(Thanks to Robert Elder of Last Words of the Executed — the blog, and the book — for the guest post. This post originally appeared on the Last Words blog here. Fans of this here site are highly likely to enjoy following Elder’s own pithy, almanac-style collection of last words on the scaffold. -ed.)

“You may break my neck, but you won’t break the seal of manhood.”

-Thomas R. Dawson, convicted of desertion and rape, hanging, Virginia.
Executed April 25, 1864

An Englishman who had served in the Crimean War, Dawson was already the recipient of both the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Honor. [but see this post’s comments -ed.] He had been serving in Company H, Twentieth Massachusetts Infantry, when he was convicted. “He was an excellent soldier,” according to the infantry record, “intelligent and obedient.” On the gallows, a misjudgment of rope length caused Dawson to hit the ground standing when he fell through the trapdoor.

Panicking, the executioner grabbed the end of the rope “and jerked the prisoner upwards until death slowly came.”

On this day..

• 1328: Pierre de Remi, royal treasurer
• 1804: Hans Jakob Willi, Bockenkrieger
• 1827: Blue Jimmy
• 1859: Oscar Jackson lynched, precipitating the Wright County War
• 1952: Lloyd Edison Sampsell, the Yacht Bandit
• 1683: Yaoya Oshichi, fire horse
• 1900: Bill Brown, Sonnie Crain and John Watson
• 1945: Ewald Ehlers lynched
• 1938: Yakov Peters, Siege of Sidney Street survivor
• 1644: Looters in conquered Beijing
• 1649: John Poyer, the lucky winner
• 1792: Nicolas Pelletier, Madame Guillotine's first kiss