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Post by Rev. Agave on Jun 25, 2009 12:15:49 GMT -6
eotd.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/3-june-1955-barbara-graham/3 June 1955 – Barbara Graham
‘Why waste good food on me? Give it to someone who can enjoy it,’ snarled Bloody Babs as she prepared to come face to face with her maker.
Drug-addicted prostitute Barbara Graham, born Barbara Elaine Wood had been convicted of murder in America. She got the gas chamber along with her two accomplices after they botched a robbery in an attempt to do a wealthy, elderly widow over. Graham and her two criminal partners, Jack Santo and Emmett Perkins had ended up killing Mabel Monahan in Burbank, California.
The trio were found guilty and during her two years on death row Babs suddenly found God.
Throughout her last night she apparently prayed and her piety looked as if it had paid off a couple of times. She’d been scheduled to die at 10am and came close to execution twice, but was granted slight stays of execution as there was a glimmer of hope that she’d be reprieved. But that in itself was excruciating for Babs who’d steeled herself for execution at 10am. So when the glimmer came to nothing, she sobbed ‘why do they torture me so?’
Clinging to life
She was strapped to a chair in the gas chamber just after 11:30am and hooked up to a stethescope. The doors closed in on her and the cyanide was released. Her head bowed in what appeared to be a quick and painless death. But it transpired that she was actually holding her breath in a desperate bid to clutch on to life. Of course, she couldn’t hold her breath for ever and her lungs eventually filled with the tearingly noxious fumes and she was declared dead at 11:42am just a few weeks short of her 32nd birthday. Her two partners followed roughly three hours later. And the deaths didn’t stop there.
Babs’ lives on
Before her death she cursed those who’d been instrumental in sending her down. Roughly a year after Bloody Babs expired that marked the onset of a spate of unexpected deaths. Her defence lawyer, who’d quit after her lies were exposed, had a heart attack just a year later. The following year, a trio of men were struck down comprising the prosecutor who got cancer, Monahan’s former son-in-law who suffered an attack of apoplexy and the chief warden whose heart gave out.
Bloody Babs, on the other hand, well, her story took off – she was posthumously immortalised in a couple of films. The first starred Susan Hayward, who won an Oscar for playing Graham in the 1958 film I Want To Live. The movie played on the theory that she was innocent. But, it was largely acknowledged to be a work of fiction. Bionic woman Lindsay Wagner went on to star in the 1983 remake.
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Post by The Tipsy Broker on Jun 25, 2009 12:35:23 GMT -6
This is in Tales from Death Row too. She was a beautiful lady on the outside. Chilling curses tho
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Post by kingsindanger on Jun 26, 2009 20:51:29 GMT -6
Interesting. I reject the curse as false and coincidental. The story said nothing about voodoo pins.
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Post by The Tipsy Broker on Jun 27, 2009 3:10:07 GMT -6
Ah but when you're brought up in a tiny superstitious village, where old gypsy curses were as common as Ale kegs and hymns, just the whiff of something 'cursey' raises the hairs on the back of my neck
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Post by kingsindanger on Jun 27, 2009 12:06:05 GMT -6
Ah but when you're brought up in a tiny superstitious village, where old gypsy curses were as common as Ale kegs and hymns, just the whiff of something 'cursey' raises the hairs on the back of my neck If you were brought up in a tiny redneck town like I was, you'd be worrying more about being kicked in the head by a mare.
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Post by rick4404 on Jun 30, 2009 11:42:08 GMT -6
The execution scene in "I Want to Live" was chillingly accurate and realistic. Everything in the scene looked exactly like the execution area at San Quentin State Prison in California. I remember when the guards were taking her inside the chamber and then strapped her to one of the chairs.
The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight.
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Post by The Tipsy Broker on Jun 30, 2009 12:16:18 GMT -6
I must see this film. In the account I read, when the guard told her to breathe deep (not in the film, the real execution), Graham told the guard 'how would you know?' Because apparently the guard told her 'breathe deep and it won't hurt.' But I don't know, I wasn't there.
