(03/09/2018) The Jackson County Historical Society and the town of Ripley has a recent historical marker. The marker describes the last public hanging in the state of West Virginia. On December 16, 1897 John Morgan was hung after being convicted of a triple murder. Morgan killed a mother and two of her children with a hatchet. "There was a very large crowd, that attended the hanging and it was almost a carnival type atmosphere before it was over," said Mike McGrew, local Historian. After this hanging, in their next session the State Legislature passed a law prohibiting public executions. The judge presiding over this case in 1897 was Judge Reese Blizzard, formerly of Grantsville. See   1897:SIX THOUSAND ATTEND LAST PUBLIC HANGING AT RIPLEY - 'From Far Away As Calhoun, Two Counties Distant' They Came

Hur Herald ®from Sunny Cal The information on these pages, to the extent the law allows, remains the exclusive property of Bob Weaver and The Hur Herald. information cannot be not be used in any type of commercial endeavor, or used on a web site without the express permission of the owner. ©Hur Herald Publishing, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018