Hannah's Dance
Sentenced to die by hanging, young Native American girl Hannah Ocuish didn’t
cry when she heard her sentence. Town's sheriff Tomas Smith was moved by her
courage, but had no problem sending this young and pretty 12 year old to her
death. It was a cold winter day of 1786, and Hannah's execution would bring more
excitement to this small Connecticut town. When the condemned girl was escorted
by the sheriff's deputies into the prison house, sheriff met with judge Simpson,
who offered him a drink of brandy. Two gentlemen stood by the fireplace looking
as if they came out of town. "I would like you to meet Dr. Robert Jackson from
Philadelphia and his young assistant Mr. Frank Parker, "said the judge. He
poured both men a glass of brandy and all sat down around the table. "So," said
the judge, "Tomorrow we shall have a good hanging. I expect everyone to attend.
It's a rare thing seeing someone so young strangle at the end of the rope."
"That girl is very young, and maybe doesn't deserve such a terrible fate,"
offered Dr. Jackson. "I understand that she killed a white girl with a rock
during an argument." "She planned it," said the sheriff. "Murder is punished by
death in this state. Hannah Ocuish knew what she was doing. Therefore she must
hang." "I agree," said Mr. Parker. "Doctor Jackson is here to perform the
postmortem inspection on the girl's body followed by dissection and organ
removal for medical study. The girl's organs will serve the needs of science
very well." "How long will the girl be hanging?" asked Dr. Jackson. "At least
half an hour after she stops kicking," said the sheriff. "For females it takes
longer to die than for males. Maybe by studying this young girl's body you will
tell us why."
"Traditionally, females have a higher tolerance for pain," said Dr. Jackson.
"Your use of thin rope will make this poor girl thrash and kick for a long
time." "She will die in less than five minutes," said the judge. "And she will
piss and shit herself too." "The townsfolk will love it," said the sheriff.
"Besides, we can cut the rope into little pieces and sell it for a good money
and split the difference. "Very well," said the judge. "Get a good night's sleep
and we will all enjoy a good hanging tomorrow. Then Dr. Jackson will have the
body."
Alone in her prison room, young Hannah sat on the heap of hay and waited for
dawn and her death. She was told that she will be executed exactly at noon, so
she would have time to enjoy breakfast and lunch before the rope squeezed her
neck and sent her to heaven. The girl touched her own neck, feeling its
smoothness. She never thought that the night before her execution, she would
find her own neck to be so interesting. She could feel her own pulsing jugular
veins, the throat line and the way her throat moved when she swallowed. She
wondered where the rope would bite into her neck and how long it would take for
her to die. At midnight, her executioner, Mr. Jeff Cady entered her cell and
brought her some bread, cheese and a glass of wine. When Hannah finished her
meal, Cady looked her over and said," Hannah, are you a virgin?" The young girl
blushed and said that she was. "Sorry, I can’t execute virgins," said Mr. Cady.
"If you do what I tell you, Hannah, I will make your hanging almost painless."
Cady knew he was lying to her, but he wanted this girl and didn’t want to lose
an opportunity to enjoy her warm body before it became cold. Eventually he
convinced Hannah to undress and take his engorged penis in her mouth. He
instructed her how to suck and when he was ready, he pulled Hannah's head down
on his pulsing shaft and came down her throat. He didn’t stop until he finished
and only then he released Hannah. With sperm on her lips, Hannah understood that
she might die painlessly if this man took her before her final walk to the
noose. Swallowing Cady's semen, she went down on the blanket and spread her legs
for him. Cady fondled her body for an hour before he was ready to enter her.
Hannah never experienced such pleasure, and after a brief pain she didn’t want
Cady to stop. Cady eventually came inside her and pulled out. He kissed Hannah’s
beautiful face and neck and said that he would make sure that the rope didn’t
hurt her much. He left at three in the morning, leaving Hannah alone. Hannah
cleaned herself up with a clean rag and adjusted her dress. Morning came and her
breakfast arrived. Cady came with the ropes to show her on which rope she would
be hanging. The rope he chose for her was thin, but very strong hemp rope that
could easily hold her weight.
