John McCaffary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John McCaffary
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| Born | 1820 |
| Died | August 21, 1851 (aged 30/31) Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Botched execution by hanging (unintentional ...) |
| Criminal status | Executed (August 21, 1851) |
| Spouse(s) | Bridgett McCaffary |
| Conviction(s) | Willful murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | Bridgett McCaffary |
| Date | July 23, 1850 |
John McCaffary (born 1820 – died August 21, 1851) was a farmer from Ireland who moved to America. He was found guilty and executed for the murder of his wife, Bridgett McCaffary. His execution by hanging did not go as planned; it was a botched execution. This event led to a big change in the law in Wisconsin, where the death penalty was stopped.
Contents
A Sad Story in Wisconsin History
On July 23, 1850, Bridgett McCaffary was found drowned in a water tank called a cistern in Kenosha. Kenosha was a new town in Kenosha County, Wisconsin at that time. John McCaffary, her husband, was arrested and accused of her murder.
The Trial and Conviction
John McCaffary's trial started on May 6, 1851. After a few weeks, on May 23, 1851, the jury decided he was guilty of murder. The judge then sentenced him to death by hanging. The Governor of Wisconsin at the time, Nelson Dewey, signed the official paper for his execution.
The house where John McCaffary lived, known as the John McCaffary House, became a special historical place in 1978.
How Wisconsin Changed Its Law
John McCaffary was the only person ever executed by the state of Wisconsin. He was hanged for the murder of his wife on August 21, 1851. Many people, about 2,000 to 3,000, came to watch in front of the Kenosha courthouse. McCaffary was buried in the Green Ridge Cemetery in Kenosha. He was the first person executed by Wisconsin after it became a state in 1848.
The way McCaffary died, slowly and in front of so many people, shocked many. This event made people in Wisconsin want to get rid of the death penalty. On July 12, 1853, the Wisconsin Governor, Leonard J. Farwell, signed a new law. This law stopped the death penalty in Wisconsin. Instead of execution, the punishment for serious crimes became life imprisonment. This law is still in place today, and no one has been executed in Wisconsin since John McCaffary's death.
See also
- List of homicides in Wisconsin
- Capital punishment in Wisconsin
- List of most recent executions by jurisdiction
Sources
- Cropley, Carrie. "The case of John McCaffary". Wisconsin Magazine of History. vol. 35, no. 4 (1951–1952) pp. 281–288
- Hintz, Martin. (2007). Got Murder?: Shocking True Stories of Wisconsin's Notorious Killers. Neenah, Wis.: Big Earth Publishing, ISBN: 1-931599-96-3.
- Pendleton, Alexander T. and Blaine R. Renfert. "A Brief History of Wisconsin's Death Penalty," Wisconsin Lawyer. August 1993
