Description: Joe Munroe photographs convicted rapist and robber Caryl Chessman as he pleads his case while on death row. Chessman was convicted of numerous robberies as well as rape and kidnapping in the 1960s. At the time, kidnapping was grounds for the death penalty in California. Chessman successfully appealed and delayed his execution date for 12 years--by far one of the longest such delays on record. In the end he was gassed to death on May 2, 1960. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B31_F2169_JPG300
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Death row; Criminal procedure; Appellate procedure;
Places: San Quentin (California)
 

Description: This photograph from the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus is of Wayne Thompson, a 24-year-old of Franklin County. His formal attire suggests that the photograph was taken during his trial or sentencing. Thompson was convicted in the robbery and murder of Carl Hoover, a grocer, and was the 232nd individual to be executed via the electric chair in Ohio. The caption at the bottom reads: "No. 232, Wayne Thompson of Franklin County, Legally Electrocuted January 21st, 1942 for the Murder of Carl Hoover." In 1885 the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, became the location for all executions, which previously took place in the various county seats. In 1896 the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the form of capital punishment. The Ohio Penitentiary regularly offered tours as well as souvenir photographs and postcards of the building and prisoners on death row. A total of 315 prisoners, both men and women, were executed in the electric chair known as “Old Sparky” between 1897 and 1963. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08286
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Death row; Electrocution; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio; Death row
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph from the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus is of 43-year-old Lester Nichols. His formal attire suggests that the photograph was taken during his trial or sentencing. Nichols was convicted of murdering his father-in-law, Rev. Lewis Whitaker, and wounding others in a home invasion. The caption at the bottom reads: “No. 266 Lester Nichols of Allen County, Legally Electrocuted March 4, 1949 for the Murder of Lewis Whitaker.” In 1885 the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, became the location for all executions, which previously took place in the various county seats. In 1896 the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the form of capital punishment. The Ohio Penitentiary regularly offered tours as well as souvenir photographs and postcards of the building and prisoners on death row. A total of 315 prisoners, both men and women, were executed in the electric chair known as “Old Sparky” between 1897 and 1963. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08318
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Death row; Electrocution; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Death row
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph from the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus is of 29-year-old Navy sailor Robert Gemmell. His formal attire suggests that the photograph was taken during his trial or sentencing. Gemmell, convicted of killing a 25-year-old woman in Columbus, was the 292nd individual to be executed via the electric chair in Ohio. The caption at the bottom reads: “No. 292 Robert Gemmell Franklin County, Ohio, Legally Electro-cuted, July 10, 1953, for the Murder of Laura Grimshaw.” In 1885 the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, became the location for all executions, which previously took place in the various county seats. In 1896 the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the form of capital punishment. The Ohio Penitentiary regularly offered tours as well as souvenir photographs and postcards of the building and prisoners on death row. A total of 315 prisoners, both men and women, were executed in the electric chair known as “Old Sparky” between 1897 and 1963. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08344
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Death row; Electrocution; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio; Death row
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph from the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus is of 44-year-old Robert Griffin. His formal attire suggests that the photograph was taken during his trial or sentencing. Griffin was the 314th individual to be executed via the electric chair in Ohio. The caption at the bottom reads: “No. 314 Robert Harris Griffin Cuyahoga County Legally Electrocuted February 15, 1963, for the murder of Mattie Benjamin and Mary Lee Williams” In 1885 the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, became the location for all executions, which previously took place in the various county seats. In 1896 the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the form of capital punishment. The Ohio Penitentiary regularly offered tours as well as souvenir photographs and postcards of the building and prisoners on death row. A total of 315 prisoners, both men and women, were executed in the electric chair known as “Old Sparky” between 1897 and 1963. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08365
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Death row; Electrocution; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio; Death row
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: The east annex of the Ohio Penitentiary, where death row and the execution chamber were located, displayed photographs of hundreds of prisoners who were condemned to death throughout the state’s history. This portrait of 67-year-old J. H. Thompson is one of them. The caption at the bottom of his photograph reads: “No. 196, J. H. Thompson of Highland County, Electrocuted December 17th, 1935, for the Murder of Herbert Green at Hillsboro, Ohio.” In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary. Their deaths occurred between 1897 and 1963. Thompson was the 196th prisoner in Ohio to be executed on the electric chair. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08250
