Preface:
In the early 19th Century, the crime of Infanticide was a common problem in society. Young women who found themselves with child would often try to hide or end the pregnancy. 200 years ago, ending a pregnancy was a very high risk for the mother; so many times the new mother would make her problem "disappear" soon after it arrived. Polite society did not look favorably upon women who were considered to have loose morals. An unmarried woman raising a bastard child was a public disgrace. If that same woman tried to dispose of her "disgrace", she was a felon.
The story you are about to read is true. The main character, Susanna Cox, was a real person. Susanna Cox was her real name. Susanna was a servant girl working off an indenture in the year 1807. The practice of Indenture was fairly common in early America.
The names of the characters (other than Susanna) are fiction; however, most of the characters are based upon actual participants mentioned in the historical record. In the interests of entertainment I have taken some dramatic license with their personalities and some of their actions. The main points of the story (the trial, the sentence, Susanna's attire and her execution) are told as they were reported in the surviving documents.
Susanna was 24 years old at the time of this story. She had limited education and naturally her worldview was shaped by the limits of her rural Pennsylvania environment. Susanna's physical description is taken from historical records; which describe her as, "a comely girl with light colored hair and small slender stature".
As the author, I have taken the liberty of assuming Susana's personality. I did this to add emotion and some drama as neither of these is passed down in the historical record.
Susanna Cox
Part 1:
Susanna sat in her cell and wept. "Tomorrow", she thought, "tomorrow they're going to kill me". The warm, dry, June evening dragged on as the condemned girl sat alone with her thoughts. She was alone and scared. "Why did they pick me", she thought, "Jenna Beck did the same thing two summers ago and no one cared".
It was June of 1807. Susanna Cox had been tried and convicted of killing her newborn baby and hiding the body. Susanna was a 24-year-old woman working off an Indenture as a house servant to the Jacob Martin family. The Martin Farm was near the settlement of Friedensburg in the Pennsylvania County called Berks.
German farmers whose ancestors had come to the New World in the middle of the past century made up most of the population of the area. The jail where Susanna was held was in the basement of the Berks County courthouse in the town of Reading.
The population of the Berks County area was almost as stern and devote as the puritans of New England. They were alarmed with the sinful ways of the younger generation. "This Cox girl", they thought, "imagine a servant taking up with a man. Why, it's a disgrace". The fact that Susanna had killed the infant and hidden its body was just too much. This sort of thing had happened before, the good people of Berks County wanted an example made of "this Cox girl" as they called Susanna.
Susanna was an outsider to the citizens of Berks. She was from the settlement of Germantown, near Philadelphia. Susanna came from a large family in which she was the oldest. Her father had sold her and another daughter into an Indenture of seven years to pay some debts. Neither of the girls would be missed and the money was needed. Indenture had been a common practice in North America for the past 150 years. It was a way for many poor European peasants to pay for passage to the New World. Indenture was also a way for families to raise money and be rid of too many daughters.
Susanna had three years to serve in her Indenture. The Martin family had been reasonably good to Susanna providing clothing and a place to live in exchange for housework and childcare. Susanna was content with her situation on the Martin farm but often she longed for a life beyond the farm.
Alone in her cell, Susanna thought of her mistake. "William, will you come to save me", the thought, "we can have a baby again someday". William Hoffman was a horse dealer from west of Berks who Susanna had met the pervious year. William was a guest at the Martin farm and had found time to bed the comely servant girl. He left with a promise to return and pay Susanna's debt so that she'd be free to marry him. Sometime after William's departure, Susanna discovered her pregnancy. She was able to hide the fact from her master and mistress and in June of 1806 her baby was born. To avoid disgrace, Susanna killed the baby by suffocation at birth.
Susanna's cruel and heartless behavior went undiscovered for some weeks. In early July, the corpse of the unfortunate baby was discovered in a pile of brush near the farm's springhouse. Since Susanna was the only adult female (besides Mrs. Martin) on the farm, she was naturally the suspect. Mr. Martin got in touch with his pastor then with the local constable.