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Post by Rev. Agave on Jun 30, 2009 23:03:02 GMT -6
The execution scene in "I Want to Live" was chillingly accurate and realistic. Everything in the scene looked exactly like the execution area at San Quentin State Prison in California. I remember when the guards were taking her inside the chamber and then strapped her to one of the chairs. The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight. Here is the execution scene from the 80's version: Here is the scene from the 50's version:
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Post by VA Justice on Jul 1, 2009 18:51:08 GMT -6
The execution scene in "I Want to Live" was chillingly accurate and realistic. Everything in the scene looked exactly like the execution area at San Quentin State Prison in California. I remember when the guards were taking her inside the chamber and then strapped her to one of the chairs. The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight. The 1958 film's director visited San Quentin where he got audio recordings of the chamber door being sealed. He subsequently witnessed an execution there. This in turn was represented very accurately in the film version, which had location shots done at San Quentin, but the death scene itself filmed on a replica built on a sound stage.
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Post by VA Justice on Jul 1, 2009 18:53:01 GMT -6
The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight. The real Barbara Graham retorted, "How the hell would you know?" in response to the guard's advice. I found the guard's shoulder patting of the inmate as he left to be quite interesting. As if to say, "sorry I have to do this, it's the law, nothing personal".
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Post by Stormyweather on Jul 2, 2009 10:04:24 GMT -6
Having looked up this case it was stated that Barbara Graham was actually arrested in an apartment and it was her addiction to heroin that led to her arrest. Someone also said that Susan Hayward stated privately that she felt Barbara Graham was as guilty as sin. How the person knows this I'm not sure. www.docstoc.com/docs/2302920/The-TRUE-Story-of-Barbara-Graham-by-Clark-HowardAs the story moves toward its climax, the detail with which director Wise shows preparations for execution in the gas chamber and the intensity of Hayward's performance add up to one of the most powerful sequences in film history. Ironically, Hayward privately stated that her own research led her to believe that Graham was guilty as sin--and today most people who have studied the case tend to believe that Graham was guilty indeed.www.amazon.com/I-Want-Live-Susan-Hayward/dp/B000062XEZ
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2009 19:08:37 GMT -6
I remember the 1958 movie--never saw the other one. When viewing these youtube clips, instead of focussing on death by cyanide gas, instead I find myself wondering how utterly horrible it must have been for Mrs. Monahan as she was beaten to death with the butt of a pistol as she was dragged from room to room while they demanded to know where she kept the (nonexistant) money. I have absolutely no sympathy for Barbara.
Incidentally, the warden separately told two people later in private that Barbara confessed to him. He claimed he didn't go to the press with that because (a) it wasn't his business as a corrections official, and (b) he didn't want to ruin any hope her family and friends might have had that she was innocent.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2009 19:18:46 GMT -6
Having looked up this case it was stated that Barbara Graham was actually arrested in an apartment and it was her addiction to heroin that led to her arrest. Someone also said that Susan Hayward stated privately that she felt Barbara Graham was as guilty as sin. How the person knows this I'm not sure. www.docstoc.com/docs/2302920/The-TRUE-Story-of-Barbara-Graham-by-Clark-HowardAs the story moves toward its climax, the detail with which director Wise shows preparations for execution in the gas chamber and the intensity of Hayward's performance add up to one of the most powerful sequences in film history. Ironically, Hayward privately stated that her own research led her to believe that Graham was guilty as sin--and today most people who have studied the case tend to believe that Graham was guilty indeed.www.amazon.com/I-Want-Live-Susan-Hayward/dp/B000062XEZSusan Hayward was quoted as saying that she was convinced that Barbara was present at the murder scene, but that she didn't think Barbara was capable of beating the old woman to death. And yes, the 1958 movie was pure fiction. Barbara was not caught trying to visit one of her kids. She was caught because the LAPD put surveillance on her known heroin dealers. It worked. They tailed her back to the apartment above the machine shop. But there was no crowd or press outside. The police burst in on Barbara, Perkins, and Santo and got all three of them at once.
