Isaac B. Desha
| Isaac B. Desha | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Isaac Bledsoe Desha January 1, 1802 Maysville, Kentucky |
| Died | August 13, 1828 (aged 26) San Felipe de Austin, Texas |
| Cause of death | Fever |
| Other names | John Parker |
| Occupation | Tanner |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Execution by hanging (pardoned) |
| Criminal status | Died in incarceration |
| Spouse(s) | Cornelia Pickett |
| Children | 1 child |
| Parent(s) | Joseph and Margaret Bledsoe Desha |
| Motive | Robbery |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (January 31, 1825; new trial granted) Murder (February 1826; overturned) |
Isaac Bledsoe Desha (January 1, 1802 – August 13, 1828) was a 19th-century American tanner who was convicted of murdering one man in Kentucky, and confessed to murdering another in Texas. He was notable as the son of the Kentucky Governor, Joseph Desha. Shortly after his father's election as governor in 1824, Desha was accused of robbing and killing a man named Francis Baker, who was passing through Kentucky. Circumstantial evidence implicated Desha, who denied the crime.
Given the heated political environment of the Old Court-New Court controversy, allies of his father claimed that the governor's political enemies had framed his son. The governor's legislative allies passed legislation providing for a favorable change of venue for the trial, and the governor used his appointment power to ensure that sympathetic judges would hear the case. Isaac Desha was twice convicted, but both times, the judge in the case set aside the verdict on procedural grounds. While awaiting a third trial, Desha attempted suicide by slitting his throat, but doctors saved his life, reconnecting his severed windpipe with a silver tube. Shortly after the suicide attempt, Governor Desha issued a pardon for his son.
Isaac Desha left Kentucky and assumed an alias. He went to New Orleans. From there, he traveled with a man named Thomas Early to San Antonio, Texas. When Early went missing during their travels, Desha fell under suspicion. A former Kentuckian living in Texas recognized Desha. Arrested soon after Early's body was found, Desha confessed to the murder after being recognized by a second man from Kentucky. A day before his trial was to start, Desha died of a fever. A legend soon arose that he had faked his death and fled to Hawaii, where he married a native woman and fathered several children. Later historians have debunked that myth.
Isaac Bledsoe Desha was born January 1, 1802; he was one of thirteen children of Margaret (Bledsoe) and Joseph Desha. He was named for his maternal grandfather. Educated mostly in the local (Maysville, Kentucky) schools, for a time Isaac attended a school run by Mr. Bailey and boarded with Bailey's father. In October 1817, he was apprenticed to Archibald Logan, a tanner. He lived and studied with Logan until May 1821.
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