Within hours, the surrounding neighbors converged on the Martin farm. Susanna denied her guilt but was soon placed under arrest by the constable. The neighbors would have lynched her then and there if not for the constable. Susanna was put in a wagon and driven the 15 miles to the town of Reading where she was turned over the county Sheriff one Conrad Zahn. Since she was a young woman, she was placed in the charge of Mrs. Zahn, the Sheriff's wife and lodged in his house.
Now, nearly a year later, Susanna sat in a cell with a sentence of death over her head. She thought of the slow and painful trial and felt regret for her lies in denying the act. She was very afraid to admit the crime then. She was afraid of being put in prison. Susanna never expected to be given a sentence of death.
Part 2:
"Susanna Cox, having been found guilty of the murder of your own child, it is the sentence of this court that you shall be taken from this court to a place of confinement. On a day that pleases this Commonwealth, you shall be taken to a place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul". Susanna trembled whenever she thought of those chilling words. It had been 8 months since her sentence. She had been very hopeful after her lawyer had told her that the Commonwealth was unlikely to hang a woman. He told her that more likely, she'd be made a bondservant for life in some distant locality.
The debate dragged on through the winter. All this while, Susanna stayed in the Zahn house under the watchful eye of Mrs. Zahn. Susanna became a part of the Sheriff's household. She was often seen at the market. The influential citizens and certain clergy of Berks County were an unforgiving lot. Soon, letters and complaints reached the Governor of the Commonwealth. By the spring of 1807, the Governor had confirmed Susanna's sentence of death. On May 19, 1807 the Governor gave his final confirmation of the sentence. Susanna would hang on Thursday, June 11 in the town of Reading.
Later that same day, a prominent local physician was brought to see Susanna. Doctor Otto Reifsnyder was asked to examine the girl to check for pregnancy or any other illness. The doctor was able to pronounce Susanna in perfect health. The good doctor was a bit embarrassed when Susanna asked when she would se him again. In reality, he would be the one who would pronounce her dead in just under one month.
Susanna was quickly moved to the county jail, which was in the basement of the two-story courthouse. Sheriff Zahn had to make preparations for the hanging. The Sheriff had no experience with executions so the county prosecutor hired a man from Lancaster to oversee preparations and to perform the actual execution. The hired executioner immediately set about building a gallows for his victim.
The gallows was a very simple affair. It consisted of two uprights about 15 feet high topped by a stout crossbeam. It was said to look like a large inverted U. This gallows stood in what was called Penn's Common. This was a large grassy area about 100 yards from the Courthouse. The hanging would be in public as was the common practice in those days.
The "Lancaster Man" as he was called by the people of Berks was a former soldier named Leroy Harst. Harst claimed to have hanged several Indians from west of the Susquehanna. He would be able to dispatch the condemned girl. Harst was a large blunt featured man who liked to boast of his skills as a hangman in the taverns. In reality, Harst's experience consisted of a lynching of some Indians that he and some other bullies had participated in some years before.
This self styled executioner had been in Berks for nearly a week when Sheriff Zahn suggested he meet the condemned. The Sheriff thought this was necessary to prepare the final plans for the execution.
On Tuesday, June 2, Harst and the Sheriff visited Susanna in her cell. Susanne was startled by the visit and soon became terrified. "Sheriff Zahn", she said, "is there any news from the Governor"?
"Now Susanna", said the Sheriff, "you know there is no changing this. You must accept God's will. You still have some time left".
"I know that its God's will that I must die", she said, "but I keep hoping that he'll be merciful. I'm sorry I did that thing, and I'll never do it again. I don't want to die."
She was introduced to Harst. "Now missy, let's not have this", he said, "you did the crime and its up to me to see you punished for it".
"Who are you", Susanna asked in a worried tone.
"Why, I'm the 'Lancaster Man', here to hang you", said Harst.
"Oh God, no", cried Susanna. She retreated to a corner of her cell.
Harst grasped her by the arm and pulled her to the center of the room. "Let's get a look at you", he said.