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Highland County (Ohio); Hillsboro (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Before the its closure, the Ohio Penitentiary housed the photographs of hundreds of prisoners who were condemned to death throughout the state’s history. These images were displayed within the east annex of the facility, where death row and the execution chamber were located. This portrait of 22-year-old Norman Peacock is one of them. During an attempted robbery of a Cincinnati shoe store, Peacock fatally shot Marie and Morris Hockfield, the store’s proprietors. The caption at the bottom of his photograph reads: “No. 197, Norman Peacock of Hamilton County, Electrocuted March 11th, 1936, for the Murders of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Hockfield at Cincinnati, Ohio.” In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. Peacock was the 197th prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08251
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio); Cincinnati (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Before its closure, the Ohio Penitentiary housed the photographs of hundreds of prisoners who were condemned to death throughout the state’s history. These images were displayed within the east annex of the facility, where death row and the execution chamber were located. This portrait of 27-year-old James Thompson is one of them. Thompson actively planned and triggered the derailment of a “Norfolk and Western Railway” passenger train in Lawrence County, OH. The wreck resulted in the deaths of the train’s engineer and stoker. The caption at the bottom of the photograph reads: “No. 198, James Thompson of Lawrence County, Electrocuted April 25th, 1936, for the Murders of Engineer John Meyers and Fireman John Kemp during a Train Wreck.” In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. But in 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. Thompson was the 198th prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08252
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Railroad accidents
 

Description: Before its closure, the Ohio Penitentiary housed the photographs of hundreds of prisoners who were condemned to death throughout the state’s history. These images were displayed within the east annex of the facility, where death row and the execution chamber were located. This portrait of 30-year-old Donald Eberle is one of them. Eberle carried out dozens of robberies in Cleveland and Chicago in the mid-1930s. In one such instance, he and two accomplices, John Pleyer and Helen Harmon, held up a Cleveland butcher shop, resulting in the fatal shooting of Albert Wesosky, the butcher’s son. Both Pleyer and Eberle were sentenced to death for their role in the murder. The caption at the bottom of Eberle’s photograph reads: “No. 199, Donald Eberle of Cuyahoga County, Electrocuted June 23rd, 1936, for the Murder of Albert Wesosky at Cleveland, Ohio.” In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. Eberle was the 199th prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08253
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Portrait photography
Places: Cuyahoga County (Ohio); Cleveland (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. This photograph shows 30-year-old Richard Keller, the 200th prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. Keller’s portrait was displayed in the east annex of the Ohio Penitentiary along with hundreds of other photographs of prisoners who were executed by the state of Ohio. These were housed in the same area of the penitentiary as death row and the execution chamber itself. The caption at the bottom of Keller’s photograph reads: “No. 200, Richard Keller of Hamilton County, Electrocuted July 1st, 1936 for the Murder of Adolph F. Woest at Cincinnati, Ohio.” Woest’s murder occurred during a holdup at his Cincinnati laundry service. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08254
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Hamilton County (Ohio); Cincinnati (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. This photograph shows 31-year-old John Pleyer, the 201st prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. Pleyer’s portrait was displayed in the east annex of the Ohio Penitentiary along with hundreds of other photographs of prisoners who were executed by the state of Ohio. These were housed in the same area of the penitentiary as death row and the execution chamber itself. The caption at the bottom of Pleyer’s photograph reads: “No. 201, John Pleyer of Cuyahoga County, Electrocuted August 5th, 1936 for the Murder of Albert Wesosky at Cleveland, Ohio.” Wesosky’s murder occurred during a holdup at his father’s butcher shop carried out by Pleyer and two other accomplices, Donald Eberle and Helen Harmon. Both Pleyer and Eberle were executed for their role in the crime. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08255
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Cuyahoga County (Ohio); Cleveland (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: In 1885, the Ohio Penitentiary became the site of all executions for prisoners on death row; formerly, executions had taken place in the county where the crime was committed. In 1896, the Ohio General Assembly mandated that electrocution replace hanging as the state’s only form of capital punishment. Altogether there were 315 people who were electrocuted at the Ohio Penitentiary, their deaths occurring between 1897 and 1963. This photograph shows 26-year-old James Brown, the 202nd prisoner in Ohio to be executed in this manner. Brown’s portrait was displayed in the east annex of the Ohio Penitentiary along with hundreds of other photographs of prisoners who were executed by the state of Ohio. These were housed in the same area of the penitentiary as death row and the execution chamber itself. The caption at the bottom of Brown’s photograph reads: “No. 202, James Brown of Cuyahoga County, Electrocuted December 4, 1936 for the Murder of Railroad Detective Eugene Gurganus, at Cleveland Ohio.” View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08256
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Capital punishment--Ohio--History; Electrocution; Death row; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Cuyahoga County (Ohio); Cleveland (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)