In the annals of Guernsey crime, few names echo as loudly as Elizabeth Saujon. Her murder in 1853 did not just shock the parish of St Martin; it set in motion a legal drama that involved Victor Hugo and ended with the island’s final, gruesome application of the death penalty.

🔥 The Night of the Fire

On the night of October 18, 1853, neighbors in St Martin noticed smoke billowing from the home of Elizabeth Saujon, a 74-year-old woman who lived alone. When rescuers broke in, they found the house ablaze—but the fire was a cover-up.

Elizabeth was found dead, but not from smoke. She had been struck violently on the head. The motive was quickly established as robbery; the elderly woman was known to keep money in the house, and her savings were gone.

⚖️ The Accused: John Tapner

Suspicion fell almost immediately on John Tapner, a 30-year-old Englishman working in Guernsey as a clerk for the Department of Woods and Forests. Tapner was a man living beyond his means. He had debts, a mistress, and a desperate need for cash.

✒️ A Famous Intervention

Tapner was found guilty and sentenced to hang. The case drew the attention of Victor Hugo, who was living in exile in nearby Jersey at the time. A staunch opponent of the death penalty, Hugo wrote open letters to Lord Palmerston demanding a reprieve.

“Why kill this man?” Hugo argued, stating that the execution would be a stain on the British government. Despite the celebrity intervention and local petitions, the Home Secretary refused to intervene.

⚰️ The Last Hanging

On February 10, 1854, John Tapner was led to the gallows in St Peter Port. What followed was a nightmare that haunted witnesses for decades.

The execution was botched. The hangman was inexperienced. When the drop fell, Tapner did not die instantly. The scene was gruesome and prolonged, shocking the crowd and the officials present. It was so traumatic that it effectively ended the appetite for capital punishment in Guernsey.