2009: Ehsan Fatahian, Iranian Kurdish activist 1617: A miller of Manberna, the hangman’s last

1941: Ivan Sullivan

November 12th, 2020 Headsman

On this date in 1941, Ivan Sullivan was hanged at Fort Madison, Iowa — in a prison yard near where he’d committed his crime.

Sullivan was lumbered with a 30-year sentence for robbery and kidnapping when he and a buddy, Lowell Haenze, cut their way through an electrified fence while they were working on a prison baseball park ahead of a Fourth of July game in 1940. “In a news report about the escape and the following crime spree, they were likened to John Dillinger and his gang in the Midwest.” And like the Dillinger gang they were loyal enough to orchestrate prison breaks for their chums still in the stir.

Returning to the jail, they attempted to spring another pal, William Cunningham. The attempt failed: Cunningham was wounded in the fray and apparently committed suicide as it all went awry. Meanwhile, a prison guard named Bob Hart was shot dead.

The fugitives weren’t recaptured in this moment but their celebrity lam was short-lived. In late July, after the botched robbery of a Diller, Nebraska bank, both men were hunted to ground and captured — Haenze after playing the hare in a dramatic chase/shootout in tiny Marysville, Kansas, wherein “some 150 or more persons assisted officers in chasing down Haenze … [and] about a dozen shots were exchanged in the main intersections of the city.” (Marshall County News (Marysville, Kansas), July 25, 1940) Sullivan surrendered shortly thereafter to officers in Atchison, Missouri.

Although he pleaded guilty to the hanging crime, Sullivan wheedled for consideration — seeking legal remedies up to the Supreme Court, suggesting continually that Hart had actually been killed by friendly fire rather than Sullivan’s own never-recovered gun,* and at the end asking that his execution be postponed through the 1941 holiday season in consideration of his aged parents. “My Dad and Mother are getting old and won’t have many more Thanksgivings and Christmas[es],” he wrote to Iowa governor George A. Wilson. (Des Moines Register, Nov. 11, 1941) He got no traction at all.

“I do not for one minute mean to insinuate that I am any other than a bank robber who kept his word to a friend. I know I’m not fit for honest people to associate with,” he told newsmen when all hope was gone. (Des Moines Register, Nov. 12, 1941) “I know I have no more chance now to escape the rope than a snowball in hell but I will pray not only for myself but also for the ones who are afraid to be a man for the fear of losing a vote.”

This interesting blog post shares the personal recollections of the hanging’s impact by one of Sullivan’s family members, who was a small child at the time of the execution.

* His charge that “the state crime laboratory [is] for the state only and against the defendants” — because this laboratory wouldn’t or couldn’t produce the bullet that killed Bob Hart for forensic examination — has a prescient feel about it.

On this day..

Entry Filed under: 20th Century,Capital Punishment,Common Criminals,Crime,Death Penalty,Execution,Hanged,Iowa,Murder,USA

Tags: , , ,

129 thoughts on “1941: Ivan Sullivan”

  1. ALBERT says:

    comprare una pistola al mercato nero.
    https://mercatoneroarmi.com/

  2. ALBERT says:

    wapen kopen op deze website. 100% levering
    https://zwartemarktpistool.com/
    700

  3. real ID online? Your search has made you land on the right page. We are one of the top registered drivers license providers.
    https://comprarepatentediguida.com/

  4. Stelo says:

    ereen die problemen ondervindt of het theoretische deel van de rijexamens niet kunt halen.
    bij ons en zonder examens weet je zeker dat je een echt,
    https://cumparapermisdeconduceree.com/

  5. Stewbf says:

    license online, buy real drivers license online and buy real ID online? Your search has made you land on the right page. We are one of the top registered drivers license providers. comprar carnet de conducir en españa
    https://xn--kupitivozakudozvola-4kc.com

  6. Stewinbf says:

    b? Je zoekopdracht heeft ervoor gezorgd dat je op de juiste pagina bent beland. Wij zijn een van de best geregistreerde aanbieders van rijbewijzen. We staan ??bekend om ons harde werk en tevreden klanten.
    https://comprarcarnetdeconducirb.com/

  7. morgan says:

    . La patente di guida deve seguire la stessa procedura di immatricolazione di quelle rilasciate presso le autoscuole,
    https://comprarepatentedi-guida.com/

  8. Mildred says:

    Compre una licencia de conducir real y registrada desde nuestro sitio web sin tener que escribir el examen o tomar la prueba de práctica. solo necesitamos tus datos y quedarán registrados en el sistema en los próximos ocho días. El permiso de conducción debe seguir el mismo procedimiento de matriculación que los que se expiden en las autoescuelas,
    https://comprarcartaporto.com/.

  9. Carlos says:

    Compre uma carteira de habilitação real e registrada em nosso site sem escrever o exame ou fazer o teste prático. tudo o que precisamos são seus dados e eles serão registrados no sistema nos próximos oito dias. A carta de condução deve seguir o mesmo procedimento de registo das emitidas nas escolas de condução,
    https://comprarcartaonline.com/

  10. Ae you based in the uk and yet you have difficulties obtaining your driver licence then contact us today and get a registered driver licence within eight days with no exams required
    https://buydrivinglicenceuk.com/

  11. jhgdrtyt666 says:

    Achetez un permis de conduire réel et enregistré sur notre site Web sans passer d’examens ni passer le test pratique. tout ce dont nous avons besoin, ce sont vos données et elles seront enregistrées dans le système dans les huit prochains jours. Le permis de conduire doit subir la même procédure d’enregistrement que ceux délivrés dans les auto-écoles,
    https://acheterpermis-conduire.com/

