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This bizarre and macabre piece of American history stands alone—Mississippi was the only state ever to employ a portable electric chair.

We dive deep into the disturbing story of "Old Sparky" and its first operator, Jimmy Thompson, a former carnival hypnotist and ex-convict who approached his grim task with the showmanship of PT Barnum. Paid $100 per execution, Thompson turned these somber events into public spectacles, complete with newspaper photographers, crowds of onlookers, and even non-lethal demonstrations for the curious. His callous comments about giving condemned prisoners "a good clean burning" reveal the disturbing lack of solemnity surrounding these state-sanctioned killings.

The chair itself had a troubled history, with malfunctioning generators sometimes causing prolonged, agonizing deaths as inmates remained partially electrocuted between jolts of electricity. We explore how Mississippi's execution methods evolved from hanging to the electric chair following public outcry over a botched execution, and how the chair's technical failures eventually led to its replacement by the gas chamber. We also share the chilling reports that Elijah Parker, executed in the Hinds County Courthouse in 1944, still haunts the building's basement where he met his fate.

This episode connects personally to us as we once created a haunted house featuring a replica electric chair based on this dark chapter of Mississippi history. Join us for this fascinating exploration of justice, spectacle, and how the methods we choose to punish reflect the values of our society. Subscribe to Hold My Sweet Tea for more hidden stories from Southern history that challenge, surprise, and sometimes disturb.

Source Material:

L Powell IV, July 23,2021, Death on Wheels-Jackson, MS, https://www.southernspiritguide.org/death-on-wheels-jackson-mississippi/

Cabana, Donald A., October 2004, The history of Capital punishment in Mississippi: An Overview, https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/history-of-capital-punishment-in-mississippi-an-overview