Necktie Parties A History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905

Diane Goeres-Gardner makes readers eyewitnesses to frontier justice in Necktie Parties. This is the story of the men who climbed the gallows steps and faced the hangman's noose during the early years of settlement in Oregon. Today, capital punishment is a controversial topic, in the United States and around the world. That wasn't the case during the 1800s on America's western frontier. Executions were public events drawing hundreds-sometimes thousands-of residents from miles around. Parents often brought their children, believing the youngsters should learn what happened to people who choose the wrong paths in life. The record of Oregon's hangings during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is a history of ordinary people who committed extraordinary acts. In many cases, the condemned enjoyed their notoriety, at least up to the moment the noose was tightened around their necks. Goeres-Gardner also looks at the backgrounds of the condemned and their victims, the crimes and the investigations. The author uses trial records, witness testimony, newspaper reports and other historical records to bring to life each of the more than fifty cases included in Necktie Parties.Goeres Gardner, Diane L. is the author of 'Necktie Parties A History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905', published 2005 under ISBN 9780870044465 and ISBN 087004446X.