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Since Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia during most of the eighteenth century, any free person accused of a felony had to be tried in this city. During this period, there was little compromise in the judicial process. If a person was convicted of murder, arson, horse stealing, forgery, or piracy, he was often sentenced to hang. As a result, Williamsburg was the scene of numerous hangings.

If a person was sentenced to hang, it was thought that keeping him confined for a prolonged period of time was inhumane and cruel. Hanging was regarded a kinder punishment than imprisonment.

In the eighteenth century, this may have been the case. The conditions the inmates had to endure during their imprisonment were horrible. The cells were small, cramped, and unheated. The tiny barred windows contained no glass to protect the prisoners from the elements. They slept on piles of insect-ridden straw. During later excavations of the prison grounds, heavy shackles were unearthed, proving evidence that prisoners were often chained to the floor. Lice covered the walls. Roaches and rodents scurried throughout the cells. The smell alone was almost unbearable. Considering these conditions, death may have seemed a better option.

If found guilty of a heinous crime, the criminal was held in the overcrowed jail until the "Wagon of Death" came to escort him to the gallows. Long before this death wagon was in view, the condemned man could hear the creaking of the cart's wheels as it rolled down Nicholson Street. The prisoner was then forced to sit on his own coffin for the mile-long ride to Hangman's Road, knowing full well he would be inside the casket on the way back.

When the prisoner arrived at the gallows, he was usuallly the center of a social event. A public hanging brought people to the capital from all over the surrounding countryside. It was usually a festive, cherring crowd that greeted the prisoner when he arrived in the Wagon of Death.

A person can't help but feel a little sorry for the wayward criminals of the eighteenth century. We can only imagine the terror and panic they must have felt as they rode on the Wagon of Death, watching their last few minutes of life tick away.

The days of the hangman's rope are long gone. No physical evidence remains of the hangman's gallows on the outskirts of Williamsburg, but you can still visit the original Public Gaol, as it was called then. This jail is one of the oldest buildings in the former capital city. It housed murderers, pirates, marauding Indians, runaway slaves, and common debtors until 1780, when Virginia's capital moved to Richmond. It continued to house offenders until 1910.

In addition to the jail, there have been other less tangible reminders of how we used to treat our criminals. For well over a century, haunting stories of the Wagon of Death have been reported. People living on Nicholson Street speak of hearing the sounds of a horse and wagon in the predawn hours. They dash to their windows, but they see nothing of this mysterious carriage or its ill-fated passengers.

James Daughtery, a guest at the spacious Coke-Garrett House in June 1985, told of an inexplicable incident he experienced early one morning while sleeping in one of the rooms facing Nicholson Street. He said, "I awoke to the sound of horses and the cracking of a whip. A loud gruff voice commanded the animals to move faster. I thought it was far too early for Colonial Williamsburg to have their horses on the street, but I knew I wasn't imagining what I was hearing. Then I remembered the myth of the Wagon of Death. I was determined to see if it really did exist. I ran to the window, but the street was empty of both horses and people. I was disappointed that I didn't see the death wagon for myself, but at least I knew I'd heard it."

Early one foggy morning in April 1982, Donald Reeves, a Colonial Williamsburg employee, had a similar experience. He was working in the Carpenter's Yard, then on Nicholson Street, preparing for a busy day of visitors. Donald said, "I was setting up the tool display in the shed when I heard the clacking of horses' hooves and the creaking of wagon wheels. I didn't think much of it untill I realized it was so early the sun hadn't risen yet. I still didn't pay much attention until I heard the sound of a whip cracking. Being an animal lover, I was upset thinking the horses were being mistreated. I ran outside but there wasn't anything there."

It would seem those living and working on Nicholson Street are not alone in their experiences. Tourists staying on Hangman's Road (now Capitol Landing Road) have heard the illusive horse and wagon as well. Kitty Miller was sleeping in a nearby hotel when she, too, was awakened by strange noises. Kitty is certain she heard, "a horse whinny and the sound of a crowd cheering. I thought some event of Colonial Williamsburg's was going on outside. I couldn't believe they would be doing this so early in the morning, while people were trying to sleep. I was angry because I didn't sleep well the night before and I needed to get some rest. I went to the window to see what was going on, but the yard was empty! The sounds of the crowd just faded away."

To this day, no one has actually seen the legendary Wagon of Death or the horses that pull it. Most will agree, however, it not only exists, but continues to pass down the historic streets of Williamsburg as it has done for almost three centuries.