Trial of Thomas Hogg

From Zoophilia Wiki
Revision as of 14:11, 4 February 2013 by meta>Surtsicna (Surtsicna moved page Thomas Hogg (sodomy defendant) to Trial of Thomas Hogg: the article is about the trial)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Template:Article for deletion/dated

Thomas Hogg
OccupationServant
Known forBeing accused of fathering piglets
Criminal charge(s)Dishonesty and theft
Criminal penaltyFlagellation and imprisonment

Thomas Hogg (floruit 1647-1648) was a Connecticuter known for being involved in what has been referred to as "the most interesting buggery case" ever, which left an enduring mark in the history of capital punishment. 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.

Background

Thomas Hogg was a servant from New Haven, Connecticut, 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

Five years after Spencer's execution, the unfortunately named Hogg ("hog" being another name for domestic pig) was implicated in "the most interesting buggery case" ever.[4] He was already awaiting trial for theft, dishonesty and indecent exposure when he faced the 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[1] 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 guilty, 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 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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Chehardy, Kimberley N. "'Wickedness Breaks Forth': The Crime Of Sodomy In Colonial New England". Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  2. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ 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)
  6. ↑ 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)
  7. ↑ 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)

External links

Retrieved from "https://zoophilia.wiki/index.php?title=Trial_of_Thomas_Hogg&oldid=9536"