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Post by Stormyweather on Jul 3, 2009 8:13:41 GMT -6
Having looked up this case it was stated that Barbara Graham was actually arrested in an apartment and it was her addiction to heroin that led to her arrest. Someone also said that Susan Hayward stated privately that she felt Barbara Graham was as guilty as sin. How the person knows this I'm not sure. www.docstoc.com/docs/2302920/The-TRUE-Story-of-Barbara-Graham-by-Clark-HowardAs the story moves toward its climax, the detail with which director Wise shows preparations for execution in the gas chamber and the intensity of Hayward's performance add up to one of the most powerful sequences in film history. Ironically, Hayward privately stated that her own research led her to believe that Graham was guilty as sin--and today most people who have studied the case tend to believe that Graham was guilty indeed.www.amazon.com/I-Want-Live-Susan-Hayward/dp/B000062XEZSusan Hayward was quoted as saying that she was convinced that Barbara was present at the murder scene, but that she didn't think Barbara was capable of beating the old woman to death. She may have not done all of the beating but she may have thrown a few punches or blows.
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Post by Stormyweather on Jul 3, 2009 8:17:41 GMT -6
And yes, the 1958 movie was pure fiction. Barbara was not caught trying to visit one of her kids. She was caught because the LAPD put surveillance on her known heroin dealers. It worked. They tailed her back to the apartment above the machine shop. But there was no crowd or press outside. The police burst in on Barbara, Perkins, and Santo and got all three of them at once. Weren't they also not wearing any clothes?
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Post by Felix2 on Jul 3, 2009 8:29:41 GMT -6
And yes, the 1958 movie was pure fiction. Barbara was not caught trying to visit one of her kids. She was caught because the LAPD put surveillance on her known heroin dealers. It worked. They tailed her back to the apartment above the machine shop. But there was no crowd or press outside. The police burst in on Barbara, Perkins, and Santo and got all three of them at once. Weren't they also not wearing any clothes? Stormy, lift your mind out of the gutter please! ;D
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Post by Stormyweather on Jul 3, 2009 8:42:37 GMT -6
Weren't they also not wearing any clothes? Stormy, lift your mind out of the gutter please! ;D It's true, they were naked.
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Post by wrench on Jul 3, 2009 10:41:17 GMT -6
Stormy, lift your mind out of the gutter please! ;D It's true, they were naked. great, naked needle freaks.
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Post by Potassium_Pixie on Jul 3, 2009 18:11:23 GMT -6
The execution scene in "I Want to Live" was chillingly accurate and realistic. Everything in the scene looked exactly like the execution area at San Quentin State Prison in California. I remember when the guards were taking her inside the chamber and then strapped her to one of the chairs. The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight. Here is the execution scene from the 80's version: Here is the scene from the 50's version: The 80's version scene doesn't work. It just says invalid parameters. Is there anyway you could fix that? EDIT: Nevermind. It works now.
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Post by moonlight on Jul 3, 2009 18:15:39 GMT -6
The execution scene in "I Want to Live" was chillingly accurate and realistic. Everything in the scene looked exactly like the execution area at San Quentin State Prison in California. I remember when the guards were taking her inside the chamber and then strapped her to one of the chairs. The actor who played the part of Reverend Alden in "Little House on the Prairie," Dabbs Greer, played one of the guards who leaned over to the character of Barbara Graham and said something like, "When you hear the pellets drop into the acid, just take a few deep breaths. That'll make it go easier." The woman simply nodded, and the guards walked out. The chamber door was shut surrealistically and the ship's steering-wheel like handle on the door cranked all the way tight. Here is the execution scene from the 80's version: Here is the scene from the 50's version: Though justified execution by all means, I must say the scence is quite morbid for watching.
