#Captain george kendall death trial
#Captain george kendall death series

The new Constitution made a number of major changes to the prosecution of capital crimes. In 1868, North Carolina adopted a much-revised State Constitution. The North Carolina Legislature passed a law that defined any conspiracy involving three or more slaves a 'rebellion,' a crime made punishable by death. Scott, a school teacher who lived in Morganton at the time of the execution. However, this 'Confession' was not penned by Frankie Silver after all - after several lengthy investigations by historians into the origins of the song, a consensus has emerged that it was written by a man named Thomas W. The song, 'Frankie Silver's Confession,' has been re-published, retold, and kept alive over the years by local storytellers, historians, and journalists. The most popular legend is that Frankie sang a ballad at the gallows, confessing to the crime.

#Captain george kendall death trial

Conflicting evidence and reports of the trial and execution have been transformed over the years into a number of legends about Frankie Silver. The Register reported that Kimbrough 'was habited in a long white shroud which entirely concealed his person' while Carey wore 'a similar garment, except that it was black.' 5įrances ('Frankie') Stuart Silver was hanged in Morganton, N.C., for the 22 December 1831 murder of her husband Charles Silver.

4Īccording to The Raleigh Register, over 3,000 spectators gathered on 8 November 1830 to watch the execution of two men: Elijah W. Following this unrest, two dozen suspected organizers were hanged in eastern North Carolina, while two dozen slaves were hanged in Virginia.

#Captain george kendall death series

3įrom 1800 to 1802, a series of planned slave rebellions took place at a number of locations in North Carolina and Virginia, alarming the states' white residents.

The first documented legal execution in the colony occurred on 26 August 1726, when Native American George Sennecca was hanged for a murder committed in Chowan County. Capital punishment in colonial North Carolina was governed by English Common Law and legislation enacted by North Carolina's Colonial Assembly. The institution of capital punishment in North Carolina dates to the crafting of the 1663 Charter of the Carolinas. Captain George Kendall, a member of the first Council of Jamestown, was executed by firing squad for the crime of espionage. Virginia became the first of the American colonies to put one of its own to death.