The murderer’s straight route to heaven – bringing religion into disrepute
Subject(s): Absolution, Cemeteries, Gallows, Ghosts, Hanging, Heaven, Hell, Homicide, Purgatory, Religion
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Print shows the spirit of an executed murderer rising to Heaven as a minister wipes clean the “Blackboard of Crime” on which are “Murder, Arson, [and] Robb[ery]” with the “Sponge of Absolution” as “years of sin [are] wiped out in ten minutes.” Meanwhile “the wife of the victim experiences Hell on Earth” at a cemetery in the upper left, and “the ‘unprepared’ victim” descends to the flames of “Purgatory” accompanied by devils.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1882-06-28
Creator(s)
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894
Period
New York State Assemblyman (1882-May 1884)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The murderer’s straight route to heaven – bringing religion into disrepute. [June 28, 1882]. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287950. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894. The murderer’s straight route to heaven – bringing religion into disrepute. [28 Jun. 1882]. Image. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 1, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287950.
APA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894.: , [1882, June 28]. The murderer’s straight route to heaven – bringing religion into disrepute. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287950.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 1, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
