Oscar Comery
Encyclopedia
Oscar J. Comery was hanged
in Concord, New Hampshire
at 12:31 a.m. at the New Hampshire State Prison on February 18, 1916 at the age of 34. According to the Concord Evening Monitor, February 18, 1916, Comery was convicted of murdering his wife. He confessed to killing his wife by poisoning her with strychnine
by replacing the quinine
his wife normally took with the poison. An autopsy was performed and strychnine was determined to be the cause of death.
Comery killed his wife on November 29, 1914, was arrested on January 1, 1915, brought to trial on February 8, 1915, where he "pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree with the expectation that the court would sentence him to life imprisonment" (Concord Evening Monitor).
Comery was the first of only three people executed by the state of New Hampshire
in the 20th century. The other two were Frederick Small
in 1918 and Howard Long in 1939.
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
at 12:31 a.m. at the New Hampshire State Prison on February 18, 1916 at the age of 34. According to the Concord Evening Monitor, February 18, 1916, Comery was convicted of murdering his wife. He confessed to killing his wife by poisoning her with strychnine
Strychnine
Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion...
by replacing the quinine
Quinine
Quinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine which, unlike quinine, is an anti-arrhythmic...
his wife normally took with the poison. An autopsy was performed and strychnine was determined to be the cause of death.
Comery killed his wife on November 29, 1914, was arrested on January 1, 1915, brought to trial on February 8, 1915, where he "pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree with the expectation that the court would sentence him to life imprisonment" (Concord Evening Monitor).
Comery was the first of only three people executed by the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
in the 20th century. The other two were Frederick Small
Frederick Small
Frederick L. Small was the convicted murderer of his wife, Florence Aileen Curry Small, in New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Small took out a joint life insurance policy of $20,000 USD on March 16, 1916 from the John Hancock Company of Boston. The policy was written that the other spouse would...
in 1918 and Howard Long in 1939.