Excerpt
Say what you want about public hangings, but one thing is for surethe outcome is permanent for the one dangling at the wrong end of the rope. That was the unfortunate position in which Elizabeth Betsey Reed found herself on the morning of May 23, 1845, when she became the first and only woman ever to be hung in the great State of Illinois.
Over the years many folks have given their version of Betseys infamous demise, but as a first-hand eyewitness, Ive found most of these accounts to be lacking and incorrect. Now that Ive reached my golden years and seem to have an abundance of free time on my hands, Ive decided to take pen in hand and write an accurate history of the incident. I personally witnessed most of the events firsthand, but reconstructed some of the story after interviewing the principals involved, and also from their journals and letters, which I have in my possession. I suppose that I could cite a high moral purpose as the reason for recording these events, but I wont. Its because the true story of how Elizabeth Betsey Reed found her way to the gallows beside the Embarrass River is just a darn good, yet tragic story.
My name is Nathan Crockett. With the exception of a brief stint in the U.S. Army and a two-year stint at Saint Gabriel College in Vincennes, I have spent most of my life wandering the rolling hills and hardwood forests along the Wabash River. Ive seen the land go from a frontier wilderness, inhabited by hostile Indians, to a peaceful farming community where all the folks for the most part seem to get along just fine.
A wilderness doesnt tame itself. It takes a rugged individual with a pioneer spirit, a sturdy disposition, and an explorers heart, to bring civilization to the hinterland. Some folks look for fame and fortune. Some look for God in the new country. Others just want to see whats on the other side of the river. The one thing that they all have in common is that they want a better life and are willing to fight to get it. Theyll fight the land, disease, wild animals, and even sometimes each other, but rest assured, they aim to reach their goal. With all of these kindred spirits moving into the new land, there was bound to be people that crossed paths with different agendas. Ruckuses were bound to break out.
And breakout they did.
Just like in the Bible, people were all fighting for their piece of the New Jerusalem. Except in this case, the New Jerusalem was Crawford County, Illinois. In the last hundred years, Crawford County has been claimed by the Piankeshaw, Miami, Delaware, and Kickapoo Indian tribes. Throw in the French, the British, and finally the new Americans and you have a recipe for bloodshed.
In the wilderness, only the strong are able to survive. So in the long run, the American settlers were too numerous and claimed the new land for good. The Indians moved west and the pioneers came in droves. Hunters, farmers, and merchants all made their way to Crawford County to start a new life. You would think that there was plenty of room for everyone. But with human nature being what it is, there was bound to be trouble.
Sometimes you dont even have to go outside the family to find treachery. Cain didnt have far to go to find his victim. If I remember right, King Henry VIII removed his wifes head on more than one occasion, when the grass looked greener on the other side of the fence. So it was with Leonard and Betsey Reed.
For richer or poorer in sickness and in health and death do us part are all part of the marriage covenant, but I dont think that the Good Lord intended for us to speed up the process, especially, the part about death parting us. A jury of her peers decided that Betsey Reed wanted to become a widow. They also decided that her husband Leonard wasnt ready to be dead.
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