  12. hans457 says:

    Se ti imbatti in questo messaggio che cerca di acquistare una patente di guida registrata senza gli esami, allora siamo qui per te, fai semplicemente clic sul collegamento in basso per parlare con un agente. l’agente ti guiderà su come ottenere la patente di guida
    https://comprarelapatenteb.com/

  13. daane54 says:

    Se você se deparar com esta mensagem buscando comprar uma carteira de motorista registrada sem os exames então estamos aqui para ajudá-lo, basta clicar no link abaixo para falar com um agente. o agente irá orientá-lo sobre como obter a carteira de motorista
    https://imt-cartadeconducao.com/

  14. valid doc says:

    Kaufen Sie in wenigen Tagen einen authentischen und registrierten Führerschein,
    der bei der bevorzugten Datenbank und Gemeinde registriert ist, ohne den praktischen
    oder theoretischen Teil der Prüfungen zu absolvieren.
    https://fuehrerschein-fabrik.com/

  15. valid doc says:

    Comprare una vera e propria patente di guida registrata presso la banca dati e il comune di problemi
    senza partecipare alla parte pratica o teorica degli esami in pochi giorni
    https://www.comprarelapatentediguidaregistrataonline.com/

  16. valid doc says:

    https://rijbewijskopen-r.com/
    Koop binnen een paar dagen een authentiek en geregistreerd rijbewijs.
    Ingeschreven bij de gewenste database en gemeente,
    zonder het praktische of theoretische deel van de examens af te leggen.

  17. valid doc says:

    Riktigt körkort och registrerat på vår hemsida utan att ta något prov eller göra det praktiska provet.
    allt vi behöver är dina uppgifter och de skulle loggas in i systemet inom de närmaste åtta dagarna.
    Körkortet ska genomgå samma registreringsförfarande som de som utfärdas på trafikskolor,
    https://xn--kpakrkort-07ad.com/

  18. valid doc says:

    https://www.fuehrerscheinfabriks.com/
    Kaufen Sie in wenigen Tagen einen authentischen und registrierten Führerschein,
    der bei der bevorzugten Datenbank und Gemeinde registriert ist, ohne den praktischen
    oder theoretischen Teil der Prüfungen zu absolvieren.

  19. valid doc says:

    https://vasaroljonjogositvanyt.com/
    Valódi jogosítvány és vizsga vagy gyakorlati vizsga letétele nélkül regisztrált honlapunkon.
    Csak az Ön adataira van szükségünk, és azokat a következ? nyolc napon belül rögzítjük a rendszerben.
    A vezet?i engedélynek ugyanazon a regisztrációs eljáráson kell átesnie, mint az autósiskolákban kiadott vezet?i engedélyeknek.

  20. valid doc says:

    Echter Führerschein und auf unserer Website registriert, ohne eine Prüfung abzulegen oder die praktische Prüfung abzulegen.
    Wir benötigen lediglich Ihre Daten und diese werden innerhalb der nächsten acht Tage im System angemeldet.
    Der Führerschein muss das gleiche Registrierungsverfahren durchlaufen wie die Führerscheine, die in Fahrschulen ausgestellt werden.
    https://fuhrerscheinkaufen-b.com/

  21. valid doc says:

    De overheid maakt het via haar procedures erg moeilijk om een rijbewijs te krijgen. Wat als je een rijbewijs zou kunnen kopen en er binnen een paar dagen voor zou kunnen slagen zonder examens of oefentoetsen? Ik weet zeker dat het geweldig zal zijn als u een van degenen bent die een rijbewijs wilt kopen,
    onze website leest en contact opneemt rijbewijs-kopens

  22. valid doc says:

    https://www.rijbewijs-kopens.com/
    Koop binnen enkele dagen een authentiek en geregistreerd rijbewijs,

  23. valid doc says:

    https://vasaroljonjogositvanyt.com/
    Valódi jogosítvány és vizsga vagy gyakorlati vizsga letétele nélkül regisztrált honlapunkon.
    Csak az Ön adataira van szükségünk, és azokat a következ? nyolc napon belül rögzítjük a rendszerben.
    A vezet?i engedélynek ugyanazon a regisztrációs eljáráson kell átesnie, mint az autósiskolákban kiadott vezet?i engedélyeknek.

  24. jki988 says:

    Se você se deparar com esta mensagem buscando comprar uma carteira de motorista registrada sem os exames então estamos aqui para ajudá-lo, basta clicar no link abaixo para falar com um agente. o agente irá orientá-lo sobre como obter a carteira de motorista
    https://cartaportugues.com

  25. hans3454 says:

    Achetez un permis de conduire réel et enregistré sur notre site Web sans passer d’examens ni passer le test pratique. tout ce dont nous avons besoin, ce sont vos données et elles seront enregistrées dans le système dans les huit prochains jours. Le permis de conduire doit subir la même procédure d’enregistrement que ceux délivrés dans les auto-écoles,
    https://acheterpermis-conduire.com/

    1. Köp ett äkta och registrerat körkort på några dagar,
      registrerad med den föredragna databasen och gemenskapen utan det praktiska eller för att genomföra den teoretiska delen av proven,
      https://xn--kpakrkort-07ad.com/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Calendar

November 2020
M T W T F S S
« Oct    
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  

Archives

Categories

Execution Playing Cards

Exclusively available on this site: our one-of-a-kind custom playing card deck.

Every card features a historical execution from England, France, Germany, or Russia!