Last Hanging in Jacksonville

In 1885, scarcely a year after the historic Jackson County Courthouse was completed, it was christened by one of the most notorious events to take place in town—the trial and execution of Louis O’Neil.  O’Neil, who had been having an affair with Mrs. Mandy McDaniel, was found guilty of the murder of her husband.  An appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court only intensified public interest.  The gallows were erected between the courthouse and the jail, screened by a 16-foot-high fence and guarded by the Jacksonville Fire Department.  The execution was witnessed by 200 men, women, and children, the “lucky” ticket holders for the event.  O’Neil was the last person hung in Jacksonville; his body is interred in the County pauper section of the Jacksonville Cemetery.