Bio

Very little is known about Peggy Facto's early life. Her date of birth remains unknown, and no formal records identify her family background beyond references to aged parents and children she left behind. She resided in Beekmantown, a rural town in Clinton County, New York, during the early 1820s.

Peggy Facto’s life intersected tragically with a broader social context of extreme stigma surrounding illegitimacy, female sexuality, and motherhood out of wedlock. During this period in early American history, women accused of infanticide were often viewed not just through legal but moral and religious lenses. Her case became one of the most sensational in upstate New York in the early 19th century, partly due to its brutal details and the moral panic surrounding unwed mothers.

At the time of the crime, Facto was known to be pregnant. Testimony during her trial suggested that she had previously been seen “far gone in pregnancy,” and that she gave birth in secret without medical attention or the support of others.

Murder Story

On September 15, 1824, a new-born infant was found dead in a wooded area of Beekmantown, Clinton County, New York. A string was around the child's neck and much of the body had been burned. The body was wrapped in a linen cloth and found about 12 to 14 rods from Peggy Facto's house. Witnesses said the side of the child's head was broken and that hair remained where it was not burned.

In October 1824, a grand jury indicted Peggy Facto and Francis Labare for murder and for conspiracy and abetting in the first degree. The indictment charged that a string of about one inch in breadth and two feet in length was fixed and tied around the infant's neck, and that the infant was cast into a place where there was a great quantity of fire and was burned and in part consumed.

The trial was held on January 19, 1825, before Circuit Court Judge Reuben H. Walworth at the Court of Oyer and Terminer in Plattsburgh. Witnesses testified that they had seen Peggy Facto in August when she was clearly pregnant. A witness described finding the child and seeing the string around its neck and the burned body. Mary Chandreau testified that Peggy told her in jail she had taken a string from her gown to tie the child's neck and that the person who was with her would not go for help.

Peggy Facto did not testify at her own trial. The jury found her guilty. Francis Labare was tried separately the same day and was found not guilty. Judge Walworth later reported that the testimony in Peggy's trial was so strong that the jury was out only a short time.

Judge Walworth sentenced Peggy Facto to be hanged on March 18, 1825, and ordered that her body be delivered to the medical society for dissection. A petition for clemency was sent to Governor DeWitt Clinton, and Judge Walworth and some citizens urged a pardon or commutation. Governor Clinton reviewed the materials and denied clemency, citing the facts of the case and the need for penal influence against infanticide.

On March 18, 1825, Peggy Facto was executed at the Broad Street arsenal lot in Plattsburgh at a little after noon. Reports say she declared her innocence, forgave her enemies, and prayed before the bolt was pulled. After the execution, her body was given to the local medical society. Many people went to see the body, and accounts say the viewing caused public comment.