William Gross (murderer)

William Gross (January 1, 1796 – February 7, 1823)[1] was the last person to be publicly executed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was hanged at the current location of Logan Circle.[2][3][4]

This article is about last person publicly executed in Philadelphia. For other uses, see William Gross.
William Gross
Born(1796-01-01)January 1, 1796
DiedFebruary 7, 1823(1823-02-07) (aged 27)
Logan Circle, Pennsylvania United States
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
CountryUnited States
State(s)Pennsylvania

Life

William Gross was raised an orphan. As an adult he had gambling and other vices. Gross, in his own words, had kept "bad company".[5]

Death

In 1822, Gross stabbed his mistress Kesiah Stow (also spelled Keziah) to death after an argument with her regarding her lifestyle. He was quickly apprehended and found guilty of murder. His death warrant was signed on January 10, 1823.[6]

Gross showed remorse for his actions and was repentant. On February 7, 1823, Gross was executed by hanging at the current location of Logan Circle. He was described as calm and resigned to his fate. His last words were used to speak against "vice" and "sin". Gross also refused a drink on the scaffold. He was 27 at the time of his death.[5] Some sources allege the execution occurred on February 17, 1823.[7][8]

Prior to Gross's execution at least 108 men and 4 women had been hanged in Philadelphia.[5] However, by the 1820s public perception in the city toward criminal punishment had shifted from physical coercion and public humiliation to redemption and rehabilitation through confinement. Gross became the last person publicly executed in Philadelphia.[3]

References
  1. Negley King Teeters (1963). Scaffold and chair: a compilation of their use in Pennsylvania, 1682-1962. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Prison Society.
  2. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from Its Discovery to the Present Time: Franklin to Hall. Sabin. 1875. pp. 467–.
  3. Kopp, John (2017-03-14). "Logan Square: from public executions to papal visits to world-class museums". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  4. The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle. UM Libraries. 1987. pp. 53–. WISC:89058302803.
  5. Michael Meranze (1 December 2012). Laboratories of Virtue: Punishment, Revolution, and Authority in Philadelphia, 1760-1835. UNC Press Books. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-0-8078-3827-3.
  6. Pennsylvania. General Assembly. House of Representatives (1852). Journal. pp. 414–.
  7. John Fanning Watson (1891). Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania: In the Olden Time; Being a Collection of Memoirs, Anecdotes, and Incidents of the City and Its Inhabitants, and of the Earliest Settlements of the Inland Part of Pennsylvania, from the Days of the Founders ... E.S. Stuart. pp. 163–.
  8. Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. 1944.
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