Roxana Druse

Roxana Druse
Born Roxalana Teftt
circa 1847
unknown
Died February 28, 1887(1887-02-28) (age 39-40)
Herkimer County, New York, U.S.
Other names Roxalana Druce
Roxana Druce
Criminal penalty Death by hanging
Criminal status Executed
Spouse(s) William Druse
Children Mary and George Druse
Conviction(s) Murder

Roxalana "Roxana" Druse (née Teftt; born ca. 1847 – hanged February 28, 1887), was the last woman hanged in the state of New York. The first woman to be hanged in four decades in Central New York, her botched execution resulted in the decision to replace the gallows with the electric chair in 1890.

Mrs. Druse murdered her husband, William Druse, in their home in Warren, New York. The murder unfolded with the help of her son and daughter, George and Mary Druse, and nephew Frank Gates. The family members were threatened with death if they refused and therefore, they all had an involvement with the murder case as a whole. Druse claimed that her motive was that her husband was abusive to her and was not supporting the family because he had left for a number of days after an argument. Frank Gates and George Druse were later released due to lack of involvement of the murder. During the trial, Mary Druse admitted to assisting in the murder, and was sentenced to life at the Onondaga Country penitentiary. On October 6, 1885 Roxalana was sentenced to be hanged on November 25, 1885 but, due to multiple changes, this was changed to a final, official date of February 28, 1887.[1]

Events of the Murder

The morning before the murder, the Druse couple had a fight. Fights were common between the Druses, and many residents reported signs of foul play. The couple were known in the community for their arguments and disagreements (which the Defense later presented to the jury to convince them that Mr. Druse was in fact abusive to his wife). During this dispute, Roxalana concealed a revolver under her apron which was placed by her in another room. Upon instruction from his mother, George Druse, aged ten, left the house while sister and daughter of the couple Mary Druse, aged nineteen, remained in the house.

Mary then tied a rope around her father's neck while Mrs. Druse fired the revolver wounding Mr. Druse. Due to misuse of the weapon, Roxalana forced fourteen-year-old nephew Frank Gates to further fire at her husband. After pleading for help and unable to move, Mr. Druse was decapitated by his wife wielding an axe. The body, along with the head, were then taken into the parlor, where they remained for the day. There, Mrs. Druse cut up her husband’s body and burnt it to ash on a stove. She also burned William’s clothes to further destroy evidence and erase his traces from the house. False documents were produced which read that Mr. Druse had left the house after an argument and his whereabouts were unknown. In order to further the idea that William disappeared, Roxalana threatened that she would kill her daughter and the boys, (who were playing checkers), if they admitted to the crime. The ashes were dumped in a nearby swamp, while the murder weapon and revolver were wrapped up and dumped in a pond.

On the 18th of December, 1884, William Druse was reported missing by the police due to his sudden disappearance. Investigation lead to finding the murder weapon, an axe sold previously to William Druse, wrapped in paper in a pond along with the revolver. Multiple allegations were reported against wife Roxalana, yet due to lack of evidence, nothing was officially reported. On January 16, 1885, Frank Gates admitted to the crime after consistent harassment from neighbors. Gates and Mrs.Druse were then arrested and brought to trial on September 21, 1885, which lasted nearly two weeks.[2]

Execution

When Druse was sentenced to death in Herkimer County, New York, suspension hanging was the method of execution. The process jerked the prisoner upwards by a weighted rope instead of the body dropping downwards through a trap door. But as Druse was a small woman, the force failed to break her neck leaving her to die agonizingly by strangulation. The scene was so upsetting, officials decided to switch the primary method of execution in the state to the electric chair.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Notorious Roxana Druse Murder Case, Part 2. Accessed 2014-03-31.
  2. ↑ The Notorious Roxana Druse Murder Case, Part 2. Accessed 2014-03-31.


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