Trial of Thomas Hogg: Difference between revisions
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The '''Trial of Thomas Hogg''' took place in [[New Haven Colony]] in | The '''Trial of Thomas Hogg''' took place in [[New Haven Colony]] in 1647. Hogg was accused of [[bestiality]] when a neighbourhood [[domestic pig|sow]] gave birth to piglets that allegedly resembled him. Unlike several men and boys convicted of the crime and consequently hanged in the 1640s and ensuing decades, Hogg refused to confess, thus avoiding the [[capital punishment in Connecticut|death penalty]]. Called "the most interesting buggery case" ever, it left an enduring mark in the history of capital punishment. | ||
== Background == | == Background == | ||
Thomas Hogg was a servant from [[New Haven Colony]], where the one-eyed [[George Spencer (New Haven)|George Spencer]] confessed to [[sodomy]] after a sow gave birth to a deformed one-eyed piglet, which led to his execution in early April | Thomas Hogg was a servant from [[New Haven Colony]], where the one-eyed [[George Spencer (New Haven)|George Spencer]] confessed to [[sodomy]] after a sow gave birth to a deformed one-eyed piglet, which led to his execution in early April 1642.<ref name="Chehardy"/> Like Spencer, Hogg did not enjoy a good reputation. He was considered a liar and a thief, and his appearance offended his neighbours.<ref name="Godbeer"/> Women of various social positions, including a "[[Nigger |neager]]" [[Slavery in the United States |slavewoman]] named Lucretia, reported his [[indecency]], as he allowed his "filthy nakedness" (penis and scrotum) to show through his [[breeches]]. Hogg, who suffered from a painful [[inguinal hernia]], argued that his indecency was not intentional.<ref name="Goodheart"/> | ||
== Charges and trial == | == Charges and trial == | ||
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== Aftermath == | == Aftermath == | ||
The situation left a permanent mark on capital punishment jurisprudence<!--how? describe!-->.<ref name="Goodheart"/> Hogg appears again in court records in | The situation left a permanent mark on capital punishment jurisprudence<!--how? describe!-->.<ref name="Goodheart"/> Hogg appears again in court records in 1648, when he was admonished for failing to appear for guard duty.<ref name="Chehardy"/><ref name="McManus">{{cite book|last=McManus|first=Edgar J.|title=Law and Liberty in Early New England: Criminal Justice and Due Process, 1620–1692|publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Press]]|year=2009|isbn=1558497722|accessdate=3 February 2013}}</ref> | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category: | [[Category:1647 in law]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1647 in the Thirteen Colonies]] | ||
[[Category:Legal history of Connecticut]] | [[Category:Legal history of Connecticut]] | ||
[[Category:New England ]] | [[Category:New England Puritanism]] | ||
[[Category: Connecticut]] | [[Category:Colonial Connecticut]] | ||
[[Category:Sex crime trials]] | [[Category:Sex crime trials]] | ||
[[Category:Trials in the United States]] | [[Category:Trials in the United States]] | ||
[[Category:Zoosexuality]] | [[Category:Zoosexuality]] | ||
Revision as of 00:19, 20 March 2013
| New Haven v. Thomas Hogg | |
|---|---|
| Court | New Haven Colony Court |
| Decided | 1647 |
| Case history | |
| Related action(s) | Trial of George Spencer |
| Keywords | |
The Trial of Thomas Hogg took place in New Haven Colony in 1647. Hogg was accused of bestiality when a neighbourhood sow gave birth to piglets that allegedly resembled him. Unlike several men and boys convicted of the crime and consequently hanged in the 1640s and ensuing decades, Hogg refused to confess, thus avoiding the death penalty. Called "the most interesting buggery case" ever, it left an enduring mark in the history of capital punishment.
Background
Thomas Hogg was a servant from New Haven Colony, where the one-eyed George Spencer confessed to sodomy after a sow gave birth to a deformed one-eyed piglet, which led to his execution in early April 1642.[1] Like Spencer, Hogg did not enjoy a good reputation. He was considered a liar and a thief, and his appearance offended his neighbours.[2] Women of various social positions, including a "neager" slavewoman named Lucretia, reported his indecency, as he allowed his "filthy nakedness" (penis and scrotum) to show through his breeches. Hogg, who suffered from a painful inguinal hernia, argued that his indecency was not intentional.[3]
Charges and trial
Five years after Spencer's execution, Hogg was implicated in "the most interesting buggery case" ever.[4] He was already awaiting trial for theft, dishonesty and indecent exposure when he was brought up on charges of bestiality,[5] after a sow gave birth to two piglets that resembled him.[1] Hogg's mistress, Mrs. Lamberton, found the birth to be a sign from God, and told the authorities that one of the "monsters" had "a faire and white skinne and head, as Thomas Hogg is",[3][4] and the other "a head lik a childs and one eye lik him, the biger on the right side, as if God would describe the party, with the description of the instrument of bestyalie."[3]
Theophilus Eaton, governor of the colony, and his deputy brought Hogg to a barnyard where the crime was supposed to have taken place. They ordered him to scratch the sow under her ear,[3] after which "there appeared a working of lust in the sow, insomuch that she powred out seede before them."[1] Hogg was then ordered to scratch another sow, but she was not stimulated.[1][3][6][7] The governor and deputy governor were frustrated that, despite their experiment and irrefutable proof of his guilt, Hogg denied the charges. Without the confession, the "impudent lyar" could not be hanged[3] because the requirement of two witnesses could not be met.[2][5] Instead, he was convicted of lying and stealing,[5] for which he was severely whipped and incarcerated.[1][3] While imprisoned, Hogg was kept on a "mean diet and hard labor, that his lusts not be fed."[3]
Aftermath
The situation left a permanent mark on capital punishment jurisprudence.[3] Hogg appears again in court records in 1648, when he was admonished for failing to appear for guard duty.[1][5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Chehardy, Kimberley N. "'Wickedness Breaks Forth': The Crime Of Sodomy In Colonial New England". Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Godbeer, Richard (2004). Sexual Revolution in Early America. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801878918.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Goodheart, Lawrence B. (2011). "The Solemn Sentence of Death: Capital Punishment in Connecticut". University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 1558498478. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jackson, Charles (1996). "The other Americans: sexual variance in the National past". Praeger. ISBN 0275955516.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 McManus, Edgar J. (2009). Law and Liberty in Early New England: Criminal Justice and Due Process, 1620–1692. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 1558497722.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ↑ Friedman, Lawrence (1994). "Crime And Punishment In American History". Basic Books. ISBN 0465024467.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ Beirne, Piers (2009). "Confronting Animal Abuse: Law, Criminology, and Human-Animal Relationships". Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0742599744.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help)
