This week on Classic Crime Jack discussed with Ian the ways in which execution was carried out by hanging.
The topic came about as an interesting document landed on Jack's desk entitled:
"Memo of Instructions for Carrying out the Details of Execution - The Latest Revision by British Authorities". The document was distributed throughout the British Empire in 1905 to instruct hangmen in their task. Until this time there was no standard rules for execution, rather one hangman would pass on his knowledge to his successor.
The rules follow...
1.
The culprit is to be placed exactly under the part of the beam to which the rope is attached to.
2. The culprits' legs are to be strapped tightly.
3. The white linen cap is to be put on.
4.
The rope is to be put around the neck quite tightly; the metal eye being directed forwards and placed in front of the angle of the lower jaw so that the constriction of the neck may come underneath the chin.
5.
Go quickly to the lever and let down the trap doors.
6.
The culprit should then hang for one hour. Then the body should be carefully raised from the pit. The rope should be removed from the neck and the body unstrapped.
7.
When laying out the body for inquest the head should be raised three inches by placing a small piece of wood underneath it.
It was also important to ensure that the gallows were in good order before an execution was to be carried out.
"The scaffold should be tested without any weight and then with a bag of sand, simulating the weight of the culprit, attached to the rope and dropped to the drop the culprit is to receive so that the rope may be stretched."
This procedure was done several time during the week leading up to the execution. Often the condemned was present for the testing, or could hear the sounds of the sand bag being dropped from his cell.
