Execution Eve. William Buchanan

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      New Horizon Press

      Far Hills, New Jersey

       Copyright Acknowledgment

      The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to quote from the following copyrighted material:

      “To Kill or Not to Kill” by Allan Trout. Copyright © The Courier-Journal. Used with permission.

      Copyright © 1993 by William J. Buchanan

      All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, including electronic, mechanical, or any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher.

      Requests for permission should be addressed to:

      New Horizon Press

      P.O. Box 669

      Far Hills, NJ 07931

      Buchanan, William J.

       Execution Eve

      Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-60568

      ISBN-13 (eBook): 978-0-88282-458-1

      New Horizon Press

      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

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       Dedicated to the memory of my father

      Contents

       Acknowledgments

       Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

       Chapter 16

       Chapter 17

       Chapter 18

       Chapter 19

       Chapter 20

       Chapter 21

       Chapter 22

       Chapter 23

       Chapter 24

       Chapter 25

       Chapter 26

       Chapter 27

       Epilogue

       About the Author

Acknowledgments

      I wish to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to my father, Warden W. Jesse Buchanan, who made his personal papers available to me and answered myriad questions with candor; to Governor A. B. “Happy” Chandler, Deputy Warden Porter Lady, Death House Supervisor John Rankin and Columnist Allan Trout who added invaluable details during my research; to my mother, Margaret Kagy Buchanan, and sister, Margaret Baldwin Clements, for their contributions about Frog Island, and other key events; to Father Thomas Libs, who related events not a matter of public or church records; and to the three convicted murderers, Thomas Penney, Raymond Baxter, and Robert Anderson, who shared intensely personal recollections and thoughts with me during the final days, hours and minutes of their lives.

      Thanks also to Clara Wiedemann, Frances Baccus, O. Thomas Bell, William Biggs, A. Waller Clements, Hugh and Mary Louise Greene, Porter Lady, Jr., James Park, Jr., Frankie Thomas, Jim Thomas, Odell Walker, and others who wish to remain anonymous, for their help during my more recent research for the book.

      Finally, a special thanks to my wife, Milli, for her encouragement and priceless assistance during the final composition of the manuscript.

Author’s Note

      My original research into this story was for a segment for my college thesis, Men Facing Death: A Study of Capital Punishment in America (University of Louisville, 1950). It was only recently, following an upsurge of legal executions in the United States, that I decided to expand those original notes into a book.

      Much of what occurs in the narrative to follow I witnessed firsthand. The remainder is based on public accounts, trial records, private papers, and incidents that were related to me by those involved, including СКАЧАТЬ