Nicholas Melady

Case record

Identification

Nicholas Melady Jr. (1845 - December 7, 1869) was a convicted murderer from Huron County, Ontario, Canada.

Timeline

• June 6, 1868 — Melady was believed to have committed the murders on the evening of June 6, 1868, on a farm in the present-day municipality of Huron East, south of the current community of Seaforth, Ontario.
• December 7, 1869 — Melady was hanged on the outside wall of a jail in Goderich, Ontario, for the murder of his father, Nicholas Melady Senior, and his stepmother Ellen.
• December 7, 1869 — The execution occurred several hours in advance of the officially announced time it was to occur in an attempt to avoid the civil disorder that sometimes accompanied public hangings.
• January 1, 1870 — A Canadian federal government Order-in-Council came into effect banning all future public executions in Canada, three weeks after Melady was hanged.

Background

Melady was the last person to be publicly executed in Canada.

The murders were believed to have been committed on the evening of June 6, 1868, on a farm in the present-day municipality of Huron East, south of the current community of Seaforth, Ontario.

The offence

Melady was executed for the murder of his father, Nicholas Melady Senior, and his stepmother Ellen.

Investigation

During the course of the investigation into the crime, seven other members of the Melady family, as well as two other male individuals, were initially jailed as suspects and later released.

The trial and investigation were surrounded by controversy at the time, with allegations of perjury, lost and planted evidence, and the unusual use of a female police informant, who posed as a criminal and feigned affection for Melady while he was imprisoned, in an attempt to gain a confession from him.

The informant was named in records as "Jenny Smith", and was the wife of a local police officer.

Arrest

The investigation resulted in seven other members of the Melady family, as well as two other male individuals, being initially jailed as suspects and later released.

Trial

Melady’s trial was surrounded by controversy at the time, with allegations of perjury, lost and planted evidence, and the unusual use of a female police informant, who posed as a criminal and feigned affection for Melady while he was imprisoned, in an attempt to gain a confession from him.

Sentencing

Melady was executed by hanging on December 7, 1869, on the outside wall of a jail located in Goderich, Ontario.

Outcome

His execution occurred several hours in advance of the officially announced time it was to occur in an attempt to avoid the civil disorder that sometimes accompanied public hangings.

A crowd of several thousand people were present at the jail at the originally announced time of the execution, and many of whom were reported to have shouted their disapproval of the altered schedule of events.

On January 1, 1870, three weeks after Melady was hanged, a Canadian federal government Order-in-Council came into effect banning all future public executions in Canada.

Other details

Source: Melady, John (2005). Double Trap: The Last Public Hanging In Canada. Dundern Press. ISBN 1-55002-571-6. Wikipedia.org home last updates contact