Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
Susan
EBERHART
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:
Convicted
of murder for helping her lover to kill his wife
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder:
May 4, 1872
Date of arrest:
6 days after
Date of birth: 1854
Victim profile: Mrs Spann (his lover's wife)
Method of murder:
Strangulation
Location: Webster County, Georgia, USA
Status:
Executed by hanging in Preston on May 2, 1873
In 1872 Susan Eberhart was convicted of murder for
helping her lover to kill his wife. The Atlanta Constitution ran a
story about her hanging in Georgia that covered slightly more than
four full columns of text. In an editorial sermon about her, the
Constituion said that Miss Eberhart not only committed murder, but
also committed adultery and "violated the sanctity of marriage." She
was apparently the housekeeper of the married couple.
May 2, 1873 - Susan Eberhart (white, aged between 17
and 21) was hanged in Preston, Stewart County, Georgia for helping her
employer, Ferdinand Spann, to kill his wife, who had been strangled to
death. They were arrested six days after the killing and tried and
sentenced less than a month after the murder.
Susan went to the gallows in a new dress and bonnet
supplied by the sheriff and with her hair "neatly braided." She told
the crowd of about 700 witnesses that she did not mind dying as she
would be better off. Like her victim, Susan also strangled when her
turn came to die. It seems that Ferdinand Spann had his death sentence
commuted, even though he may well have been the real murderer.
CapitalPunishmentUK.org
Hanging of Susan Eberhart
The Georgia Enterprise
On Friday last SUSAN EBERHART was hung at the court
house of Webster county for the offense of complicity in the murder of
Mrs. Span, the wife of Susan's paramour. Most of our readers have
heard how Spann attempted time and again to murder his wife and was as
often prevented by this girl whom he had promised to marry after his
wife was dead. Dragging Susan Eberhart from her bed one night, he
succeeded in murdering his wife, and forced the unfortunate girl to
witness and partly participate in the dark and damning crime. For this
they were both sentenced to be hung- and both have been hung at the
same place, on the same scaffold, with the same rope, and within the
short space of three weeks apart. The sickening sight of her death
struggles are too horrible for description.
It was a gloomy day in Georgia when this friendless
girl perished on the scaffold for this crime. A few hours before the
execution it is said that the heavens seemed to weep at the terrible
tragedy that was about to be enacted in the South Western portion of
the State. The rains descended from the black clouds in torrents and
all around seemed clothed in darkness and despair. Appeal after appeal
had been made to the Governor for a respital of her sentence. Even the
jury that convicted her begged that justice be tempered with mercy,
and the poor creature be spared to live.- But all in vain! The iron
heart of the Governor of Georgia was too hard to be touched by such
pitiful appeals, and turning a deaf ear to all their entreaties,
refused to either fully pardon or commute her sentence, and she was
hung.
If this young girl's confessions and statements
just before her execution can be believed, she was more sinned against
than sinning. A brute and half crazy demon under the garb of a man
forced and compelled her to assist in the murder. She begged and with
tears in her eyes implored him not to kill his wife, but holding her
by the hands he madly swore he would do it if he was hung in
five minutes after. The only part she took in the murder was to hand
Spann the handkerchief when he called for it. She did this through
fear and compulsion. And what unsophisticated young girl could have
refused him anything at such a time and scene? But she is dead. Her
soul has gone to the great God who gave it; and idle words can avail
nothing now. If we understand the nature of the appeals made to the
Governor from the citizens of that section in her behalf, we must say
that he exercised the power of a tyrant in refusing to show mercy.
Her career is ended. Poor, unfortunate, friendless,
young and beautiful, she has paid now the full penalty for the crime
she was charged with. Let her faults be as countless as they may, they
now slumber with her remains in the disgraceful grave that she has
been compelled to fill.
