LAST HANGING IN WEST VIRGINIA 16 December 1897
a real event commemorated in a song by T. Hall, recorded by Flatt and Scruggs. The December date is mentioned at the end of the song.
I posted the lyrics and links to youtube today in a long Mudcat discussion thread Songs about capital punishment

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The Last Public Hanging in West Virginia - Flatt & Scruggs     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFjDC4EvVdg