"Ms. Goeres-Gardner has presented an impressively researched and meticulously documented examination of the history of legal executions in Oregon from the beginning of the territorial period until the time when executions were moved to the state penitentiary in Salem. Her narratives of the fifty executed men, their crimes, their defenses and the stray details of late 19th century life that peek out at the reader through court sources make for a fascinating story. Whether it is the condemned man who feigned catatonia for 515 days or the medical doctors who measured the deceased brains to test theories regarding intellectual capacity of the defendant, the characters come alive with all their foibles, fears and petty jealousies which drive the human condition."

William R. Long, Adjunct Professor at the Willamette University College of Law

Author of A Tortured History: The Story of Capital Punishment in Oregon, 2004

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'Necktie Parties' a tale of Oregon past that won't leave you hanging

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If you enjoy true crime stories, and if you are curious about Oregon history, you will really appreciate "Necktie Parties: A History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905."

BILLY COOK

Newsreview.info

September 29, 2005

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Hangman’s tale

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Dead men do tell tales.

Diane Goeres-Gardner of Tyee knows this because she spent five years digging through dusty files, newspapers and archives learning about the stories of some of Oregon’s biggest historic rogues, murderers and malcontents — and their untimely ends

copyright © 2005 Diane L. Goeres-Gardner. All rights reserved