Montana's Last Hanging

By Grace Larson

Montana's last hanging was September 10, 1943. The state's last hanging in Missoula in 1943 was also the state's last execution for 52 years. Montana didn't execute another inmate until 1995, when Duncan McKenzie was executed by lethal injection after spending 20 years on death row. Today, lethal injecti

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: May 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647538019

Grace Larson

Grace Baker Larson was born in Hot Springs, Montana, in 1940. She grew up on a large sheep ranch, where she learned to do all kinds of work. This prepared her to undertake jobs that in the 1970s were usually filled by men. When she was hired as the inmate paint crew supervisor at the Montana State Prison, eleven men made up her crew. Edwin Grant "Pappy" Hamilton was one of the eleven. Grace was fascinated by the circumstances that subtly but inevitably propelled Pappy into a life of crime. He was the son and grandson of physicians. This is not the story of an ordinary criminal but rather the story of a man caught up in a world within which he could not function; boyhood naivere did not prepare him for a society that inflicted stark reality. This is his story, todl in his own words and verified by his extensive rap sheet.

Book preview

MONTANA'S

LAST

HANGING

GRACE LARSON

Montana’s Last Hanging

Copyright © 2021 by Grace Larson. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

1603 Capitol Ave., Suite 310 Cheyenne, Wyoming USA 82001

1-888-980-6523 | [e-mail]

URLink Print and Media is committed to excellence in the publishing industry.

Book design copyright © 2021 by URLink Print and Media. All rights reserved.

Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021908981

ISBN 978-1-64753-799-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64753-800-2 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-1-64753-801-9 (Digital)

19.04.21

Grace’s mother and stepfather were all dressed up and ready to observe the hanging of Phillip Slim Coleman, a black man in Missoula, Montana. Her parents were among the few who had been invited to watch this man die. Grace was almost 3 years old. Coleman died September 10, 1943, and Grace would be 3 November 22 of that year. Grace’s parents must have discussed the horrible crime and the gruesome hanging where Grace could hear. Their descriptions had to be traumatic for Grace to remember this.

This last legal execution in the State of Montana was overseen by Sheriff MacLean. Philip ‘’Slim" Coleman Jr., 24 years old, was accused of viciously killing Carl and Roslyn Pearson at Lothrop, Montana. Lothrop began in the 1890’s as a railroad station near the confluence of Petty Creek and the Clark Fork River. It was named for L.R. Lothrop, a Northern Pacific construction engineer.

The following is taken from Executed today.com

Coleman had robbed Carl and Roslyn Pearson of $200. He escaped in the Pearson’s car, which was found in Drummond. A large manhunt was activated by Sheriff MacLean. From the time Coleman was apprehended, he had