For more than 200 years, Texas has used the death penalty to punish its worst criminals and to dissuade others from committing similar crimes. From hemp rope and gallows poles to lethal injection, the Lone Star State has made history in this grim practice and now executes more prisoners than any other state in the country. The practice has changed over time and the process has never been as simple or straightforward as some might think. On this episode of the Dispatch, I'll tell you about the long and dark history of capital punishment in Texas and several death penalty cases which made their way to this part of the state.