What he saw was a small, terrified woman with dark blond hair. Susanna was pretty enough dressed as she was in a patched and worn dress, plane gray in color with small flat slippers on her feet. "Here's a pretty little thing", Harst thought, "we'll have to come back and see her again". Harst put his large hands on Susanna's neck and shoulders. "Won't take much to crack this neck", he said to the Sheriff.
Susanna cried, "please no, let me alone", as she tried to pull away from the huge man. The girl was clearly terrified.
Harst laughed and held onto the terrified girl while she struggled. That's enough, Harst", said the Sheriff. "You can get on with your work and let this poor girl alone".
Harst released Susanna. "Until next week", he said, "then she dances to my tune". He laughed as he left the cell.
Susanna was shaking with fear. "Please don't let him take me", she cried to the Sheriff.
"Just you rest easy, Susanna", said the Sheriff. "We'll be here all the time. We'll try to make this as easy for you as we can". Susanna was shaking with fear and despair as the Sheriff left her cell.
Part 3:
On Tuesday June 9, Susanna had a visit from Mrs. Zahn. The Sheriff's wife had taken a liking to the girl and felt it her Christian duty to provide some small comfort. Mrs. Zahn had gotten some of her friends to sew a dress for Susanna. The girl was grateful to the point of tears. The dress was in white cotton with little black bows sewn on the bodice and skirt. With the dress, the ladies had provided a muslin chemise and a new pair of dainty kidskin slippers.
"We thought you'd want to look nice on Thursday, dear", said Mrs. Zahn.
Susanna offered her tearful thanks to the woman. "Its so nice, I never had a dress and shoes this nice", she said. "They always gave me old things to wear, these are my first new shoes, you are so kind to me Mrs. Zahn". There were tears in Susanna's eyes.
"Now child, there 's no need to take on so", said Mrs. Zahn, "it's just a small kindness."
Susanna sat looking at her new things for a moment; this was the first and finest gift she'd ever received. "Do you think I can be buried in these things", she asked. The condemned girl continued to look wistfully at the dress and slippers.
"I think that would be all right, dear," said Mrs. Zahn. She'd speak to her husband later to make sure Susanna could keep the dress and slippers. "This poor girl", she thought," has never had a new dress. Now she's going to die in the first new things she's ever had".
Susanna put her dress aside, she stood and softly paced in her cell. Mrs. Zahn stood in silence; she noticed the poor girl's shaking hands.
"I'm afraid of what is going to happen", said Susanna, "I can't help it, I'm so afraid". Susanna was shaking.
"I know you are, dear, just try not to think about it", said Mrs. Zahn. She laid a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Do you think it will hurt, the hanging I mean", asked Susanna.
"I don't know, dear, I don't think so", said Mrs. Zahn, "I think you'll feel just a bit of a squeeze, then it will be all over. You'll see the next world".
"I wish this was all a dream", said Susanna, "but I know it's true. There really going to hang me. I'm so sorry for what I did". Susanna cried softly.
"I know you are repentant, dear", said Mrs. Zahn, "that won't stop this thing but it will help in the next world". She put a hand on Susanna trembling fingers.
"Will I be allowed to see a minister", asked Susanna.
"I'll get Reverend Stoltz to come to you", said Mrs. Zahn. "He'll be glad to comfort you. I'll be back tomorrow and we can talk more then".
The Sheriff's wife left feeling sad for the girl. Susanna was facing her impending death with a lot of courage for a simple servant girl. Mrs. Zahn was determined to make things at the end as easy as she could for the girl.
Later that day, the Reverend Stoltz arrived and asked to see Susanna. The two talked and prayed for some time. The minister left promising to return in the morning.
Part 4:
Later that same night, after he left the tavern, Leroy Harst decided to visit the condemned girl. The town was filling with visitors eager to see the hanging. Most of the visitors had not seen Susanna but rumor of a pretty young girl dying at the end of a rope brought people from far and wide.
Leroy Harst was celebrated in some of the lower circles as the man of the hour. He was delighted with his new status. As he approached the courthouse, he noted that all was quite as it should be at 11:00 at night. Harst let himself in and descended to the jail level. The old turnkey was asleep. Harst woke him and gave him a coin to have a drink at the tavern.
Harst quietly opened Susanna's cell door and entered. The girl lay on straw pallet in the corner in a fitful sleep. She was wearing her thin cotton shift for sleep. She woke to crushing pressure on top of her. Susanna could smell a sour whiskey odor mixed with sweat and musty clothing.
"What...oh God, no", she cried, "help me".
A hand hit her across the face, "shut up you stupid doxie or you'll die tonight". Susanna recognized Harst as he pushed her shift above her waist.
"Please don't do this", she begged.
"You'll do as I say slut or I'll see to it that you take a good long time on the rope", said Harst. "I can make it easy or hard for you on Thursday. If I want, I can have you kick all afternoon. It's up to you".
"What do I have to do", asked Susanna.
"Just give me a little ride and I'll send you off neat and tidy. You won't feel a thing", he said.
Susanna felt real disgust for the first time in her life that night. She lay there as Harst lowered his sweaty, smelly bulk on top of her. Fortunately, he was finished soon.
Susanna was crying when he had finished. "You promised me to be quick on Thursday", she said.
"Yes child", he said, "it'll be over and done in a blink". He laughed as he pulled up his breeches. Then he looked hard at the girl. "You say a word of this to your precious Sheriff and you'll be kickin' till Sunday", he snarled.
Harst left Susanna in her cell.
The next morning Susanna was very quiet. She sat on the low pallet as Mrs. Zahn and Reverend Stoltz visited her. She was very quite and withdrawn. Mrs. Zahn noticed a bruise on the girl's jaw but Susanna gave no reply when asked how she got the bruise.
As evening approached, the minister left and Mrs. Zahn ordered warm water for Susanna so that the condemned girl could bathe. Susanna was grateful for this small luxury. After her bath, she dressed in her clean chemise. As a last act of charity, Mrs. Zahn plaited Susanna hair into a single braid. This would be easily pinned up on the girl's head in the morning. The two women talked for a time and Mrs. Zahn took her leave. Susanna was sad to see this woman go. Mrs. Zahn had been her only friend.
Susanna remained alone with her thoughts. Eventually, she reached a state of half sleep. She knew she was spending the last night of her life. She had a sick feeling in her stomach.
Part 5:
The morning of June 11,1807 broke crisp and clear. The hot spell seemed to be subsiding. Susanna woke in her cell to the new day. It was 6 in the morning. She was given a bucket of water to wash in and was able to make herself presentable. She carefully washed her hands and feet and put on her new dress and slippers.
The jailer brought her a pot of tea and a boiled egg. "How much time do I have", she asked.
"Oh, things won't get started for a few hours", he told her, "you'll have time to finish your tea". The old jailer looked at her, "you look real pretty today, young miss. I hope its quick and easy for you", he said.
Susanna shuddered; the reality hit her again. "Today is my last day", she thought, "there will be no sundown or tomorrow or anything for me. If they look for me tomorrow I won't be here…I won't be anywhere." She burst into tears and was still weeping when the Reverend Stoltz arrived with Mrs. Zahn.
The three talked and prayed for a time. Susanna said again how sorry she was for her act of murder. The minister told her that she would be able to tell God of her sorrow as she entered a better world. The minister's words didn't seem to help. Susanna looked as if she was in a trance as she contemplated what was about to happen to her.
Finally, Mrs. Zahn fastened Susanna's braid up on her head. The girl looked very pretty in her dress. Susanna came out of her trance and tearfully hugged and kissed Mrs. Zahn. "Will you stand where I can see you when they take me out there. I can do this better if I have some one to care", Susanna asked Mrs. Zahn. Mrs. Zahn had a white muslin cap for Susanna to wear. Commonly called a 'mobcap', the headwear was a simple ruffled cap that was worn over a woman's hair. It was considered improper for anyone to go out doors with their head uncovered. Mrs. Zahn put the small cap on Susanna's head. The girl's curls framed her pretty face below the white ruffles. The woman said good bye to the condemned girl and left the cell promising to be out there for the girl.
