The Trial and Execution of Dr. John W Hughes..., 1866
The trial and execution of Dr. John W. Hughes for the murder of Miss Tamzen Parsons, with a sketch of his life as related by himself. A record of love, bigamy and murder unparalleled in the annals of crime. Price fifty cents. 58 pp. (Cleveland, 1866).
About the Case
In Cleveland, in 1864, John Hughes, a reckless and drunken 31-year-old Army surgeon, seduced 17-year-old Tamzen Parsons. After he showed her a forged divorce decree, she eloped with him to Pittsburgh. When her parents discovered her missing, they called the police who arrested Hughes in the couple’s bridal suite. Convicted on charges of bigamy, Hughes served five months in jail. Upon his release, he stalked Parsons. At the front gate of her house, Hughes threatened to kill her if she did not marry him. When she spurned his advances, he shot her twice in the back of the neck, instantly killing her. At trial Hughes was found guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged.