Horace DeVaughn

Horace DeVaughn (died April 8, 1927), of Birmingham, Alabama, was the first prison inmate in Alabama to be executed by the Alabama electric chair, nicknamed "Yellow Mama" because it was painted with bright yellow highway paint. DeVaughn was electrocuted on April 8, 1927.

On January 19, DeVaughn murdered a couple named A.B. Moore and Ruby Thornton on a deserted road with a shotgun he had borrowed for a hunting trip, supposedly after he attempted to hold them up. The murder case for which DeVaughn was executed was solved by Birmingham Police Detective Paul Cole, who traced the shells found at the scene, which had a unique marking from a defective shotgun. After he was arrested, DeVaughn confessed to the murders and was sentenced to death.

DeVaughn was put to death at Kilby Prison in an electric chair built for the purpose earlier that year. He prayed to Jesus for hours beforehand, and accepted no food, drink or cigarettes on the night of the execution. In his final statement he expressed that he had been forgiven and had no hard feelings toward anyone, and asked for someone to tell his mother goodbye and that his soul was saved.

DeVaughn underwent three 2,000 volt discharges between 12:31 and 12:42 AM. At the first 40-second jolt his body surged forward, a thin gray smoke flowed from under the electrode over his head, and the odor of burning flesh was apparent. After the second discharge, flames were seen on his leg, but he was still alive. After the third jolt, he was pronounced dead. Twenty were present as witnesses, included Moore's brother, George, who traveled from Coffeyville, Kansas and claimed a piece of DaVaughn's belt as a souvenir of his visit.

References

• Montgomery Advertiser, October 7, 2002.