The question of capital punishment, or the death penalty, is still a topic of disagreement. Capital punishment is final and people argue that, because of its finality, and the possibility that evidence against the condemned could be incorrect, capital punishment is never a solution. Those on the opposite side of the argument suggest that, if someone murders another person, they deserve the same fate; the biblical eye-for-an-eye philosophy. Walter James Bolton is an example of the former.
Walter James Bolton was a farmer in the remote area of Whanganui (or Wanganui) on the southern part of New Zealand’s North Island. On February 18, 1957, Bolton was brought to the gallows of Auckland Prison and hanged for the murder of his wife. The events leading up to the death of Beatrice Bolton are a matter of debate.
When Beatrice died, her body was found to be riddled with arsenic and sheep dip. The prosecution, in this case representing the British Crown, charged that Bolton murdered his wife because he was having an affair with his sister-in-law, Florence Doughty. Bolton’s hanging has become the subject of reexamination, as new evidence suggests that Beatrice may have simply succumbed to regularly ingesting arsenic and sheep dip, but not by her husband; rather, through a poisoned well. The rationale: Bolton himself tested positive for arsenic following his autopsy. Further, when Bolton was found guilty, the all-male jury did not have all the testimony. In fact, one glaring piece of evidence, though not a complete answer, involved Bolton telling the police that he suffered from erectile dysfunction. Further, the question being asked is why did Bolton, if he did murder his wife, continue using a method that clearly was not working? Again, this does not outright absolve Bolton of the possibility he committed the crime, but it does throw into question whether the trial was completed with all the facts available at the time.
One last point of contention concerns whether the events leading up to and the judgement after were more a matter of Salem-esque prejudice, as opposed to actual guilt. Whether Bolton murdered his wife and whether he was having an affair with his sister-in-law is still uncertain. If it is true that Bolton suffered from erectile dysfunction, then how does it make sense that he murdered his wife to be with her sister?
Ultimately, the case of Walter James Bolton is one that will likely never be solved completely. However, it does bring to the light the possibility of error and the totality of capital punishment. Finally, even though this was the last government-sanctioned execution in New Zealand, it would take the government until 1989 to fully repeal capital punishment.
I will admit that I am on the anti-capital punishment side of this argument. We have had too many cases where the accused has later been found to be innocent.
In peace,
PH
Sources:
“1957: Walter James Bolton, the last hanged in New Zealand.” ExecutedToday.com. February 18, 2011. Accessed February 19, 2017. http://www.executedtoday.com/2011/02/18/1957-walter-james-bolton-the-last-hanged-in-new-zealand/.
Historical Musings 