the jury had recommended a life sentence for Jacobs, Judge Daniel Futch, known as “Maximum Dan” for his reputation for tough sentences, imposed the death sentence. In 1981, the Florida Supreme Court commuted Jacobs' sentence to life in prison, holding that Futch lacked sufficient basis to override the jury's sentencing recommendation.

Tafero was to be executed by electrocution. The machine, dubbed "Old Sparky", malfunctioned, causing six-inch flames to shoot out of Tafero's head. A member of the execution team had used a synthetic sponge rather than a sea sponge, which is necessary to provide greater conductivity and a quick death. In all, three jolts of electricity were required to render Tafero dead, a process that took seven minutes. Prison inmates later claimed that 'Old Sparky' was 'fixed' and tampered with to make Tafero's execution more like torture. One close inmate friend of Tafero later said he could smell the burning flesh of his friend for days after.

  

Aftermath

Rhodes had confessed to the shootings after Tafero's death.

The case became a cause célèbre among death penalty opponents, who cited the brutal circumstances of his execution as reasons it should be abolished.

Filmmaker Micki Dickoff made a crime drama on the case entitled “In the Blink of an Eye,” which aired as an ABC movie of the week in 1996. Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs, even though she had not been exonerated, is featured in The Exonerated, a made-for-cable television film, first aired on the former CourtTV cable television network on January 27, 2005.

When her death sentence was overturned in 1981, she was sentenced to life with a 25 year minimum mandatory sentence. In 1992 when her case was reversed on appeal, she pled to second degree murder and was released on time served. In 2011, Jacobs was married to Peter Pringle, who had been exonerated after being sentenced to death in Ireland.

     

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Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 92 anos

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que juntamente com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, no livro "Sacco e Vanzetti".

   

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Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que juntamente com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

   

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Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 90 anos

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que juntamente com Bartolomeo Vanzetti, foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América, na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois dum outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

in Wikipédia

Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que juntamente com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

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A primeira execução de uma mulher nos Estados Unidos foi há 150 anos

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt (1820 or May 1823 – July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H. Surratt, Jr., who was later tried but was not convicted in the assassination.

(...)

The military tribunal considered guilt and sentencing on June 29 and 30. Surratt's guilt was the second-to-last considered, because her case presented problems of evidence and witness reliability. Sentence was handed down June 30. The military tribunal found Mary Surratt guilty on all charges but two. A death sentence required six of the nine votes of the judges. Surratt was sentenced to death, and the sentence announced publicly on July 5. When Powell learned of his sentence, he declared that Mary Surratt was completely innocent of all charges. The night before the execution, Surratt's priests and Anna Surratt both visited Powell, and elicited from him a strong statement declaring Mrs. Surratt innocent. Although this was delivered to Captain Christian Rath, who was overseeing the execution, Powell's statement had no effect on anyone with authority to prevent Surratt's death. But George Atzerodt bitterly condemned her, implicating her even further in the conspiracy. Powell's was the only statement by any conspirator exonerating Surratt.

Anna Surratt pleaded repeatedly for her mother's life with Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, but he refused to consider clemency. She also attempted to see President Andrew Johnson several times to beg for mercy, but was not granted permission to see him.

Five of the nine judges signed a letter asking President Andrew Johnson to give Surratt clemency and commute her sentence to life in prison, given her age and gender. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt did not deliver the recommendation to President Johnson until July 5, two days before Surratt and the others were to hang. Johnson signed the order for execution, but did not sign the order for clemency. Johnson later said he never saw the clemency request; Holt said he showed it to Johnson, who refused to sign it. Johnson, according to Holt, said in signing the death warrant that she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg".

