World History

On this date in 1872, a faltering John Presswood Jr., “nearly 18 years old,” was publicly hanged in Smithville, Tenn., for a still-infamous crime there. He’s the last person to suffer that fate in DeKalb County. This image (click for a larger version) of the Presswood hanging — in which the gallows practically disappear into the scenery — comes from the Library of Congress. It was all the way back in late 1870 that Presswood murdered 36-year-old Rachel Fowler Billings, a Civil War widow remarried to a man who unfortunately was away rafting the Caney Fork River. Presswood savagely axed the woman to death in her house, in the presence of her three children — and bashed 11-year-old Inez, the oldest of them, with the axe as well. Inez survived, but hadn’t seen the attacker. Her three-year-old (!) half-sister provided the identification: “It was Bill Presswood.” While the assailant calmly cleaned himself up with the family water bucket, the traumatized kids comforted each other around the butchered corpse of their mother. (Later, other women of the community would shrink from the neighborly job of tidying up poor Rachel for burial — so horribly had she been mauled.) In the end, the badly injured Inez had to hoof it half a mile to the nearest neighbor to summon help. An estimated 8,000 people crowded Smithville’s courthouse square for the execution. The sheriff charged with conducting it made sure to give them a pulse-pounding, excrutiating (especially for Presswood!) show. Immediately following the sermon and reading of the confession, Sheriff Henry Blackburn put a hood over Presswood’s head, attached the rope tightly and stood back. With his hand on the trip bar, he intoned, “Presswood, you have five minutes to Live.” The crowd surged forward, and then relaxed. Again Sheriff Blackburn said, “Presswood, you have four minutes to live.” Beside the lonely figure in the hood, Sheriff Blackburn stood out in sharp contrast. He was a handsome figure, tall, well proportioned and filled with the dignity of his office. He was “High Sheriff” of Dekalb County. After seemingly hours Sheriff Blackburn announced, “Presswood, you have three minutes to live.” Occasionally a sob as if a heart were being torn from a body was heard, but there was no outburst from the crowd. The stillness of the May morning was again broken by the commanding voice of Sheriff Blackburn, “Presswood, you have two minutes to live.” By now several persons in the crowd, no doubt from a pang of conscience, were shifting from one foot to another. Neighbors look guilty at neighbors and the calmest man of all was Sheriff Blackburn as he announced, “Presswood, you have one minute to live.” Brave members of the crowd gazed intently, wonderingly as the still form with the hood on his head stood torically on the scaffold just a few feet above their heads. Suddenly Sheriff Blackburn shouted, “Presswood, you die” and sprung the trap. The body jerked at the end of the rope, quivered slightly, and was still.

The New York Public Library and the state of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday that they will both exhibit the library’s rarely-seen original copy of the Bill of Rights over the next six years. Beginning in the fall of 2014, the 225th anniversary of the drafting of the Bill of Rights, the document will spend equal time on display at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. After the six years are up, the parchment will be on display at the library for at least 60% of the time, but Philadelphia will get custody the other 40% for the next 94 years. This landmark agreement came about because there’s a good chance the NYPL’s copy was originally Pennsylvania’s. In 1789, after approving the first twelve potential amendments to the Constitution (two of them didn’t make it into the ratified version), Congress commissioned 14 original copies. They were all signed by Vice President John Adams, president of the Senate. One was kept in by the federal government and the rest sent to each of the 13 states to use during ratification deliberations. The federal government’s copy is on display at the National Archives and Records Administration, while most of the other copies are in the archives of their states. The copies of four states are missing, however. Georgia, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania lost their copies somewhere along the road. Two unidentified copies survive, one in the Library of Congress, the other at the New York Public Library. The NYPL’s copy was donated by iron magnate John Stewart Kennedy (no relation to the later dynasty) in 1896. He had acquired it from Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a surgeon and collector of American history. There have long been rumblings that Emmet may have somehow gotten his hands on Pennsylvania’s copy of the Bill of the Rights which went missing in the late 1800s. New York’s is thought to have been destroyed in a fire at the state archives. Although there is no proof of which state it once belonged to, the possibility that it’s Pennsylvania’s copy underpins this historic sharing agreement. The document hasn’t been on public display in decades because of its delicate condition. It’s been very carefully preserved over the past century by experts at the NYPL’s Manuscripts and Archives Division and shown to visitors by appointment only. Display and travel will be made possible by a new high-tech encasement. To ensure the document’s safety during display and while it travels, a special case will be constructed by the National Institute for Standards and Technology, based on technology developed for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives. Estimated to cost $600,000, this crucial and state-of-the-art preservation measure is made possible as part of a generous gift from New York Public Library Trustee Ed Wachenheim III and his wife Sue. It’s one of those nifty contraptions that replaces the oxygen inside the case with inert argon gas, reduces damaging light and stabilizes humidity. It’s basically a portable micro-environment ideal for preserving historic parchment. The exhibits in Pennsylvania and New York will both be free of charge to all visitors. “This is a win for Pennsylvania, New York and the citizens of the United States,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. “For the first time in decades, this historic document will be seen by We the People, the people who were granted these inalienable rights and privileges that we are still guided by today.”

