Daniel Wilkinson (murderer)
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2008) |
Daniel Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1845 |
| Died | November 21, 1885 First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Daniel Wilkinson (c. 1845 – November 21, 1885.
In the early morning hours of September 4, 1883, Wilkinson and his accomplice John Ewitt were caught attempting to break into the D.C. Gould Ship Chandlery and Provision Store in Bath. As Wilkinson and Ewitt were running away from one police officer, they collided with Constable William Lawrence. Wilkinson immediately shot Lawrence in the head with a .32 caliber revolver.
Wilkinson was arrested in
first degree murder
on January 7, 1884, and was sentenced by the judge to death by hanging.
The death sentence was carried out at the Maine State Prison in
strangulation
. The nature of Wilkinson's death, which was similar to the executions of two other inmates the previous April, was used by anti-death penalty activists to argue that Maine should abolish the death penalty, which it did in 1887.
See also
References
- ^ "City of Bath: "Fallen Officer"". Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- Dick Dooley, series of articles in Rockland Courier-Gazette, 1974-08-15, 1974-08-22, 1974-08-29
- Edward Schriver, "Reluctant Hangman: The State of Maine and Capital Punishment, 1820-1887", New England Quarterly, vol. 63, no. 2 (Jun. 1990) pp. 271–287
External links
 | This Maine-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This United States biographical article related to crime is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |