John McCaffary (1820 – August 21, 1851) was an Irish-American farmer who was convicted and executed for the murder of his wife, Bridgett McCaffary. His execution by hanging was botched; he was unintentionally strangled for over 20 minutes until he died. His execution led to the abolition of

capital punishment in Wisconsin Capital punishment in Wisconsin was abolished in 1853. Wisconsin was one of the earliest United States states to abolish capital punishment, and is the only state that has performed only one execution in its history. Since its admission to the U ...

Murder of Bridgett McCaffary

On July 23, 1850, Bridgett McCaffary (née McKean) was

drowned Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer as ...

in a backyard

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

, a newly incorporated town in

Kenosha County, Wisconsin Kenosha County is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 169,151 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the eighth most populous county in Wisconsin. The county shares the same ...

. John McCaffary, an immigrant farmer from Ireland, was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. His trial began on May 6, 1851, and on May 23, 1851, the jury convicted him of willful murder. The judge sentenced him to death by hanging and the death warrant was signed by Governor

Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Dewey was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on December 19, 1813, to Ebenezer and Lucy (né ...

. The

John McCaffary House The John McCaffary House is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. It was built in 1842 and was the site of the murder of Bridget McCaffary by her husband, John McCaffary. He was the first and only person executed by the Wisconsin, State ...

was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

Botched execution and abolition of Wisconsin's death penalty

John McCaffary was the only person ever to be executed by the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was executed by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

for the murder of his wife. McCaffary was hanged from a tree on August 21, 1851, before a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people in front of the Kenosha courthouse and jail. The hanging was initially unsuccessful, and McCaffary remained alive and struggled on the end of the rope for approximately 20 minutes as he was slowly

strangled Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...

. McCaffary was buried in the Green Ridge Cemetery in Kenosha. He was the first person executed by Wisconsin after it became a state of the United States in 1848. The spectacle of McCaffary's slow death in front of thousands led reformers in Wisconsin to press for abolition of the death penalty. On July 12, 1853,

Wisconsin Governor The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

Leonard J. Farwell Leonard James Farwell (January 5, 1819 – April 11, 1889) was an American politician and public administrator. He was the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Farwell was born in Watertown, New York, the son of James and Rebecca (Cady) ...

signed a law that abolished the death penalty in Wisconsin and replaced it with a penalty of

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. The law is still in effect and no one has been executed by Wisconsin since McCaffary's death.

Sources

*Cropley, Carrie
"The case of John McCaffary".
''Wisconsin Magazine of History''. vol. 35, no. 4 (1951–1952) pp. 281–288 *Hintz, Martin. (2007). ''Got Murder?: Shocking True Stories of Wisconsin's Notorious Killers''. Neenah, Wis.: Big Earth Publishing, . *Pendleton, Alexander T. and Blaine R. Renfert
"A Brief History of Wisconsin's Death Penalty,"
''Wisconsin Lawyer''. August 1993

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCaffary, John 1820 births 1850 murders in the United States 1851 deaths 19th-century Irish people 19th-century executions by the United States 19th-century executions of American people American people executed for murder Irish people convicted of murder Irish emigrants (before 1923) to the United States Irish people executed abroad Executed Irish people People executed by Wisconsin by hanging People from Kenosha, Wisconsin People convicted of murder by Wisconsin

Murder of Bridgett McCaffary

Botched execution and abolition of Wisconsin's death penalty

See also

Sources

References