….Okay, so today is Thursday, not Wednesday. Sh. Don’t tell anyone. Writing is a very solitary pursuit. No matter who you are, you basically end up alone in a room with the computer screen glowing before you (in days of yore, pen and paper were used–imagine!). Something has to keep us writers company. If it’s not other people (even if a writer sits in a crowded cafe to write, they’re basically alone), then it often has to be music. For a writer, music can serve many purposes. It can set the mood. If you need to get angry, or someone in the story is furious, then some death metal will get your juices flowing. If you want peacefulness, maybe some soothing classical music. Or Enya. Music can also just serve as background music. A lot of times, when I put on music while I write, it’s music I know very well. It doesn’t take any conscious effort to listen to it. My brain tunes it out–and dumps it straight into my unconscious. And while it’s doing that, it isn’t–thank God–bothering me. So strangely, putting on music actually mutes part of my brain. I can focus. For me, music can also be about evoking the time period. Eighteenth century? Well, put on some Mozart or Haydn–something nice and classical, preferably upbeat. (I like the stuff with real strong melody (hence, Mozart and Haydn). I enjoy the airy, playful, beauty-loving side of the century.) Nineteenth century? Try some classical hymns and spirituals (more on these later). If I were writing in the twentieth century, I’d probably break out the appropriate music (jazz, rockabilly, big band, whatever). Sometimes, the music gets all mixed up with the story. As I was writing one piece seven or eight years ago, I listened almost exclusively to Coldplay’s Parachutes. Now every time I hear that album, I get this strange, reflexive memory of that story. It’s like remembering a dream, and it’s very eerie. The album has a melancholy feel to it; not by coincidence, so does that story. Of course, that was when I listened to a Discman and could only listen to one CD at a time. Now my computer and MP3 player have a ton of songs. Like most of the world, I’ve moved to singles and away from albums. But that hasn’t stopped me from associating a few songs/albums strongly with my writing. I’ve been listening to a lot of fun.’s Some Nights, and a lot of the Marie-Antoinette movie soundtrack (a wonderful soundtrack made up mostly of ’80′s punk). Here are a few particular songs that have strong associations for me: My favorite. This song by Queen is fantastic in its own right. But the lyrics really seal the deal for me. Every time I listen to the song, I think of Nicole d’Oliva and the novel I wrote about her. Marie-Antoinette is mentioned; Paris is mentioned; and she “spoke just like a baroness” (Nicole pretended to be a baroness for a time). The swagger fits the time period, too. I would love nothing more than to see a movie version of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace that had a montage to this song. I can see it now: Nicole getting dressed up in her elaborate eighteenth century finery to the strains of Killer Queen. This one I tend to associate with the time I spent at home, in the 200-year-old house I grew up in. I was beginning to work on my Antebellum South project. The spirituality and sadness in the song fit with the story and the setting–and I still think of that time when I hear it. This one is inextricably linked for me to a particular character. He’s a duelist and a fugitive. He’s cheeky and irreverent. He’s a good person in general, but has a wicked streak. I love him to death (in fact, I loved him so much that I did, indeed, kill him by the end of the novel). And while I was writing about the Antebellum South, I decided to listen to some authentic tunes from the time. Here are a few from the Civil War and

May 1942. Washington, D.C. "Victory Program salvage drive. Schoolboy volunteers to go from house to home collecting scrap paper." Medium format nitrate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.

