Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.
The Killing Chair: North Carolina's Experiment in Civility and the Execution of Allen Foster
Record #:
21662
Author(s):
Abstract:
This article examines the 1936 execution of Allen Foster, the first inmate in North Carolina to die in the gas chamber. Previously, the state had used electrocution for capital punishment but the press reported negatively on the practice while churches and other groups asked for a different method. Foster's execution and several following executions did not go well, and there was another public clamor against the use of gas. While the debate continued, North Carolina used both methods for many years. Lethal use of gas was not legally ended in North Carolina until 1999.
Source:
Subject(s):