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Title
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Garster-Hawkins
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Description
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Story of the murder of Williamson Hawkins, a miller in Jackson County, by Henry Garster in Westport in 1838, after unsuccessful attempts to poison him by his wife, ending in the death by hanging of Garster in 1839, "the first 'legal' hanging in Jackson County, Missouri."
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Date
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1974-06
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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Abuse and Murder on the Frontier: The Trials and Travels of Rebecca Hawkins: 1800-1860
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Description
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This is an in-depth study of the life of Rebecca Hawkins who hired her neighbor Henry Garster to murder her husband Williamson. It covers such subjects as spousal abuse, legal procedures, slavery, and overland and steamboat travel. Garster was hung for his part, being the first legal hanging in Jackson County. Rebecca was later tried and acquitted on charges of aiding in the murder. She was later convicted on charges of poisoning, but finally pardoned by the Governor of Missouri who received numerous requests for her release.
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Date
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2003
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Object Type
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Book
