Career
He had willed her everything he owned but hypocritically continually threatened to write her out of the will because of her immoral behaviour. Elizabeth started an affair with her uncle"s man-servant, John Swan. They paid a man named Matthews to get them a brace of pistols.
Matthews saw Elizabeth and John in the house on the night of the murder on July 3, 1751, and learned what they intended to do - John made him swear not to tell anyone.
Elizabeth was arrested. However, she was released when no evidence could be foundation
The police then began a search for Matthews, whom she had implicated. He was located and told the police everything he knew.
She and John were imprisoned to await trial.
The trial of Jeffries and Swan began eight months later, on March 10, 1752. She and John were swiftly convicted and sentenced to hang. On March 28, she was taken to the gallows in a cart and riding on her own coffin, while John was dragged on a sledge for committing alleged petty treason.
When they reached the gallows, Swan was forced to stand on the cart while Jeffries, being only 5"1", had to stand on a chair on the cart.
Their legs were not tied and they were not blindfolded. A crowd of 7,000 people gathered to watch them hang.
Neither Elizabeth nor John acknowledged one another, while the hangman cracked his whip and drove the cart out from under them. John died in less than five minutes.
Elizabeth, however, being lighter than Swan, took over fifteen minutes to die, struggling to the education