Elizabeth Smart, A Survivor's Story...

      On June 5 of  2002, a 14 year girl, named Elizabeth Smart, was abducted from her bedroom by a man with a knife. The man's name is Brian Mitchell and his wife's name is Wanda Barzee.


Elizabeth Smart at age 14

     She was gone for nine months before anyone had ever found her. She was forced to walk the heels behind her house up to Mitchell's camp, where his wife was waiting. Barzee forced her to remove her pajamas and put on a robe. Then Mitchell had performed a marriage ceremony, according to http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174 . After that was all done, he had proceeded to rape her time and time again. Smart said that He was obsessed with this and would do it about four times a day, according to that same article.
     Mitchell had claimed to be a prophet of god and then he had claimed religious rights to everything that he was doing. In the earlier days of her kidnapping, she had to have her leg bolted to a tree or table so that she wouldn't escape. She was forced to consume drugs and alcohol to lessen her resistance of the sexual crimes.     
     He would show her pornography and tell her that this meant she had to be humble to him.
She said Mitchell once forced her to drink too much alcohol and she became sick. He made her lie face down in her vomit for the entire night so Smart would understand "the true state" she was in, she testified, according to http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174.
When he had broken into her room, he had held a knife to her throat and told her that if she did not go with him that he would kill her and her family. He had told her that he was taking her for ransom.
     Smart had said that Barzee had started to get jealous of the sexual contact between Mitchell and Smart and she had asked Mitchell if he could switch between them every other day. He had started to do that, although he would still sometimes rape Smart even if he wasn't scheduled with her that day. He was also singing hymns all the time during those days. She was rescued on March 12, 2003. Smart was found walking along the sides of the road with her abductors. Mitchell and Barzee have undergone many mental procedures after they were caught and arrested, however now they are facing up to life in prison for kidnapping and sexual abuse towards a minor.
      This story is just so sad to read. I had never heard of this young woman until today and i just can't help but want to just hug her and tell her how blessed her life is. Not to maIy people ever make it back from things like that but I am so happy that she survived. Just one thing i was thinking about, how long were they going to keep her???


Smarts Kidnapper, Brian Mitchell

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174.
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The very FIRST hanging...

      It may not be known as an extraordinary event, but according to http://www.sharlot.org/archives/history/dayspast/controversies-surround-yavapai-countys-1875-first-hanging/, the hanging of Manuel Abiles is the very first legal hanging of all time. This occured in 1875 around Yavapai County.  A man was getting married in April of 1875, during the time of the wedding, one of the guests had gotten drunk and was disturbing the wedding. When one of the other men tried to stop him, he threw a stone at his head trying to get him away. However, doing so had made him unconscious. The next day the groom had found the intoxicated man dead on the ground.
     Three men had identified Manuel Abiles, saying that the night before they had seen Manuel chasing the man from his own house. The county had pressed charges and had took him into custody. At this time, death row meant to be hanged, not how it is now with the injections.
     The court had ruled in the favor of the victim and had decided to sentence Manuel to death row. He had his one last meal and then was hung in the streets for all to see. Before he had died he had said that he was there for the murder but his friend was the one who did it. This did not matter because nothing was ever said about a friend. Manuel was to be the only one who chased anybody that night, and was the last one seen with the man. This was the very first and official hanging by law. 
     I feel bad for the intoxicated man. We all make mistakes but that doesn't mean we deserve to lose our lives over them. Otherwise we would all be dead. I do not agree with the death sentence. Prison, i feel, is punishment enough.

A random hanging to show what it is like.

http://www.sharlot.org/archives/history/dayspast/controversies-surround-yavapai-countys-1875-first-hanging/