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865

Execution

Construction of the gallows for the hanging of the conspirators condemned to death, among them Mary Surratt, began immediately on July 5 after the execution order was signed. It was constructed in the south part of the Arsenal courtyard, was 12 feet (3.7 m) high and about 20 square feet (1.9 m²) in size. Captain Christian Rath, who oversaw the preparations for the executions, made the nooses. Tired of making nooses and thinking Surratt would not hang, he made Surratt's noose the night before the execution with five loops rather than the regulation seven. He tested the nooses that night by tying them to a tree limb and a bag of buckshot, then tossing the bag to the ground (the ropes held). Civilian workers did not want to dig the graves out of superstitious fear, so Rath asked for volunteers among the soldiers at the Arsenal and received more help than he needed.
At noon on July 6, Surratt was informed she would be hanged the next day. She wept profusely. She was joined by two Catholic priests (Jacob Walter and B.F. Wiget) and her daughter Anna. Father Jacob remained with her almost until her death. Her menstrual problems had worsened, and she was in such pain and suffered from such severe cramps that the prison doctor gave her wine and medication. She repeatedly asserted her innocence. She spent the night on her mattress, weeping and moaning (in pain and grief), ministered to by the priests. Anna left her mother's side at 8 A.M. on July 7, and went to the White House to beg for her mother's life one last time. Her entreaty rejected, she returned to the prison and her mother's cell at about 11 A.M. The soldiers began testing the gallows about 11:25 A.M.; the sound of the tests unnerved all the prisoners. Shortly before noon, Mary Surratt was taken from her cell and then allowed to sit in a chair near the entrance to the courtyard. The heat in the city that day was oppressive. By noon, it had already reached 92.3 °F (33.5 °C). The guards ordered all visitors to leave at 12:30 P.M. When she was forced to part from her mother, Anna's hysterical screams of grief could be heard throughout the prison.
Clampitt and Aiken had not finished trying to save their client, however. On the morning of July 7, they asked a District of Columbia court for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the military tribunal had no jurisdiction over their client. The court issued the writ at 3 A.M., and it was served on General Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock was ordered to produce Surratt by 10 A.M. General Hancock sent an aide to General John F. Hartranft, who commanded the Old Capitol Prison, ordering him not to admit any United States marshal (as this would prevent the marshal from serving a similar writ on Hartranft). President Johnson was informed that the court had issued the writ, and promptly cancelled it at 11:30 A.M. under the authority granted to him by the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act of 1863. General Hancock and United States Attorney General James Speed personally appeared in court and informed the judge of the cancellation of the writ.
On July 7, 1865, at 1:15 P.M., a procession led by General Hartranft escorted the four condemned prisoners through the courtyard and up the steps to the gallows. Each prisoner's ankles and wrists were bound by manacles. Mary Surratt led the way, wearing a black bombazine dress, black bonnet, and black veil. More than 1,000 people - including government officials, members of the U.S. armed forces, friends and family of the accused, official witnesses, and reporters - watched. General Hancock limited attendance to those who had a ticket, and only those who had a good reason to be present were given a ticket. (Most of those present were military officers and soldiers, as fewer than 200 tickets had been printed.) Alexander Gardner, who had photographed the body of Booth and taken portraits of several of the male conspirators while they were imprisoned aboard naval ships, photographed the execution for the government. Hartranft read the order for their execution. Surratt, either weak from her illness or swooning in fear (perhaps both), had to be supported by two soldiers and her priests. The condemned were seated in chairs, Surratt almost collapsing into hers. She was seated to the right of the others, the traditional "seat of honor" in an execution. White cloth was used to bind their arms to their sides, and their ankles and thighs together. The cloths around Surratt's legs were tied around her dress below the knees. Each person was ministered to by a member of the clergy. From the scaffold, Powell said, "Mrs. Surratt is innocent. She doesn't deserve to die with the rest of us". Fathers Jacob and Wiget prayed over Mary Surratt, and held a crucifix to her lips. About 16 minutes elapsed from the time the prisoners entered the courtyard until they were ready for execution.
A white bag was placed over the head of each prisoner after the noose was put in place. Surratt's bonnet was removed, and the noose put around her neck by a Secret Service officer. She complained that the bindings about her arms hurt, and the officer preparing said, "Well, it won't hurt long." Finally, the prisoners were asked to stand and move forward a few feet to the nooses. The chairs were removed. Mary Surratt's last words, spoken to a guard as he moved her forward to the drop, were "Please don't let me fall."
Surratt and the others stood on the drop for about 10 seconds, and then Captain Rath clapped his hands. Four soldiers of Company F of the 14th Veteran Reserves knocked out the supports holding the drops in place, and the condemned fell. Surratt, who had moved forward enough to barely step onto the drop, lurched forward and slid partway down the drop - her body snapping tight at the end of the rope, swinging back and forth. Surratt's death appeared to be the easiest. Atzerodt's stomach heaved once and his legs quivered, and then he was still. Herold and Powell struggled for nearly five minutes, strangling to death.

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Os anarquistas inocentes Sacco e Vanzetti foram executados há 87 anos

Nicola Sacco (Torremaggiore, 22 de abril de 1891 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto de 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Bartolomeo Vanzetti foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 1920, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos. Sobre a sua culpa houve muitas dúvidas já à época dos acontecimentos.

Nem ele nem Vanzetti foram absolvidos, nem mesmo depois de um outro homem admitir em 1925 a autoria dos crimes. Foram condenados à pena capital e executados na cadeira elétrica a 23 de agosto de 1927.

Há uma citação sobre ambos no poema "América" de Allen Ginsberg.

Howard Fast, escritor de origem judaica e militante político, escreveu um livro que narra a história dos dois anarquistas, imigrantes, italianos condenados a morte, o nome do livro é "Sacco e Vanzetti".

