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James Thompson portrait Save

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
Places: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections

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Ohio History Connection Use Agreement and Conditions of Reproduction

One-Time Use. The right to reproduce materials held in the collections of the Ohio History Connection is granted on a one-time basis only, and only for private study, scholarship or research. Any further reproduction of this material is prohibited without the express written permission of the Ohio History Connection.
Use Agreement. Materials are reproduced for research use only and may not be used for publication, exhibition, or any other public purpose without the express written permission of the Ohio History Connection.
Credit. Any publication, exhibition, or other public use of material owned by the Ohio History Connection must credit the Ohio History Connection. The credit line should read “Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection” and should include the image or call number. The Ohio History Connection appreciates receiving a copy or tearsheet of any publication/presentation containing material from the organization’s collections.
Indemnification. In requesting permission to reproduce materials from the collections of the Ohio History Connection as described, the requestor agrees to hold harmless the OHC and its Trustees, Officers, employees and agents either jointly or severally from any action involving infringement of the rights of any person or their heirs and descendants in common law or under statutory copyright.
Reproduction of Copyrighted Material. Permission to reproduce materials in which reproduction rights are reserved must be granted by signed written permission of the persons holding those rights.
Copyright. The Ohio History Connection provides permission to use materials based on the organization’s ownership of the collection. Consideration of the requirements of copyrights is the responsibility of the author, producer, and publisher. Applicants assume all responsibility for questions of copyright and invasion of privacy that may arise in copying and using the materials available through Ohio Memory.
Warning concerning copyright restriction: The copyright law of the U. S. (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to a photocopy or reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research.” If a user make a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
Photographs of Objects. The Ohio History Connection retains rights to photographs taken of artifacts owned by the Ohio History Connection. The images may be used for research, but any publication or public display is subject to the above conditions of reproduction. A new use agreement and appropriate fees must be submitted for each use

Quality Disclaimer: To maintain the authenticity and preservation of historic artifacts, the Ohio History Connection will not alter or endanger items in the collection for the purposes of reproduction or digitization. By completing this order form, the signee acknowledges that any and all requests will be completed with conservation in mind and that the images produced will reflect the physical condition of the item which may exhibit dirt, scratches, stains, tears, fading, etc.

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