"How, after you are suspended, kick your feet and try to hold your tongue in
your mouth as long as you can," said Cady. "People expect you to die well and
you must not disappoint them. The rope will make you do things you never thought
possible. I will place the knot on the side of your head, so you can still get a
little air and will strangle slowly but painlessly. When rope squeezes your
neck, it will cut off your blood circulation and you will not feel any pain at
all. So be a brave girl and hang well."
"I will hang well, Mr. Cady," said Hannah.
The hour of hanging has finally arrived. A large crowd of men, women and
children gathered to see Hannah hang. As she walked toward the tree and the
waiting cart under the prepared noose, Hannah was impressed that all these
people came to watch her strangle to death. When she and her escorts approached
the cart, Sheriff tied Hannah’s hands behind her back with a piece of rope and
secured it. Followed by Cady and the doctor, the young girl stepped onto the
cart and waited until the priest read his sermon and prayed for her soul. When
the priest finished, Cady carefully and slowly slipped the rope noose around
Hannah's slim neck and slowly tightened it until the knot rested just under
Hannah's right ear. He and the doctor stepped from the cart and Hannah looked
around. "Do you wish to say anything before the sentence is carried out?" asked
the sheriff. "Yes," Hannah said. "I am sorry I killed that poor girl. May god
forgive me."
"Amen," said the sheriff and signaled to the cart driver. The cart pulled away
and Hannah’s body became suspended. There was almost no drop and everyone
stepped closer to see her final dance. Cady watched Hannah’s grimacing face and
kicking feet. The strangling girl chocked noisily, gurgling and thrashing, her
head tilting to the side, her beautiful neck slowly stretching under her weight.
Cady observed Hannah's veins, her last gasp before her windpipe was closed shut.
Now without air, Hannah started to convulse and jerk violently on her rope in
complete silence. The people watched her death dance with fascination, and
everyone was excited seeing this almost erotic act of death. Hannah writhed on
her rope and her feet kicked just two feet above the ground she couldn't reach.
Her shit started to come out of her body, preceded by a stream of spasmic yellow
piss that steamed in the cold air and turned the snow yellow under her. steaming
brown pieces of excrement fell on the ground. The dying girl continued to
convulse, but she no longer controlled her own body. After two minutes, her feet
stopped twitching and she relaxed in death. Everyone could only hear the
creaking of Hannah's rope. The doctor approached the hanging body and touched
Hannah’s neck and then touched her flat chest under her shirt and jacket. "The
girl is dead," he said. "Justice is done," declared the sheriff. "Thank you all
for coming."
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Cady, the doctor and his assistant. The three
men waited for half an hour, then cut Hannah’s body down. They brought her into
the back of the butcher shop and Cady watched as the doctor and his assistant
washed and cleaned the body from piss and shit. Once Hannah’s body was clean and
dry, the doctor removed the rope from the girl's neck and passed it to Cady.
Cady watched as the doctor dissected Hannah’s body, opening her stomach and
removing her intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs and heart. All organs were placed
in jars filled with alcohol and placed in doctor's medical travel case. When the
doctor and the assistant left, Cady was again alone with Hannah. He kissed her
beautiful dead face and held her neck in his hands, feeling the place where rope
did its job. Opening his trousers, Cady freed his penis and pushed it into dead
girl's mouth. After he finally ejaculated, he pulled out and went to get the
blanket. He wrapped Hannah’s body in the blanket and carried her to prepared
grave behind the butcher shop. After he buried her, he placed a cross over her
grave with a sign: Here lies Hannah Ocuish, aged 12 years, hanged for murder on
December 5th, 1786. When Cady returned home, he poured himself some brandy and
looked at the rope that doctor removed from Hannah's neck. He could sell it for
good money if he wanted, but the rope was special for him, just as Hannah’s
young body was special before and after her death. Cady put the rope in a
closet, hoping that one day he could show it to his grandchildren and tell them
a story how he hanged a young girl named Hannah.
Copyright by Lisa Brody (2005).