George Spencer (New Haven)
Encyclopedia
George Spencer was the first non-native person to be executed in Connecticut. Amongst his charges was sodomy
after an alleged sexual act with an animal
.
and while there was found guilty of receiving stolen goods. His punishment was a flogging. He then moved to the New Haven Colony
, and continued to be a "habitual troublemaker". He was open about his lack of faith, never praying in the years of being in New England
and only reading the Bible when forced to by his master. He had regularly been accused of illegal and even depraved acts by neighbours, but evidence of his wrongdoings were never more compelling than the discovery in early 1642.
society deemed the birth a work of God. They believed that this was irrefutable evidence that an act of bestiality had taken place. He was charged with "prophane, atheistical carriage, in unfaithfulness and stubbornness to his master, a course of notorious lying, filthiness, scoffing at the ordinances, ways and people of God".
Spencer was told that "he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercie", but it was never made clear to him whether this mercy related to the proceedings of the court or those of God. Having witnessed a repentant child molester being whipped for his crime Spencer believed that his best option was to confess. On the realisation that this might lead to a death sentence he retracted his statement. He repeated this confession and retraction again, trying to find the best solution to his situation.
When the trial began the magistrates knew the necessity of having two witnesses to the crime. They used Spencer's retracted confessions as one witness and the stillborn piglet as the other, ruling that this was sufficient to determine his guilt. On April 8, 1642 the sow was put to death by the sword and Spencer was hanged.
Spencer's death was early in the history of New England and is reported to be only the second execution to take place in Connecticut and the first of a non-Native American.
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
after an alleged sexual act with an animal
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
.
Biography
George Spencer is described as an ugly, balding servant with a fake eye. He is believed to have lived for a time in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and while there was found guilty of receiving stolen goods. His punishment was a flogging. He then moved to the New Haven Colony
New Haven Colony
The New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...
, and continued to be a "habitual troublemaker". He was open about his lack of faith, never praying in the years of being in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and only reading the Bible when forced to by his master. He had regularly been accused of illegal and even depraved acts by neighbours, but evidence of his wrongdoings were never more compelling than the discovery in early 1642.
Trial and execution
When a sow gave birth to a malformed, one-eyed piglet it was considered a manifestation of God's proof of Spencer's sins. Spencer was arrested, and the PuritanPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
society deemed the birth a work of God. They believed that this was irrefutable evidence that an act of bestiality had taken place. He was charged with "prophane, atheistical carriage, in unfaithfulness and stubbornness to his master, a course of notorious lying, filthiness, scoffing at the ordinances, ways and people of God".
Spencer was told that "he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercie", but it was never made clear to him whether this mercy related to the proceedings of the court or those of God. Having witnessed a repentant child molester being whipped for his crime Spencer believed that his best option was to confess. On the realisation that this might lead to a death sentence he retracted his statement. He repeated this confession and retraction again, trying to find the best solution to his situation.
When the trial began the magistrates knew the necessity of having two witnesses to the crime. They used Spencer's retracted confessions as one witness and the stillborn piglet as the other, ruling that this was sufficient to determine his guilt. On April 8, 1642 the sow was put to death by the sword and Spencer was hanged.
Spencer's death was early in the history of New England and is reported to be only the second execution to take place in Connecticut and the first of a non-Native American.