Talk:M. Watt Espy

Last name
Can anyone shed some light on this? I've a conflicting source on Mr. Espy's name. While 'Espy' is easy to spell for publication, it seems this is a variant from his original name of Espey, used during college activities. The name 'Espey' is found in Phi Sigma Kappa alumni publications, including the member database and The Signet magazine, cited among the references. Everything else fits: his University, same hometown, same nickname, the rather unique name itself, and correct timeframe. In other words, it would be an outrageous coincidence if there were a "Major Watt Espy" and a "Major Watt Espey" at the same school, at the same time, from Heedland, Alabama. If anyone has any data on this, please advise. Was this name changed as a simplification for the book title? Jax MN (talk) 15:48, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

Watt Espy witnessing an execution.
Ivan Solotaroff, author of "The Last Face You'll Ever See", a 2001 book about executioners in the United States, interviewed M. Watt Espy at his home in Headland, Alabama.

Watt Espy told him directly that he had witnessed the execution of John Louis Evans III in Alabama's electric chair on April 22, 1983. Here is the excerpt of that page from the book.

(start of excerpt)

A thin strip of wall in Espy's office bears the house's only images of the living. Six are of his family, including three of an older brother who runs the local savings bank. The other is a head shot of Mario Cuomo, who vetoed every capital punishment statute drafted by the New York State Legislature in his twelve years as governor. "As you might guess," Espy boasts, "I'm a bit of an abolitionist myself." He's also proud to be a recovering alcoholic. "I stayed drunk for the only execution that I will ever attend. It made me physically ill. I vomited."

"Which was that?"

"That would be the botched electrocution of John Louis Evans the Third, State of Alabama, April twenty-second, nineteen eighty-three."

(end of excerpt)

Excerpt source: Good Reads - "The Last Face You'll Ever See"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Random31908 (talk • contribs) 22:42, 12 November 2016 (UTC)