Written by Gracie Williams
January 19, 1735: Alice Riley Hanged
Alice Riley was born in Ireland around the year 1718. In December of 1733, at the age of 15, Riley traveled to America to escape disease and famine, among other things. She traveled by ship with fellow Ireland native, Richard White [it is unclear whether or not they were married]. Both Riley and White were to become indentured servants to a man named William Wise in Savannah, Georgia.
When they arrived on the Georgia coast, an unknown event caused their ship to crash, leading most of the passengers to drown in the freezing water, with Riley and White being two of the only survivors. From there, they traveled to William Wise’s cattle farm on Hutchinson Island to begin work.
Riley and White soon realize that the situation was not what they expected when Wise becomes cruel to both servants, and sexually abusing Riley. By 1734, Wise falls ill, and Riley and White begin to perform daily bathing and hair brushing rituals to the incapable Wise.
March 16, 1734, while the two servants were doing their daily tasks of bathing Wise, White used a neckerchief to strangle Wise, and Riley then held his head underwater to drown him. After the murder of William Wise, they fled to South Carolina, where they were quickly captured and brought back to Georgia for trial.
Magistrate Thomas Causton promptly sentenced them both to death by hanging, and soon after Richard White was hanged. It was after White’s death that Riley claimed she was pregnant, which doctors confirmed, therefore delaying her death sentence. Eight months later, Riley gave birth to a baby boy, which was rumored to be fathered by William Wise, and January 19, 1735, Alice Riley was hanged in Percival Square [now known as Wrights Square]. She was the first woman to be hanged in Georgia. Riley’s baby died only 45 days later.
January 17, 1927: Juliette Gordon Lowe Dies
January 17, 1927, Juliette Gordon Lowe died in her home in Savannah, Georgia at the age of 67. The cause of death was from her long-fought battle with breast cancer.
Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon, also known as “Daisy,” was born October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia. As a child, she was naturally curious, adventurous and loved art, nature and athletics. During childhood, her parents sent her to various boarding schools for prime educational opportunities. It was through a boarding school friend that Juliette met her English husband, William Mackay Low, and they married in 1886.
Having homes in both Georgia and England, they traveled back and forth quite a lot, until the marriage began to fall apart, resulting in divorce. The divorce was settled right before her husband’s death in 1905.
In 1912, after being inspired by a meeting with the Boy Scouts of America founder, Sir Robert Baden-Powel, she made her now-infamous telephone call to her cousin, stating “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight!”
From there, Juliette founded the Girl Scouts of America, with their first meeting of 18 girls of all backgrounds. According to the Girl Scouts of America website, “Using her innate talent for fundraising and public relations, combined with her vast network of friends and supporters, she led Girl Scouts with passion and determination—ensuring it was, and always would be, an experience that was girl led.” Juliette worked to grow the organization into the American staple it is today and did so until her death.
In 1953, the Girl Scouts of the USA bought the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, where it was converted into a museum celebrating her legacy. It remains open to the public today.
