Trial of William Fee this week

Come to the historic re-enactment of the Trial of William Fee, listen to the testimony, and decide for yourself. Performances are Saturday, October 19, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 20, at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Wayne County Courthouse on 26 Church Street in Lyons, the location of Fee's original trial. The Courthouse is accessible to handicapped individuals.

Tickets are on sale at the Old Jail Museum on 21 Butternut Street and cost $5 for adults, $2.50 for children, and $15 for a family ticket.

On March 23, 1860 in Lyons, New York, William Fee was executed by hanging. Fee, accused and convicted for the rape and murder of an unknown woman, has the distinction of being the only person to be hanged by order of a court of justice in Wayne County since its incorporation in 1823.

Why William Fee?

The question lingers. Tried and convicted on what, at best, could be regarded as sketchy evidence and dubious eyewitness testimony, Fee's execution raises more questions that it solves. Fee, of Irish descent, could have been targeted because of the powerful 'Nativist,' anti-Irish sentiment that was pervasive during the era.

A decade earlier, the 'Know-Nothings,' a political party, which had its origins in New York State, was a prominent political force in the northeast United States. The Know-Nothings were fiercely devoted to a virulent anti-Catholic, anti-Irish cause. Much of that mindset endured in New York, and one could speculate that Fee was a victim of its excess.

Was Fee himself instrumental in prompting such severe measures? He did flee the upstate area and attempted to elude law enforcement during his pending arrest in New York City. Until the later stages of the trial and the ultimate sentencing, Fee displayed a marked indifference to the parade of witnesses and general conduct of the trial.

But does boasting, evading arrest, and indifference qualify one for the draconian finality of capital punishment?

This production is possible due to grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York Council for the Humanities, the Augustus L. and Jennie D. Hoffman Foundation, and Wayne County Historical Society board members F. Tyler Rice and Helen Wright.

Call the Museum at 946.4943 or visit http://members.aol.com/wchs4943

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