My Experiences as an Executioner

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iction that hanging is the very worst and most unscientific form of capital punishment. The prejudices of these people seem to be based on an utter

Block, now in th

conditions is revolting, we must further consider that from the very nature of the office, the executioner who has to hack off his victim's head must be a brutal and degraded man, and the chances are that he will not be so skilful or so careful as he ought to be for the performance of such a task. Even amongst races which are not so highly civilised as the English, and where it is easier to obtain headsmen of proportionately better standing, we occasionally hear of more than one blow being required to cause death, and such a state of things is very horrible. In Chi

er's Swor

en raised and dropped a second time before causing death. In any case, whether the guillotine, the axe, or the Chinese knife is used, and whatever care m

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d weight are raised the head can be passed through the collar, and by dropping the weight the collar is drawn tight and causes strangulation. This method is certain, but I do not consider it so good as the present English system of hanging, because death by strangulation is much slower and more painful than death by dislocation. In one form of the g

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s neck, and the other end passed over the arm of the gallows, or the limb of a tree. Then the executioner and his assistants hauled on the other end of the rope, until the victim was swung clear off the ground and was gradually strangled. In the improved American method the place of the

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th. When particulars of the method that was to be adopted for executions in New York were first published, I was with a small committee of gentlemen in Manchester who were investigating the subject. They made all arrangements for experiments to test the reliability of the method. Two animals were obtained that had to be killed in any case, namely, a calf and an old dog of a large breed. In the case of the calf the connections were made in the manner prescribed, and the current was turned on. This was repeated twice, but the only result was to cause the calf to drop on its

cution, I am convinced that our English method as at present in use is the

ter with a list of the principal methods

Hanging,

uillotine

uillotine

ck Axe,

or bow-str

uillotine

really so surrounded by cordons of gens

rd or hangi

uillotine

capital p

ds Hangin

Hanging

Sword,

ic; but capital punishment is practically

arotte,

public. Two cantons, guillotine, pub

, electric shock, private. O

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