Otago Witness Illustrations

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 38

Otago Witness Illustrations

EXPERIENCES OF A HANGMAN.

l'eriy. who for a numher -f \ears otH ciated as the public hangman m Britain, l.as turned exangehst, a.nd lias t>'on relat ing soiiK- ot hi experience to an Edinburgh audience. He told, among oth r things, how he pot *he appointment on Manvood's death: — In his applioaton he stated he had «wn two per-ons executed, and that if he weie appointed he would bring out a better method, which would prevent either disfiguration or laceration. He was a*,k(~l to go to London, and on

— Muir 6i, d Mooche. photo

receipt of tliv, request he thought he woiud have '' drojiped dead," while Ins "missis' would not speaV to him f r a long tim. . In order t>> gul to London lie hid 10 borrow £2 from his emplojers. and when he went he took with him a silken iope he had had specially made for demonstrative purpc6es . . Tin tommitUv. h<wc\ei, shuddered wlwn he offered t<j gi\o a tieinonstration of hi-, plan 'live upshot wus however that he got the appointment liewj's new career c minenoed at lidinburgh. when Itines and Vickors. (,h«' Goiobiidjje mu v dcrors were executed 111 the Calton (^aol

lie pitied the Gorebridge m-cn. and thought they should not have been hanged, but should haw r-ecn impii-oned. He had acted in nearly 500 case-, and had never had a. mishap His re-.itjna.tion. he 6aid, was owing to his discovery that two persons he had e.v< ut-ed wort- mnocent. As soon as I<> heard of it he went off to lon don, and to d Mr Just ice Lushm<>tun 'Well," the latter sjkl. "what matter if you har.g 20 in then innocence, \ou aie not to blame?" "'Take and hai '4 th( m yourself then," Mr Beiiy replied: and Ik gave 'ii his resignation Of hanu'ng Mr

Berry does not approve nor is he an advocate of penal servitude for long periods. The latttr, he says, makes the mm comout worse than when they went into prison Hi< remedy for vicious and haidened ciinnnals is flogging with tl.e " cat-o'-nine-lails." " lt]\c a man 18 moii.h- flog him at the beginning and af the end of hi 6 term, and you will no\c haw linn back again." One prisoner who had been sen tenoed for life had told him he would rather have lci>r> haiig<*d. but in all in stances there was a, thorough dread of the flogging. Ho would ha\ ■ diunkaids wh<

iU-u«od their wives subjected to nog-ring, and lie was sure they would soon he cured of their drunkenness. The New York World estimate that out, of 55,000 babies born in Manhattan Borough, during the past 11 months only 13 births, took nlace in the fashionable Fifth avenue, which is four miles and a-half long. Thefigures for other fashionable thoroughfares show a similar low birth rato. For idstance. m the section in which Mr Rockefeller's residence is situated only one birthi? recorded.