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Karlandamon is an old execution place in Karlanda Parish in Årjäng Municipality, Värmland County,Sweden.
History
[edit]In Sweden there were about 600 execution places, but it is likely that the number is overrated. Karlandamon was one of them and it was used until about 1800. Every judicial district had its own execution place. [1]
Notable Executions
[edit]The infanticide case
[edit]One of the most well known cases which led to capital punishment was executed in Karlandamon was of Börit Nilsdotter in 1767. It was the last execution made at Karlandamon and that's why most of the villagers know about it.
Börit was a widow from Flötane homestead in Västra Fågelvik parish and a mother of four children. When her husband had died, she felt alone and took her farm worker as a bed companion. This led to pregnancy, but she didn't tell anyone about what had happened,not even her lover, who she continued to see on a regular basis and he didn't seem to take notice that the housewife was pregnant. One day when she worked in the barn the labour pains started and she sent her daughter away. No one knew what had happened, and the laborer found her in bed and encountered bloodtracks on the floor. Börit told the man that she got hit by a cow, but he didn't believe her and went to the barn where he found a newborn infant in a bucket of water. The neighbours were called on and the woman was suspected for murder. Börit meant that she tried to save the baby's life, but there was no good explaination why it laid in the bucket. She tried to get her oldest son to help her escape to Norway, but she never took refuge there. In the end she admitted the murder. She was decapitated in Karlandamon and thereafter her body was burned. [1]
The murder of Olof Andersson
[edit]In 1722 there was a wandering Norwegian named Olof Andersson who was arrived at a cottage in Västra Bön in the district of Årjängs district asking for a nights shelter, which he was given. In the courtyard lived Engelbrekt Hallstensson with his two daughters and his son Hallsten.During the evening the guest took out his wallet and showed some coins and asked about their value in Sweden. Engelbrekt tried to guess but Hallsten whispered to his sister something like: "The one who kill the guest and get all of those money! The sister got startled and begged him to stop talking like that. The next day,the son told his father that he had to leave the courtyard to make an erand. Then hid himself along the way he knew that the Norwegian would take. Thereafter the son came along up and killed the man with an axe and took the money. Shortly after a beggarwomen appeared and Hallsten panicked and dragged the dead man into the bushes. He went home and told his father about what he had done.His father became devastated but he still wanted to help his son and told him to hide the body and so hi did. Then they thought it all would be forgotten. But Olofs Norwegian relatives missed him and started to search and it was easy to follow his route. When father and son were asked to help them search, Hallsten escaped and took work in Filipstad. But he had a bad conscience and finally he admitted his crime. He was convicted to death by decapitation and and his father got whipped while his sister was considered innocent.[1]
Mattias Eriksson
[edit]Another case, but it can not be safely verified is the one of Mattias Eriksson in 1718. It is written about in the book "Tio dagar i Fredrikshald". A reinforcing faction was marching into the region of Karlstad and came upon in the middle of an execution. The convict was a violent man from Sillerud outside Årjäng, and they said the force was needed to restrain him, though he tried to escape. He was led to the execution, but on the way he hit the preacher and a guard when he tried to escape another time. When they finally decapitated him, something went wrong and he didnt die at first. It is told that the preacher was angry of the mess the man caused before his death and that his blood had splashed on the assembly. One of the officers said it would be better if the man could died for the king, but the preacher didnt think the man was worthy of that honor. The preacher, a man named Sveno Florelius was later spoken of as bitter and greedy.[1]