Eliphaz Dow (1705 – May 8, 1755) of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire was the first male executed in New Hampshire. (Two women had been executed in 1739). Eliphaz, the son of Joseph and Hannah Dow, was a shoemaker, married but with no known children. He was convicted of the murder of Peter Clough, also from Hampton Falls. It appeared, upon evidence, that a feud had subsisted between them for quite some time. On 12 December 1754, they accidentally met at the house of Eliphaz' brother Noah Dow. Clough accused Dow of maliciously killing one of his cows. They began to threaten each other, then Clough challenged Dow to go out of the house to fight. Dow was a slightly built man and not much of a fighter and Clough was intimidating man who was a local blacksmith. Clough went outside and Dow followed. Dow picked up his brother's

hoe Hoe or HOE may refer to: * Hoe (food), a Korean dish of raw fish * Hoe (letter), a Georgian letter * Hoe (tool), a hand tool used in gardening and farming ** Hoe-farming, a term for primitive forms of agriculture * Backhoe, a piece of excavati ...

and struck Clough with a massive blow on the side of the head which instantly killed him.

Trial and execution

Dow was arrested on the same day of the crime. He went before the Honorable Judge

Meshech Weare Meshech Weare (June 16, 1713January 14, 1786) was an American farmer, lawyer, and revolutionary statesman from Seabrook and Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. He served as the first president of New Hampshire. Before 1784 the position of governor wa ...

. He was committed to the prison in Portsmouth. "At the February term of Superior Court, he was indicted, tried & convicted: and sentence was pronounced upon him that he should be hanged by the neck until he should be dead." His sentence was ordered to be executed on March 20, 1755. Matthew Livermore, Esq. was the attorney general of the Province of New Hampshire that prosecuted Dow. Dow had two reprieves that were allowed until May 8, 1755. Eliphaz pleaded "strictly self defense" at his trial. He was the first male to be executed in New Hampshire. Many people came out to see the public execution. He was executed by Thomas Packer, Portsmouth’s High Sheriff who also executed Ruth Blay 13 years later in 1768. Some accounts have Blay and Dow as second cousins. The exact location of the gallows has been debated for some time. Some accounts have descriptions of the corner of South and Sagamore Streets. Some historic accounts have the location of Ward's Corner. He was hanged for about three hours, between the time of twelve noon until three in the afternoon. His body was buried in the road a few rods from the gallows, just at the declivity of the hill. An account in the ''

New Hampshire Gazette ''The New Hampshire Gazette'' is a non-profit, alternative, bi-weekly newspaper published in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its editors claim that the paper, which all but disappeared into other publications until the late 1900s, is the oldest news ...

'', August 24, 1847, states that bones discovered near the site were "doubtless" his. The bones were only three or four feet under ground, and "together with the bones, were found pieces of bark and leather." This was thought to indicate that he was buried with his shoes on.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dow, Eliphaz 1705 births 1755 deaths American people convicted of murder American people executed for murder Executed people from New Hampshire People executed by the Province of New Hampshire People convicted of murder by New Hampshire People executed by the Thirteen Colonies by hanging People executed by New Hampshire by hanging 18th-century executions of American people

Trial and execution

See also

References