Charles H. Thiede - Utah’s first hanging.
Charles Thiede was the owner of several saloons at Sandy in Utah and had been married to Mary for some years. He subjected the poor woman to verbal and physical abuse on a regular basis, especially when he had been drinking.
On the night of April 30th, 1894 the Thiede’s had dinner with Mary’s sisters and their husbands. Later they all went for a drink in Thiede’s West Side Saloon. After they left Thiede cut Mary’s throat on the road between the saloon and their home.
Thiede “discovered” the body just after midnight. Suspicion fell directly upon him after he claimed that she had committed suicide which was obvious nonsense as there was no knife at the scene and then alleged that someone had tried to rape her and cut her throat.
Sheriff William McQueen responded to the incident and Thiede is said to have told him that he killed his wife. McQueen arrested Thiede who now changed his story.
Thiede was tried and convicted before the Third District Court, presided over by Judge Barich.
The judge told Thiede that under Utah law, he could elect to die by hanging or shooting. However Thiede refused to make such an election and repeatedly told the judge it was up to him. Barich determined that Thiede should be hanged.
After the usual appeals and attempts at clemency this was what happened. Although there had been three hangings in the Territory which would become Utah, it only became a state on January 4th, 1896, so this would be the first hanging in the new state.
The execution took place in Salt Lake County Jail on Friday August 7th, 1896 in a stockade behind the prison. A “jerker” gallows had been constructed at a cost of $150 by Willard and Stewart company in Oregon.
The rope passed through a hole in the beam over two pulleys and down the side, where a 425 pound lead weight was attached. There was a low wooden platform upon which Thiede stood.
The gallows was of bolted construction so that it could be disassembled and reassembled easily, although in fact it was never used again. The executioner sat in the tent like structure on the right of the drawing and released the weight at the sheriff’s signal.
At 10.39 am Sheriff Hardy led Thiede to the gallows where he was heavily pinioned. Some 50 male witnesses were permitted to view the proceedings. The weight was released and Thiede was jerked into the air but his neck was not broken and it was 14 minutes before doctors Wright and Bower could certify death. Thiede maintained his innocence till the end.
Only one other prisoner would choose hanging in Utah (Barton Kirkham in 1959), the rest choosing the firing squad.
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