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Post by Potassium_Pixie on Jul 3, 2009 18:20:56 GMT -6
Do you think that it would have made the same impact that it had made if she was executed by lethal injection rather than being forced to breathe in gas? The biatch deserved it. Especially because of what she did to that woman.
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Post by kingsindanger on Jul 3, 2009 22:05:26 GMT -6
Do you think that it would have made the same impact that it had made if she was executed by lethal injection rather than being forced to breathe in gas? The biatch deserved it. Especially because of what she did to that woman. Probably not.
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Post by rick4404 on Jul 4, 2009 15:30:48 GMT -6
Of course, I have never witnessed an execution in real life, myself. However, in both the 1980s remade version as well as the original version from the 1950s, it certainly appeared the gas chamber scenes came off to be quite authentic.
I've heard of gas chamber scenes in other movies done where water and dry ice were substitued for the hydrochloric acid and cyanide pellets that would be used in a real execution. When the dry ice fell into the water, steam resulted, which easily could resemble the hydrocyanic acid gas which fills a gas chamber to kill an inmate.
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Post by mike5 on Jul 4, 2009 16:23:02 GMT -6
Susan Hayward was quoted as saying that she was convinced that Barbara was present at the murder scene, but that she didn't think Barbara was capable of beating the old woman to death. She may have not done all of the beating but she may have thrown a few punches or blows. Regardless, the cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation. All three were found guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, robbery, and burglary. There was more than enough evidence to support the convictions and the sentences. latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2008/11/barbara-graham.html
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Post by Potassium_Pixie on Jul 4, 2009 16:50:18 GMT -6
The 50s version. At 3:06, you can see them pull a lever and what looks like a gauge falls down. What is that exactly?
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Post by rick4404 on Jul 4, 2009 20:20:42 GMT -6
The 50s version. At 3:06, you can see them pull a lever and what looks like a gauge falls down. What is that exactly? I believe that was a depiction of a manometer. A manometer is a device which measures air pressure. A gas chamber is an air tight device and the pressure inside the chamber must be kept constant, because any rise in the air pressure could cause the gas to leak outside the chamber. The air pressure inside the sealed chamber has to be lower than the air pressure outside of the chamber. You noticed the bolts around the viewing windows on the sides of the gas chamber? Those must be torqued down tight to make certain that the seals around the windows are not compromised whatsoever. When the gas chamber is in its standby mode, the bolts are loosened, so the rubber seals around the windows or the windows themselves don't crack. But prior to an execution, those bolts must be torqued down tight. So, once the door is closed and sealed, the final step before the cyanide is released into the acid is to do that manometer check to make certain that the chamber is sealed.
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Post by Stormyweather on Jul 4, 2009 21:13:36 GMT -6
She may have not done all of the beating but she may have thrown a few punches or blows. Regardless, the cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation. All three were found guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, robbery, and burglary. There was more than enough evidence to support the convictions and the sentences. latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2008/11/barbara-graham.htmlI have always said being there and being a part in any way shape or form of a murder makes a person an accessory. However, you realize some antis feel you have to do the actual act to be guilty and even then somehow it wasn't their fault.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2009 0:20:01 GMT -6
The 50s version. At 3:06, you can see them pull a lever and what looks like a gauge falls down. What is that exactly? A mixture of sulphuric acid and water, they put it in after the chamber had been sealed as one of the safety measures. The gas chamber was as dangerous to the spectators and guards as it was lethal to the condemned. besides sealing the chamber it had to have a lower air pressure to it then the surrounding room to help prevent leaks, the guards would enter the room wearing gas masks after the execution washing the body down with a neutralizer for the gas, had to scrub down the entire room as well as wash down the body and destroy the cloths worn as part of the safety process. Gassing was a method that needed to be changed for all those involved.
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