After a visit to the old Darlinghurst Gaol in Sydney (now known as the Tech or East Sydney Technical College) Jack chose the subject of Nosey Bob for this weeks Classic Crime.
Robert 'Nosey Bob' Howard, a taxi driver, took up the position of hangman at Darlinghurst Gaol after being kicked in the face by horse, which left him horribly disfigured,. He started to find it very difficult to make a living driving cabs as people were repulsed by his appearance.It was this trait that earned him the title of 'Nosey Bob' but that wasn't all he was remembered for.
While always boasting that every execution he carried out during his career was 'carried out with utmost dispatch and decorum' it was widely believed that he often bungled an execution.
One particular case ended in the head being completed removed from the body after it fell through the trap door. The knot placed in the incorrect position or the incorrect tension in rope used may cause such an effect. There were other cases in which the executed did not die instantly but struggled for several minutes until strangled. Certainly a grim way to die.
Monday 30 June 2008
Read about the Rules of Execution covered on a past episode of Classic Crime
