Famous Last Words
Alexander Blackwell
Sweden
July 29, 1747
Blackwell, a Scottish-born adventurer, was executed for conspiracy in Sweden, accused of attempting to tamper with the Swedish line of succession. He proclaimed his innocence on the scaffold then laid his head the wrong way on the chopping block. When his error was pointed out he responded “I am sorry for the mistake, but this is the first time that I’ve been beheaded.”