At 9:30 the Sheriff and Leroy Harst arrived with two deputies. Harst smiled at Susanna, "Its time, young felon", he said. She looked at the large man without comprehension.
Susanna could feel her stomach flutter. As she rose to her feet, she felt very faint and would have collapsed if the Sheriff had not supported her. Susanna felt sick and asked to be allowed to relieve herself. She was allowed to use the chamber pot in her cell in front of the Sheriff, the hangman and deputies. It was a humiliation but couldn't be helped.
"Its time Susanna", said the Sheriff.
"I understand, Sheriff", said Susanna, "please don't hurt me".
The deputies took Susanna each by an arm and led her out of the cell. Her heel-less slippers made small scuffing sounds on the wood of the steps as the group ascended. They went out the door of the courthouse to a huge crowd. Later estimates said 20,000 people had turned up to watch the hanging. The crowd saw a small figure in a white dress being led by two large men. She looked so small and helpless.
The procession from the courthouse walked slowly along the 300-feet of path to the gallows. As they neared the gallows, Susanna began to breathe rapidly, her eyes opened wide in terror. The minister was intoning a prayer. "Don't look at it", whispered the Sheriff, "think of other things."
The gallows stood as it had for the past week and a half. Today there was a thick rope ending in a large noose dangling from the center of the high crosspiece. Under the noose was a small four-wheeled cart and on the cart was a coffin. Susanna would be made to stand on her own coffin on the cart, which would then be driven from beneath her feet. There was a stool to help the girl mount the cart. Susan noticed Doctor Reifsnyder standing to one side of the cart. He averted his eyes from hers.
As she approached the gallows, Susanna fell to her knees and began to pray for forgiveness. The minister joined her and helped her to her feet when the prayer had finished.
It was nearing 10 in the morning as they helped the girl to the cart then to the lid of the coffin. Harst bound Susanna's hands behind her back. She was turned to face the courthouse. The only sound was the soft scuffing of Susanna's slippers on the smooth wood of the coffin. The Sheriff approached and looked up at the condemned girl, "Susanna Cox, you are ordered to be put to death by hanging. Do you have any last words"? Susanna stared at the Sheriff, not quite aware of his question. She was trembling. "Susanna Cox", repeated the Sheriff, "do you want to say anything before the sentence is carried out"?
Susanna slowly shook her head and whispered, "no" in a cracked voice, she was weeping. The crowd had grown quiet. Watching this girl about to die had taken the festiveness out of them. Susanna searched the crowd for a sympathetic face. She saw Mrs. Zahn standing with two other women.
Harst removed the white frilly mobcap from Susanna's head. He then pulled the large noose over the girl's head and adjusted the thing around her throat. Susanna could feel the rough, heavy rope. The hangman next produced a cotton bag about the size of a small pillowcase and pulled it down over Susanna's face. He then stepped from the coffin lid and jumped from the cart. "Are you ready slut", he asked.
Susanna stood hooded and noosed, trembling in the warm sun. She just shuddered and gasped a breath of air. "God, please make this fast", she prayed to herself. The crowd had grown absolutely silent now.
Suddenly a crack of a whip drove the carthorse forward. The cart and coffin lurched from beneath Susanna's feet. She felt the cart moving and tried to take a step to keep her balance but there was just air beneath her feet. The girl's mouth opened to scream but the tightening rope forced a gagging, choking sound. She dropped just a short distance, making a soft thud as the rope arrested her fall. The hanging girl began to thrash and buck immediately. "It hurts", she thought as she kicked the air beneath her feet, "oh my God it hurts."
