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At the gallows, murderer swears to come back as a ghost
Thorpe, a Great Northern car repairman, was convicted after killing his wife during a jealousy-fueled drinking binge and later taunted reporters at the gallows.
- On July 14, 1900, Hans Thorpe was executed by hanging in North Dakota for the November 1899 murder of his wife, Ida Johnson, whom he shot three times with a revolver.
- Enraged by a drinking binge and jealousy over Ida dancing with other men, Thorpe threatened her, and when she fled to a neighbor's home, he tracked her down and killed her instantly.
- While imprisoned, Thorpe refused food for 13 days and attempted suicide to avoid execution; he later escaped his cell and struck Deputy Sheriff Ernest Thompson with an ink bottle before guards stopped him.
- At the gallows erected half a mile from the county jail, Thorpe recognized his guilt but blamed others for wooing his wife, vowing to haunt them after death before Sheriff William Carroll distracted him and the trap was sprung.
- Thorpe was North Dakota's fifth person sentenced to death, hanged the same day as Ira O. Jenkins for murder; the Forum News Service reported no evidence of the hauntings Thorpe had promised.
Insights by Ground AI
17 Articles
17 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left0Leaning Right9Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Right
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources lean Right
64% Right
C 36%
R 64%
Factuality
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