Toni Jo Henry
Encyclopedia
Toni Jo Henry (née Annie Beatrice McQuiston), was the only woman executed in Louisiana
's electric chair
(for the murder of Joseph P. Calloway).
, she was the third of five children. Her mother died while she was a child. She worked in a factory, but later found her way into the employment of a local brothel
as a prostitute. She soon became a regular user of alcohol
, marijuana and cocaine
.
Upon returning from California, Claude Henry was arrested for the murder of a Texas man prior to their marriage. He was found guilty in January 1940 and sentenced to fifty years in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, Texas
.
As they passed Jennings, Louisiana
, Toni Jo pulled out a .32 caliber pistol and ordered Mr. Calloway to drive down a country road. She then ordered him out of the car and to undress. After Burks collected the clothes, she told the victim to kneel down and say his prayers, then shot him once in the head.
She later was interviewed by a Shreveport police officer, during which she confessed and disclosed the location of the body.
The second trial occurred February 1941. After an hour of deliberations, she was again convicted and sentenced to death—and again appealed and was granted a new trial.
The third trial occurred January 1942. Again convicted and sentenced to death, she appealed, but this time her appeal was denied.
.
Stone Justice by Debi King McMartin and Lyn Morgan, published by Sarah Hudson-Pierce
's Ritz Publications in Shreveport, details the life of Toni Jo Henry. The motion picture The Pardon, filmed in Shreveport, is adapted from Stone Justice.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
's electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
(for the murder of Joseph P. Calloway).
Early life
Born near Shreveport, LouisianaShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, she was the third of five children. Her mother died while she was a child. She worked in a factory, but later found her way into the employment of a local brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
as a prostitute. She soon became a regular user of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, marijuana and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
Marriage
In 1939, she met Claude 'Cowboy' Henry in the brothel where she worked. A down-on-his-luck prize fighter, Cowboy fell in love with the young prostitute. Married on November 25, 1939, the couple honeymooned in southern California. During this time, Cowboy was able to wean his bride off her various drug addictions.Upon returning from California, Claude Henry was arrested for the murder of a Texas man prior to their marriage. He was found guilty in January 1940 and sentenced to fifty years in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
.
Murder of Joseph P. Calloway
Toni Jo then began contemplating plans to break her husband out of Huntsville Prison. She and Harold 'Arkie' Burks murdered Joseph P. Calloway after he offered to give the two a ride, apparently believing that the victim's Ford V8 Coupe would make a suitable get-away car.As they passed Jennings, Louisiana
Jennings, Louisiana
Jennings is a small city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,986 at the 2000 census....
, Toni Jo pulled out a .32 caliber pistol and ordered Mr. Calloway to drive down a country road. She then ordered him out of the car and to undress. After Burks collected the clothes, she told the victim to kneel down and say his prayers, then shot him once in the head.
She later was interviewed by a Shreveport police officer, during which she confessed and disclosed the location of the body.
Trials and appeals for murder
Her first trial was held from March 27–29, 1940. After deliberating for six hours, the jury convicted her and sentenced her to death by hanging. Her accomplice was later convicted and sentenced to death. She appealed and was granted a new trial.The second trial occurred February 1941. After an hour of deliberations, she was again convicted and sentenced to death—and again appealed and was granted a new trial.
The third trial occurred January 1942. Again convicted and sentenced to death, she appealed, but this time her appeal was denied.
Execution
While pending her trials, Louisiana changed its method of execution from hanging to death by electrocution. Toni Jo Henry was executed on November 28, 1942. The DA was Griffin T. Hawkins of Lake CharlesLake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
.
Books
A Savage Wisdom, a novel by Norman German, was inspired by the life, crimes and legends of Toni Jo Henry, née Annie Beatrice McQuiston. The book is fiction, a novel categorized in the subgenre of "alternative history." That is, it changes certain facts of the historical woman's life and posits what might have happened under different circumstances. Kindle and Paperback Editions available - http://www.amazon.com/A-Savage-Wisdom/dp/B0028AD3C2Stone Justice by Debi King McMartin and Lyn Morgan, published by Sarah Hudson-Pierce
Sarah Hudson-Pierce
Sarah Rachel Hudson-Pierce is an author of inspirational books, a publisher, a journalist, and a former cable television host in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in North Louisiana....
's Ritz Publications in Shreveport, details the life of Toni Jo Henry. The motion picture The Pardon, filmed in Shreveport, is adapted from Stone Justice.