Samuel Frost (January 14, 1765 – October 31, 1793)[1] was an American murderer who was acquitted of murdering his father, and later convicted of murdering a man named Captain Elisha Allen. He was then hanged at his highly publicized execution on October 31, 1793.[2]
Samuel Frost | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of Samuel Frost at his execution | |
| Born | Samuel Frost January 14, 1765 Princeton, Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 31, 1793 (aged 28) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Years active | 1783 – 1793 |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 2 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Massachusetts |
Early life edit
Samuel Frost was born on January 14, 1765, in Princeton, a town in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1779, when Frost, one of three children, was 14 years old, his mother died after falling ill.[3] Frost thought that his father's abuse towards his mother was what caused her death.[2]
Murders edit
On September 23, 1783, at the age of 18, Frost murdered his father. While they were digging a ditch, Frost knocked his father over, and repeatedly stabbed him in the head with a handspike until his brains were exposed.[3] Frost did this in retaliation for the death of his mother four years earlier.[2] Frost was quickly apprehended and charged with murder. However, he was acquitted by reason of insanity during his trial in April of the same year.[4]
After his acquittal, Frost was homeless. He would frequently do work for people in exchange for a temporary place to live. When he couldn't find anywhere to stay, Frost would live in the woods, surviving on apples and berries he found.[3] One person he worked for was a man named Captain Elisha Allen. Allen would reportedly treat Frost like a slave. Frost ran away from Allen's estate several times, and was flogged by Allen as punishment.[2]
On July 16, 1793, Samuel Frost murdered Elisha Allen.[5] That afternoon, Allen ordered Frost to help him with his cabbage patch. While Allen kneeled to fix a plant in the garden, Frost hit him in the head with a hoe. After Frost hit him with the hoe two more times, Allen said "Forbear Sam, you done enough."[3] Frost ignored Allen's pleas, and hit him at least thirteen more times, killing him.[4] At his second trial, Samuel Frost pleaded guilty to the murder of Captain Elisha Allen and was sentenced to death.[6]
Execution edit
Before his execution, Frost frequently read the bible. He also banged his head against the walls of his prison cell to feel how his victims felt. When asked what he would do if he was free, Frost responded that there was one more person that he wanted to kill.[7]
Samuel Frost's execution happened on October 31, 1793, on a hill in Worcester, Massachusetts. After confessing to his murders in front of an audience of 2,000 people he was blind-folded and his hands were tied behind his back. He was then hanged.[4] His last words were "I declare that I ever had a great aversion to stealing and telling lies, and think them to be great crimes. I always meant to tell the truth, and never stole, except taking a few apples from orchards may be called so."[8]
The hill that Frost was executed on became known as "Frost Hill" after his death.[9]
References edit
- ^ Nutt, Charles (1919). History of Worcester and Its People, Volume 1. Massachusetts: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 384.
- ^ a b c d Halttunen, Karen (2009). Murder Most Foul: The Killer and the American Gothic Imagination (revised ed.). Harvard University Press. pp. 48–49. ISBN 9780674038172.
- ^ a b c d "The Confession and Dying Words of Samuel Frost, Who is to be Executed this Day, October 31, 1793, for the Horrid Crime of Murder". 1793-10-31. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ a b c Faugno, Rachel (2016). Murder & Mayhem in Central Massachusetts. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625856722.
- ^ Fox, Richard; T.J, Lears (1993). The Power of Culture: Critical Essays in American History (illustrated ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 77. ISBN 9780226259543.
- ^ LaFleur, Greta (2020). The Natural History of Sexuality in Early America (illustrated ed.). JHU Press. p. 131. ISBN 9781421438849.
- ^ "Account of Samuel Frost". 1793-10-31. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Elder, Robert (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Wall, Caleb (1877). Reminiscences of Worcester from the Earliest Period, Historical and Genealogical... University of Virginia: Tyler & Seagrave. p. 50.
