In the early years of Ohio, counties were responsible for their own executions.Here are the execution Dayton carried out:
- John McAfee, 1825: John had been having an affair with a woman named Hetty Shoup. She convinced him to kill his wife so they could be together. He tried to poison his wife but decided she was taking too long to die, so he strangled her. He instantly regretted his actions and ran away but showed up to her funeral and was arrested. McAfee was convicted of murder and publicly hanged near the river (where Sinclair Community College’s Tartan Marketplace is located today). The hanging was heavily attended by the community, including Hetty Shoup.
- Francis Dick, 1854: Francis murdered his mother in law, Elizabeth Young and brother in law, James Young. Francis and his father in law owned a mill together until the father in law’s death a few years prior. The motive for the crime was Francis hoping to become sole owner of the mill. Francis had a history of violence against his wife, Katrina and had been accused of murder in the past. Francis was quickly convicted of first degree murder. He was hanged inside the Montgomery County Jail, located at the Northwest corner of South Main and 6th Street. It took two attempts to hang him.
- John Dobbins, 1864: John was convicted of murdering farmer George Lindemuth. Lindemuth had come to Dayton to sell some items and was flush with cash. Dobbins and Lindemuth were seen together that night, after that Dobbins was seen with a large amount of cash. After multiple suicide attempts, Dobbins danced his way to the noose before being restrained by the sheriff. He resumed dancing on the scaffold and used a nearby bucket to drum a tune. His last words were “Adieu to all, of high and low degree.”
- James Murphy, 1876: James was convicted of killing Colonel William Dawson after he turned them away at the door of a wedding they wanted to crash. During a scuffle, Murphy stabbed Dawson. Murphy repented in prison and on a night during the trial, a loud wail echoed through the prison, scaring the prisoners and guards. Murphy later said it was the wailing of his mother, crying for her doomed son. It took 2 attempts and 17 minutes to complete the execution.
- Harry Adams, 1877: Harry, born Francis Daniel Spealman, was convicted of killing soldier Henry Mulharen after a night of drinking. Mulharen had a wad of cash that Harry was intent to obtain. Harry and Mulharen were joined by a prostitute from Pearl Street named Jennie Smith. During the night, Harry asked others for help mugging Mulharen, but his request was declined each time. After they parted ways for the night, Jennie claimed Harry approached her as she was walking home and asked her to hold a bloody hammer for him and told her to keep quiet about it. She testified against him during the trial. Harry Adams went to the noose claiming Jennie killed Mulharen. His last words were’ “My last word as I feel this rope is that Jennie Smith’s the murdress of the soldier Mulharen.”
After the hanging of Harry Adams, the scaffold was dismantled and stored beneath the Montgomery County Jail. It was reconstructed and displayed in 1955, then dismantled and stored by Dayton History. Adams was the last legal hanging in Dayton.
In 1885, Ohio took the responsibility for executions out of county hands since so many hangings were botched. In 1897, Ohio became the second state to use the electric chair for capital punishment, hoping for a more humane method. Daytonian Albert Frantz became the fourth Ohio execution by electric chair. Albert was convicted in 1896 of murdering his girlfriend, Bessie Little.
