Trial and Execution
The trial of Jeffries' and Swan began eight months later, on March 10, 1752. She and John were swiftly convicted and sentenced to hang. On March 28, she was taken to the gallows in a cart and riding on her own coffin, while John was dragged on a sledge for committing alleged Petty treason. When they reached the gallows, Swan was forced to stand on the cart while Jeffries, being only 5'1", had to stand on a chair on the cart. Their legs were not tied and they were not blindfolded. A crowd of 7,000 people gathered to watch them hang. Neither Elizabeth nor John acknowledged one another, while the hangman cracked his whip and drove the cart out from under them. John died in less than five minutes. Elizabeth however, being lighter than Swan, took over fifteen minutes to die, struggling to the end.
Read more about this topic: Elizabeth Jeffries
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