Why did the female condemned have to wear calico knickers?
Did some women suffer prolapse due to the sudden deceleration?
They were introduced after Edith Thompson was hanged in 1923. The impact of the drop caused her to spill a lot of blood which led to the speculation that she may have been pregnant as she had been gaining weight while in prison.
Nicole Kidman is heavier on eyeshadow than emotion - The Paperboy Review, Variety
I understand that the undergarments were made of canvas.
sharePresumably because people have a tendency to shìt themselves when they're hanged.
Not Calico knickers.
Ruth Ellis was given canvas pants to wear which had been compulsory
for female prisoners since the Edith Thompson ( Another woman hanged in 1923) debacle.
All women hanged in Britain after Thompson were required to wear a special garment made of canvas,
with the aim of preventing (or containing) any bleeding such as that suffered by Thompson.
It is said that is what George Kelly did.
Albert was disgusted that he had to clean it up.
This phenomenon can be seen in graphic detail in the 1988 Kieslowski film "A Short Film About Killing": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095468/?ref_=nv_sr_2
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