Last Meals of US Condemned June 10, 2014
Author: Beach Combing | in : Actualite, Contemporary, Modern , trackback
A book on the history of the last meal (including attempts to intoxicate the soon to be executed) would be a fascinating one. Not least is the rather poor taste in banning the custom in some states in the US, that seems an unnecessary act of spite to criminals living their difficult last hours. There follows here a list of last meals culled from Gillespie’s excellent Executed Women, just because, as a passionate foodie sensualist, I find the choice a fascinating one. There are perhaps two considerations. First, do you go along with the authorities in trying to kill you: if not then you will likely tell them to go to hell when they order a final meal, note the interesting number of refused last meals below; for example, angry libertarian Lynda Lyon-Sibley, who did everything possible to obstruct her killing at the hands of the state of Alabama, glaring angrily at the guards before the switch for the chair was flicked. If you decide to play along – and the parallel with the ‘good execution’ of medieval and early modern Europe are striking, then you will order food. But do you choose the food you most want or the food that you think your stomach will be likely to take a day (or in some jurisdictions) two days before death? Ice-cream as the elderly know is an easy food that appears many times on this list, as do sweet fruits. Probably sensible choices. Remember too that after regulation prison meals some of this stuff would taste really good. If I could trust my stomach and my will I would go for eggplant parmesan, ice cold Dr Peppers served in a pint mug, cinamon cakes, candied ginger, some Ben and Jerry cooky dough icecream and toasted brie with rasperry jam, then Thornton’s toffee to round off the meal: that is as long as the state in question offers to pay. In some states a limit of twenty dollars is placed on the final meal.
Karla Faye, 1863: sliced peaches, a banana and a green salad.
Eva Dugan, 1930: refused last meal, ‘all phoney’.
Anna Antonio, 1934: refused last meal.
May Carey, 1935: ice-cream and cake (which she ate with her son)
Eva Coo, 1935: refused as waiting reprieve
Mary Francis Creighton, 1936: icecream
Helen Fowler, 1944: regular prison meal
Earle Dennison, 1953: fried chicken, green salad, mashed potatoes and coffee.
Bonnie Brown Heady, 1953: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad with Roquefort cheese dressing, and rolls.
Dovie Deen, 1954: roast chicken, potatoes, asparagus, green salad with French dressing, coconut cream pie, angel food cake, and coffee (offered news reporters who though refused).
Betty Butler, 1954: a bowl of apricots, milk, toast and scrambled eggs with cheese
Barbara Graham, 1955: Milkshake and (later) hot fudge sundae
Rhonda Bella Martin, 1957: hamburger, mashed potatoes, cinnamon rolls, and coffee.
Elizabeth Duncan, 1962: steak and salad
Velma Barfield, 1984: Coca-Cola and a KitKat candy bar.
Guinevere Garcia, 1996: a deep dish pizza (actually death sentence commuted at last moment but she’d already ordered the pizza).
Betty Lou Beets, 2000: refused last meal.
Wanda Jean Allen, 2001: a bag of chips
Marilyn Plantz, 2001: chicken taco salad, two cinnamon twists, a piece of pecan pie and two cans of Coca-cola.
Lois Nadean Smith, 2001: barbequed ribs, onion rings, strawberry banana cake and cherry lemonade.
Lynda Lyon-Sibley, 2002: refused last meal.
Aileen Carol Wuornos, 2002: coffee
Francis Elaine Newton, 2005: refused last meal
If you find, like me, the whole last meal thing lyrical there is a site (unfortunately very brief) and an interesting Wikipedia page (scroll down to ‘Documented Last Meal Requests’)
Other last meals: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
