December 1884, William Druse of Herkimer County, New York, was brutally murdered, dismembered, and burned; his ashes and bones dumped in a swamp. Evidence strongly pointed to his wife Mrs. Roxalana Druze murdering William, finally breaking after twenty years of physical abuse. She was sentenced to die and her hanging was protested by many who opposed hanging women. Women’s rights groups called the trial unfair because Roxy did not have the same rights as her jury. More to the point though, there is a good chance she was not guilty of a hanging offense.