“We came into this world all naked and bare; Where we are going, the Lord only knows where; If we are good fellows here; We’ll be good fellows there.’’ - Eva Dugan
Eva Dugan was a convicted murderer whose execution by hanging at the state prison in Florence, Arizona resulted in her decapitation and influenced the state of Arizona to replace hanging with the lethal gas chamber as a method of execution.
Eva Dugan had a difficult life She was an adult with few skills and even fewer expectations. In her early 50s, she ended up working in Arizona as a housekeeper for Mr. Andrew J. Mathis, a wealthy reclusive rancher. Mathis was demanding, cranky, and cheap. Mathis and Eva butted heads frequently during the two months that she was in his employ. She thought she had found a solution when she met a boy named Jack while in town.