Arthur Gooch (criminal)
Encyclopedia
Arthur Gooch was an American
criminal, who is notable for being the only person ever be executed under the federal Lindbergh kidnapping law
.
Gooch was the only person sentenced to death and executed by the United States Federal Government for a kidnapping in which the victim(s) were unharmed. Gooch participated in kidnapping two policemen in Texas
and released them in Oklahoma
. In contrast Victor Feguer, the last federal inmate executed before 2001 (1963 in Iowa
) was charged for kidnapping, but his victim died. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
declined to commute the sentence.
Although the electric chair
was the only method of execution in Oklahoma
at this time, Gooch was executed by hanging
. Like Gooch, another federal inmate James Alderman
, executed in Florida
on August 17, 1929, was also hanged, despite the fact that Florida State law authorized electrocution as a sole method.
The sentence was carried out by Oklahoma's state electrician, Richard Earnest Owen. According to the witnesses Gooch's hanging was botched and his death lasted 15 minutes. Many blamed Owen for this failure, because this was the only hanging he ever performed.
His last words: It's kind of funny—dying. I think I know what it will be like. I'll be standing there, and all of a sudden everything will be black, then there'll be a light again. There's got to be a light again—there's got to be..
Gooch was 26 years old at time of his execution.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
criminal, who is notable for being the only person ever be executed under the federal Lindbergh kidnapping law
Federal Kidnapping Act
Following the historic Lindbergh kidnapping , the United States Congress adopted a federal kidnapping statute—popularly known as the Federal Kidnapping Act — which was intended to let federal authorities step in and pursue kidnappers once they had...
.
Gooch was the only person sentenced to death and executed by the United States Federal Government for a kidnapping in which the victim(s) were unharmed. Gooch participated in kidnapping two policemen in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and released them in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. In contrast Victor Feguer, the last federal inmate executed before 2001 (1963 in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
) was charged for kidnapping, but his victim died. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
declined to commute the sentence.
Although the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
was the only method of execution in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
at this time, Gooch was executed by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. Like Gooch, another federal inmate James Alderman
James Alderman
James Horace Alderman was an alcohol smuggler during the prohibition era in the United States, and was known as the King of the Rum Runners. He was executed by the Federal government for the killing on the high seas of Sidney Sanderlin and Victor A. Lamby, U.S. Coast Guardsmen; and Robert K...
, executed in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on August 17, 1929, was also hanged, despite the fact that Florida State law authorized electrocution as a sole method.
The sentence was carried out by Oklahoma's state electrician, Richard Earnest Owen. According to the witnesses Gooch's hanging was botched and his death lasted 15 minutes. Many blamed Owen for this failure, because this was the only hanging he ever performed.
His last words: It's kind of funny—dying. I think I know what it will be like. I'll be standing there, and all of a sudden everything will be black, then there'll be a light again. There's got to be a light again—there's got to be..
Gooch was 26 years old at time of his execution.