The crowd made a moaning sound as the girl began to hang. The hangman stood beneath the wildly kicking girl and smiled. One of Susanna's slippers came off as she kicked in the air. She pointed her toes in a futile effort to reach solid ground but there was none for her. Her eyes were half closed and her tongue protruded from swollen lips. The unfortunate girl was fighting a loosing battle for her life. Under the hood, her pretty face swelled and darkened as the deadly dance continued. Susanna's consciousness began to fade as she writhed and twisted on the rope. There was only a rustle of cloth and the creak of the rope with an occasional soft gurgle coming from the hanging girl.
As the struggle went past 8 minutes, the Sheriff said to Harst, "end it man, my God how can you watch her suffer so".
Harst just stood there and watched Susanna thrash on the rope. He saw her remaining slipper had come off at her heel. Harst reached out and grabbed the still kicking feet and removed the slipper. As he did, he appeared to lift and lower the struggling girl. A soft moan came from the dieing girl. The crowd thought he had let her get a breath to extend the hanging. They began to jeer at the hangman.
Harst picked up the slipper Susanna had kicked off previously and put it in his pocket. The thrashing continued, weaker now as the dying girl continued to struggle. Most of the crowd was anxious for an end; they felt that the poor girl had suffered enough.
The sheriff and a deputy quickly grabbed kicking legs and held on while they gently pulled. The effort tightened the noose enough allow it to do its deadly work. Susanna lasted another few minutes, mercifully unconscious. Her body stiffened and gave two massive spasms and a convulsive shudder. She then seemed to relax all the tension in her body. The girl hung limp and lifeless on the rope.
Susanna dangled on the rope; her head was twisted toward her right shoulder. There was a faint smell of urine and perspiration coming from the dead girl. The body slowly swung back and forth on the rope.
Harst, the hangman stood smiling as he looked up at the corpse. The man patted a dangling bare foot and said, "that's all for today slut". He had thoroughly enjoyed the hanging. There were many in the crowd who thought the entire spectacle had been an act of barbarism. They began to shout curses and threats at Harst.
The body was allowed to hang for another half-hour as most of the crowd watched silently. Most were in a state of minor shock. They had seen a perfectly healthy girl reduced to the state of a carcass in a butcher shop before their eyes. Harst received his "hangman's fee" under the gallows. He laughed as he gave the hanging body a push to get it swinging again. Harst walked toward the tavern as an angry crowd looked after him.
The Sheriff and his deputy began removing Susanna's body from the gallows. The small limp figure was laid out on the top of the coffin. The hood was removed, revealing a mauve colored face. Her eyes were closed and her tongue had forced its way between her teeth. Susanna's features were somewhat swollen in death. The noose was removed from the bruised neck. Doctor Reifsnyder stepped forward and felt under Susanna's breast for a heartbeat. He then had the Sheriff release the bonds on the girl's wrists and took her left wrist in his hand. As a test for extinction of life, the doctor cut into the girl's wrist. Since a dead body does not pump blood, the severed artery simply leaked blood. The doctor pronounced Susanna dead.
Susanna's body was put into the coffin and carried to Doctor Reifsnyder's nearby office. Here, the unfortunate girl would be examined and prepared for burial. Mrs. Zahn and some of her friends would wash and dress the poor girl's body.
Leroy Harst was caught by a group of irate citizens who were offended by his behavior and his incompetence as an executioner. As he tried to flee, Harst was caught and severely beaten. He was left on the street. He recovered but his fee had been taken by one of his attackers. Harst never returned to Berks.
Susanna Cox was buried at the edge of Penn's Common (in a Potter's field). She was laid to rest wearing her white dress with the black bows. Her slippers, picked up by Harst, were never found so Susanna was buried without shoes. A paper with Susanna's name, the date and cause of her death was put into a small bottle which went into the coffin. No marker was ever placed over the grave.
In writings some years later, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania expressed regret at his decision to allow Susanna Cox to be hanged.
In 1938, workmen digging a foundation near Penn's Common unearthed an old coffin containing the bones of a young woman. From a paper in a bottle inside the coffin, the skeleton was identified as that of Susanna Cox. The remains were moved to the city's then "Potter's Field" and buried in an unmarked grave.
End
Copyright by Ms J. (2000).