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Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Villafalletto, 11 de junho de 1888 - Charlestown, 23 de agosto 1927) foi um anarquista italiano que junto com Nicola Sacco foi preso, processado, julgado e condenado nos Estados Unidos da América na década de 20, sob a acusação de homicídio de um contador e de um guarda de uma fábrica de sapatos

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Há 24 anos o inocente Jesse Tafero e a cadeira elétrica provaram que esta era um instrumento de tortura e não de execuções

Jesse Joseph Tafero (October 12, 1946 – May 4, 1990), was convicted of murder and executed via electric chair in the state of Florida for the murders of Florida Highway Patrol officer Phillip Black and Donald Irwin, a visiting Canadian constable and friend of Black. The officers were killed during a traffic stop where Tafero, his girlfriend Sunny Jacobs, and their children were passengers. The driver, Walter Rhodes, confessed to shooting the officers after Tafero's execution.

The crime, trial, and execution

On the morning of February 20, 1976, Black and Irwin approached a car parked at a rest stop for a routine check. Tafero, his partner Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs, her two children (ages 9 years and 10 months), and Walter Rhodes were found asleep inside. Tafero had previously been in prison and was on probation. Black saw a gun lying on the floor inside the car. He woke the occupants and had first Rhodes then Tafero come out of the car.

According to Rhodes, Tafero then shot both Black and Irwin with the gun, (which was legally registered to Jacobs who bought guns on behalf of Tafero - he couldn't legally apply for a license because of his record) and led the others into the police car and fled the scene. According to Tafero, Rhodes shot the officers and handed the gun to him so that Rhodes could drive.

They later disposed of the police car and kidnapped a man and stole his car. All three were arrested after being caught in a roadblock. When they were arrested, the gun was found in Tafero's waistband.

Gunpowder tests found residue on Rhodes consistent with “having discharged a weapon”, residue on Tafero consistent with “handling an unclean or recently discharged weapon, or possibly discharging a weapon”, and residue on Jacobs and her son consistent with “having handled an unclean or recently discharged weapon”.

Prior to his conviction for murder, Tafero had been convicted of attempted robbery and "crimes against nature" when he was 20 years old. Rhodes entered into a plea agreement for a reduced sentence of second degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Tafero and Jacobs. At their trial, he testified that Jacobs fired first from the back seat, then Tafero took the gun from her and shot the two officers. Rhodes later recanted his testimony on three occasions, in 1977, 1979, and 1982, stating that he shot the policemen, but ultimately reverted to his original testimony.

Tafero and Jacobs were convicted of capital murder and were sentenced to death while Rhodes was sentenced to 3 life sentences. He was released in 1994 following parole for good behavior. The children were placed in the care of Sunny Jacobs' parents until their deaths in a 1982 plane crash. The children were then separated and Sunny's younger child, Christina, was placed into foster care with a friend of Jacobs. Sunny's older child, Eric, who was in his mid teens, first resided with Sonia's brother Alan, then lived on his own, struggling to survive by working at a pizza restaurant and various odd jobs.

Tafero and Jacobs continued their relationship through letters while serving time in the prison. Because there was no death row for women in Florida, Jacobs was put into solitary confinement for the first five years of her imprisonment, let out only once or twice a week for exercise. She learned yoga to pass the time, and after being moved to the general prison population, began teaching yoga to other prisoners.

Although the jury had recommended a life sentence for Jacobs, Judge Daniel Futch, known as “Maximum Dan” for his reputation for tough sentences, imposed the death sentence. In 1981, the Florida Supreme Court commuted Jacobs' sentence to life in prison, holding that Futch lacked sufficient basis to override the jury's sentencing recommendation.

Tafero was to be executed by electrocution. The machine, dubbed "Old Sparky", malfunctioned, causing six-inch flames to shoot out of Tafero's head. A member of the execution team had used a synthetic sponge rather than a sea sponge, which is necessary to provide greater conductivity and a quick death. In all, three jolts of electricity were required to render Tafero dead, a process that took seven minutes.^[8] Prison inmates later claimed that 'Old Sparky' was 'fixed' and tampered with to make Tafero's execution more like torture. One close inmate friend of Tafero later said he could smell the burning flesh of his friend for days after.

Aftermath

Rhodes had confessed to the shootings after Tafero's death.

The case became a cause célèbre among death penalty opponents, who cited the brutal circumstances of his execution as reasons it should be abolished.

Filmmaker Micki Dickoff made a crime drama on the case entitled “In the Blink of an Eye,” which aired as an ABC movie of the week in 1996. Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs, even though she had not been exonerated, is featured in The Exonerated, a made-for-cable television film, first aired on the former CourtTV cable television network on January 27, 2005.

When her death sentence was overturned in 1981, she was sentenced to life with a 25 year minimum mandatory sentence. In 1992 when her case was reversed on appeal, she pled to second degree murder and was released on time served. In 2011, Jacobs was married to Peter Pringle, who had been exonerated after being sentenced to death in Ireland.

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