August 1937. "Post office in Gemmell, Minnesota." One-stop shopping for a variety of needs. Photo by Russell Lee, Resettlement Administration. View full size.

Circa 1908. "Littleton, New Hampshire -- Main Street." Our third look at this bustling burg. Note the sign advertising AUTOMOBILE GASOLENE. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.

Brazil is noted for its high murder rate. In the Wikipedia map posted here, Brazil falls in the highest homicide category, with more than 20 slayings a year per 100,000 people. This figure significantly exceeds that of the United States (4.8) and vastly exceeds those of such countries as Japan (0.4) and Iceland (0.3).  Yet Brazil is hardly the most ...This post is from GeoCurrents

"Music Man" star Shirley Jones in 1961 with her kids, the future pop stars David and Shaun Cassidy. Photo by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine article "The Good Life of a Hollywood Bad Girl." View full size.

The story of Florence Maybrick in the late 19th century fascinated Victorian audiences. Was she a vile poisoner or a Victorian victim? Because she was an American by birth, the case ended up involving the US press as well as the US government, as her lawyers worked frantically to get her sentence either commuted or overturned. The suspect: Name: Florence Elizabeth Chandler Born: September 3, 1862, Mobile, Alabama. Parents: William George Chandler, a banker and one-time mayor of Mobile, and the Baroness von Roques. Background: Florence’s father died when she was a baby. Her mother married twice more, the final time to a German baron. Florence grew up in Europe, educated privately by governesses, spoke French and German fluently. She was pretty, vivacious and sophisticated. The Victim: Name: James Maybrick Born: October 25, 1838, Liverpool England Parents: William and Susanna Maybrick. Profession: Cotton Broker. His business required him to travel regularly to the United States. In 1871, he settled for a time in Norfolk, VA, to establish a branch office of his company. Background: In March of 1880, Florence Chandler met James Maybrick on a ship from New York to Liverpool, England. When the boat docked 8 days later, they were engaged. Florence was 18 and James was 42. The two were an odd couple. While Florence was petite with dark, wavy hair and big blue eyes, James was portly with florid cheeks, typical middle-aged Englishman. Despite their age difference, the couple was wed over a year later on July 27, 1881 at St. James Church, Piccadilly in London. For three years, the couple divided their time between Norfolk and Liverpool before settling permanently in Liverpool. The couple had two children, a son named James Chandler known as “Bobo” and a daughter Gladys Evelyn. They moved into Battlecrease House in a suburb of Liverpool, a huge house that had over twenty rooms. By necessity (Florence wasn’t going to clean those rooms herself!), they employed a gaggle of servants including two maids, a nanny, a nursemaid, a footman etc. Florence had no close friends in Liverpool, although she led an active social life with parties, teas, benefits, and charity dances. Her husband’s family was suspicious of her and her mother, considering them to be adventuresses. Her husband’s ex-fiancée and her two sisters came and went freely from the Maybrick home. Florence had no idea how to deal with servants or how to run a household. She and her mother had led a peripatetic existence in Europe and the United States, never settling anywhere for long, because of their finances. She had no idea how to budget. When her husband was having financial difficulties, he put her on allowance of £7 a week, out of which she had to pay the bills as well as the servants. Florence borrowed money from money lenders in order to pay creditors which left her increasingly in debt. She lived in fear of her husband finding out exactly how much money she owed. After 5 years of marriage, Florence discovered that James not only had a long-term mistress, but they also had several children. As soon as Florence found out about Maybrick’s mistress, she stopped sleeping with him. Lonely and wanting a little romance, Florence began an affair with a businessman named Alfred Brierly but the affair was short-lived. When Maybrick discovered her affair, there was a violent row during which Maybrick assaulted her. Divorce was impossible. While Maybrick would have been able to divorce Florence for her adultery, Florence would have had to prove not only adultery but cruelty, desertion or incest for her to obtain a divorce. Maybrick might have been able to take her children from her, and if he divorced her for adultery, he was not obliged to support her. Death: James Maybrick’s health deteriorated suddenly in April of 1889, and he

