Criminal logo

Reason First: Bathsheba Spooner’s Plot

What drove Bathsheba Spooner to murder her husband?

By Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
Like

In Colonial Massachusetts, Bathsheba Spooner née Ruggles made a name for herself for all the wrong reasons. As the initial woman to be executed after the Declaration of Independence, therefore, she would be the first woman to be put to death in the burgeoning United States of America.

She boasted a comely face and rich figure. A daughter of a general and lawyer, Bathsheba had married at the age of 18 to a man by arrangement. Joshua Spooner, in his advanced age, became a source of resentment and spite although they brought four children into this world.

As she grew even sicker of the existence of Spooner, she hatched a plan for Ezra Ross, a soldier in Washington’s army and two British warriors, James Buchanan and William Brooks to dispatch the source of her sourness. One night, the three men assaulted Spooner, killing him. They then threw his body down a well. Once someone had recovered it, suspicion fell upon Bathsheba. The three co-conspirators also garnered suspicion and all four received the death penalty by hanging.

A mystic, before the floor went out from her, she declared that she’ll soon “be in bliss.”

Without subscribing to the unknown and the unknowable, one can still surmise that Bathsheba lived in a nutty way. In fact, at her trial, her lawyer wanted to have her plead insanity. Her beautiful visage belied an ugly soul. She cheated on her husband and then developed a plot to take him out of this life. She paid the three men in money and clothing. It was in fact the wearing of Spooner’s clothes by the men that further showcased their guilt.

The vicious murder did not have to occur. Though Spooner allegedly abused Bathsheba, he did not deserve to be a victim of homicide. Bathsheba wanted to delay her execution on the account that she was with child. As it turned out, she in fact was pregnant with Ross’ baby. Medical experts at the time found a completely formed fetus between five and six months old in her womb.

All of this points to the extraction of reason from a situation. Life is the ultimate right in a society and on a remote island, it is the highest value. Bathsheba stole her husband’s life away with the aid of three evildoers. Though he may have been an alleged monster, that was no reason to extinguish his life based on premeditated murder and conspiracy.

Bathsheba’s irrationality extended from her emotions. She emoted that the father of her children had become an affront to her life. She demonstrated a plan that denied the right to life for Spooner and her own life. She must’ve been suicidal at the same time. Because Bathsheba organized a way to brutally steal the oxygen from Spooner’s lungs. This would most certainly led to her demise once the authorities apprehended her.

Bathsheba felt instead of thought. Her sloppy work allowing the murderers to wear Spooner’s clothes and the like showed how they seemed to want to be caught.

As the first woman to be executed by the United States rather than the British in the colonies, Bathsheba stood also as among the last murderers to be hanged in the Commonwealth opened to the public, and “the first capital case of a capital offen[s]e under the new Constitution” according to 501 Notorious Crimes by Paul Donnelley.

Bathsheba’s purposelessness led to her vindictive and wicked behavior. Though she had no part in the actual accosting of Spooner, she was just as guilty as they for concocting the bitter design. She did not think out the future of her actions and what they would mean. For her disgusting way of going about life, she ought to be viewed as a thoughtless, unselfish, and sacrificial being who could not deal with the facts of reality.

guilty
Like

About the Creator

Skyler Saunders

Cash App: $SkylerSaunders1

PayPal: paypal.me/SkylerSaunders

Join Skyler’s 100 Club by contributing $100 a month to the page. Thank you!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.