MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office shared a historical account this week, recalling the execution of Antoine Le Blanc, a convicted murderer hanged on the Morristown Green in 1833. This event marked the first execution in the county after America became a nation and the last public execution permitted by the state.
Le Blanc, a farmhand, was found guilty of murdering his employer, Samuel Sayre, along with Sayre’s wife, Sarah, and their servant, Phoebe, on the night of May 11, 1833. After the brutal killings, Le Blanc fled with valuables but was tracked down and arrested at a nearby tavern.
Following a swift trial overseen by Judge Gabriel Ford, Le Blanc was sentenced to death. On September 6, 1833, he was hanged before a crowd of nearly 12,000 spectators.
The county has preserved part of its gruesome history, storing what’s left of the gallows in the courthouse attic.
The hanging took place on a scaffold with a counterweight mechanism.
Some parts of the original gallows have reportedly been lost over time, with fragments rumored to have been made into gavels.
In a macabre twist, Le Blanc’s body was ordered to be dissected and used for medical experiments by Dr. J.W. Isaac Canfield. Additionally, Le Blanc’s skin was allegedly turned into keepsakes, such as wallets and book covers, in a practice that was not uncommon in that era.
This notorious execution remains a chilling part of Morristown’s history, reflecting both the legal and societal practices of 19th-century America.