THE HANGMAN'S SUICIDE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11518, 19 January 1894, Page 3

THE HANGMAN'S SUICIDE.

Particulars are to hand concerning the suicide of tho Victorian hangman, " Jones," whose other names are given as Perains, or Walker, or Porter. " Jones " is the name under which tho man passed, and but fow of the many who are acquainted with the broad-shouldered, Thomas Walker, living in a certain etreel in Carlton with bis wife, suspected that in him they beheld the common hangman of Victoria. For closo npjn 10 yoars he has acted in that capacity, and numerous stories are told as to how he becamo so fascinnted with ths idea of that horrible ca'ling that he decided an the first opportunity " to eeok tho job." as he called it. " Upjohn " was his predecessor, and the many bungles which that worthy was responsible for filled tho mothodical Jonos with feelings of contempt. He conoidorod that the position was a certainty for him, " and practised tho "ai t " of hanging in a variety of wave on a varioty of subjects. '' Weights and measures " becama almost a pusion in him, for he could calculate the distance an object would have to drop to obtain a certain result with a delight that was fiendish and terrjb'e. Oppor. tunity came, and Jones was installed into the position about 10 yeaas ago. Since then ho has hanged about Id people, Always when a person is condemned the executioner is detained in goal for a week prior to the gruescme ceromony. It was arranged that Jonns should on tor the gaol on Saturday, and remain thoro till after he had satisfied the law as to Frances Knorr, and when he attended he cheerfully made a remark that his " traps " would be brought on during the afternoon by a henchman. By " traps " he meant his working clothes, his fahe beard, and other " executive accessories'." At the time ho was dressed like a well-to-do labourer, in a bluo serge suit. Uaving intimated that he would go to the room in which ho locks himsiilf, he left for his quarters, which are situated at the rear of tho offices at the northern ond tho gaol, Tliis was about quarter past *Vjine o'clock. About quartor of an hour subsequent to this Mr Mossmore, chief clerk, sent a messenger for Jones, by whom he wished to send a message to somebody. Jones' room was found to bo locked on the *- inside, and another key of unoth«r door had to be obtained in order that Jones' quarters could be reached. This door having been opened by tho Renior warder and Mr Mossmoro, they burst in on a sickening sight. Blood flowed in copious ■streams down a gutter leading from a bathroom in Jones' room, and it dawned upon Mr Mossmoro that Jones had either sustained an accident or had cut his throat. The door of Mb room was opened, and Jones was found lying dead alongside tho bath. He Hi Bet about the dreadful deed in a terribly determined manner. First ho bad taken off his coat, which ha hung up in a corner of tho room. Then ht, placed a small flask of wbisiy in one end of the bath, and having done so bo evidently bont over the biith and deliberately sawed away at his neck with a sharp razor. He must have allowed tho blood to flow from his neck into the bath, and then, through weakness, owing to tho loss of so much of it, he had fallen all of a heup in a corner of the room. Although tho nows that " Jones, the hangman," had committed suicide spread throughjthe city, rapidly, it was not until two hours later that tho news was told to his widow. The scone which followod was j painful in tho extromo. Tho poor won; an, ' on hearing it, stood, staring vacantly as if in great montal anguish. Sho thoa Bcroeched out, " Oh, my poor children ! My poor children !" and droppod helplessly on a bod. Tho assistance of n kindly neighbour was then obtained, and sho did hor utmost to soothe the feelings of thu woman. The latter, amidst her sobs, remarked that her husband had not slept a wink all that night, and was very restloss. A t 7 o'clock he left home, saying he was going to the Melbourne Gaol, but ho would be back soon. She then asked tho reporter hoW her husband had committed the deed, as he had no revolver. On being informed that he had cut his throai, she stated that ho always said he would not hang the woman, and when he left that morning he was like a mudman. " Wbnt is worse," the heiirt-broken woman remarked, "he has been drinking of lato and has been greatly upsat sir-ce ho roceived word that he had to oxooute that woman. Only tho other day he wrote to Roberts, his assistant, in Sydney, asking him to come over and conduct the exocution."