Fragment of fallen ceiling in the open air storageof the lovely Temple of Tod complex, south of LuxorFieldwork Penn curator Joe Wegner continues excavations at mortuary complex of Pharaoh Senwosret III, Abydos.Penn Artifactlab http://bit.ly/11a1cnf ResearchHand in Hand with Politics: The Challenges of Egyptian Studies in Serbia by B. An?elkovi?. Friends of ASOR Newsletter. http://asorblog.org/?p=4490 Heritage Management and LootingEgypt’s poor management of ancient monuments draws threat from UNESCO. Daily News Egypt http://bit.ly/19WhtLS Minister for Antiquities says that UNESCO is not threatening to remove 6 sites from World Heritage List. Ahram Online http://bit.ly/11Vvw6J Archaeologists denounce “disgraceful” plundering of the city of Antinopolis, built by Emperor Hadrian. The Art Newspaper http://bit.ly/164Sxpk and Past Horizons http://bit.ly/18g5wBSBooks Ancient Egyptian Literature Theory and Practice. Edited by Roland Enmarch and Verena M. Lepper. OUP http://bit.ly/184k21N Extended edition of Anubis, Bibliography on Mummies, Mummification and; Related Subjects. C.de Vartavan and I.Waanders http://bit.ly/10S3K4F From Old Cairo to the New World: Coptic Studies Presented to Gawdat Gabra. Colloquia Antiqua 9. Peeters http://bit.ly/184krkP ConferencesThe British Museum continued its support of Sudanese archaeology with an international conference. Sudan Vision Daily http://bit.ly/ZdItHt Czech Inst. of Egyptology announces international conference: Profane landscapes, sacred spaces. miroslav.barta [at] ff.cuni.cz Museums and exhibitionsAlexandria plans for a new maritime museum at site of Qaitbay citadel. Archaeology News Network http://bit.ly/13NhuSj Call for general public volunteers (14-65 yrs old) for the new Petrie Museum website to appraise work done so far: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology http://bit.ly/16b4PfU Free online/ open accessAncient Egyptian Architecture Online provides vetted, standardized architectural drawings of a selection of buildings http://dai.aegaron.ucla.edu MUDIRA: Joint project to digitize and provide access to the collections of images held at two Munich institutions. http://bit.ly/168xGBq Short article: "Archaeology after the Arab Spring" by Jesse Casana. Friends of ASOR Newsletter http://asorblog.org/?p=4417 Short article in Spanish about the Turin papyrus that shows a Ramesside map of the Eastern Desert goldmines. Ushebtis http://bit.ly/Zabio1 Journals, Magazines and NewslettersDamqatum, the CEHAO newsletter, 2012, nº 8, in English: UCA http://bit.ly/10VjbJj Job OpportunitiesJob: British Museum: Curator, Department of Ancient Egypt & Sudan, with responsibilities for research and outreach. http://bit.ly/10iJ7hX Miscellaneous Northampton faces legal challenge over Sekhemka statue sale from Marquis of Northampton. Museums Journal http://bit.ly/10U7Vgf The Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) archives now officially registered with the Library of Congress. AERA http://bit.ly/13LfZkl Zahi Hawass, long-reigning king of AE antiquities was forced into exile but is now plotting a return. Smithsonian Mag http://bit.ly/16a12PH For fun. This really made me laugh (and a good moral in the tale too). How NOT to hand in your PhD. The Thesis Whisperer http://bit.ly/192trWM Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes