Public Executions
October, 2001
In 1936 some 20,000 spectators gathered in Owensboro, Kentucky to witness the public hanging of Rainey Bethea. Bethea, a 22-year-old black man, had been convicted of raping and murdering a 70-year-old white woman. After the hanging, a mob fought for souvenirs. That was the last time an American executioner played to a crowd. Over the years, various groups have campaigned for a return to public executions. Most recently, the killing of Timothy McVeigh renewed the argument that such an act would s...
