In 1863, Josefa “Chipita” Rodríguez, a poor Mexican single mother living in Confederate Texas, was wrongly convicted of killing a white cotton trader with an ax over $600 in gold. Even though the gold was reportedly found near the body, Chipita was sentenced to death anyway.
The trial was overseen by a crooked jury, and Chipita never got much of defence and no appeals. She spoke little English, and her last words before being hung by the Nueces River were reportedly, “No soy culpable (I am not guilty).” She was considered for years the only woman legally hanged in Texas, before being officially absolved in 1985. Local legend has it that her ghost still haunts the region.
