She tearfully denied her guilt, so she was taken to the home of the Bolles family. With the body of Eunice Bolles in plain sight, just feet away, Hannah was interrogated again. This time the girl completely broke down and confessed that she had killed the child. She said that she had lured Eunice into the bushes with a gift of calico, then taken her revenge.
The Christmas Hanging of Hannah Ocuish
Hannah Ocuish was just twelve years and nine months old, when she climbed the steps to the gallows. She reputedly thanked the local sheriff for his kindness in looking after her, before the noose was fitted and she hanged.
This event, which took place on December 20th 1786, placed Hannah Ocuish in the history books. She is the youngest person ever to be executed, under a judicial sentencing, in the USA.
Sources:All Experts, US History: Hannah Omish.F Drimmer, Until You Are Dead: The Book of Executions. (Robert Hale Limited, 1991.)J James, States of Confinement: Policing, Detention and Prisons. (MacMillan, 2000.)VL Streib, Death Penalty for Juveniles. (Indiana University Press, 1987.)
