Elizabeth Potts was convicted of murder in 1889 and hanged the following year, the only woman ever to be legally executed in the U.S. state of Nevada. Her husband, Josiah Potts, was executed simultaneously, having been convicted of the murder and partial dismemberment of Miles Faucett.
Biography
Elizabeth Atherton and Josiah Potts were both born in Manchester, England. They married in 1863 and immigrated to the United States two years later, settling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They became parents to at least five and as many as seven children, including a son named Charley, a daughter, and a daughter named Edith. The family moved west after Josiah, a machinist, got a job with the Central Pacific Railroad, at first in Terrace, Utah, and in 1886, in Carlin, Nevada. While living in Carlin, Elizabeth temporarily separated from Josiah, possibly due to financial hardships. While separated from her husband, Elizabeth traveled to Fresno, California, where she entered into a bigamous marriage with Miles Faucett, a carpenter who was also a native of England. The marriage was not revealed publicly until it was uncovered by a San Franciscojournalist some time after the Pottses had been executed for Faucett's murder. By 1887, Elizabeth had returned to her home in Carlin as had Faucett who became a boarder in the Potts household. Soon after, he bought a nearby ranch and moved there, but visited the Potts home regularly because Elizabeth provided him with bread and washed his laundry.
Disappearance and death of Miles Faucett
On January 1, 1888, Faucett told a friend, J.P. Linebarger, that he intended to visit the Pottses to collect some money they owed him, and that he had knowledge about Elizabeth's past that he could use to convince her to pay the debt. Faucett and Linebarger arrived together at the Potts' home, and Elizabeth invited Faucett to spend the night. Faucett accepted, Linebarger left, and Faucett was not seen alive again. In the days that followed, when questioned about Faucett's disappearance, Josiah said that Faucett had been called away on business in another state. In the summer of 1888, the Pottses moved to Rock Springs, Wyoming, and their house in Carlin was rented to a family named Brewer. In January 1889, George Brewer discovered mutilated human remains in the home's cellar. The remains were identified as those of Miles Faucett, and Elizabeth and Josiah Potts were arrested for the murder.
Death and legacy
The Pottses were indicted for murder in the first degree and tried. They were both convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty. A double gallows, manufactured in Placerville, California, was obtained for the hanging and invitations were issued to attend the June 20, 1890 event. With 52 men in attendance, Elizabeth and Josiah were hanged simultaneously. The initial internment was at the Elko Cemetery but they were re-interred in a common grave when the cemetery was relocated. Elizabeth is the only woman ever to be legally executed in the history of Nevada. The Pottses hanging was the last legal execution in Elko County; a state law passed in 1901 ended the practice of conducting executions in Nevada's county seats.
