Bet you didn't know............... ........

In this thread it's said he executed 6 American military under sentence of death by Courts Martial. In other readings the figure is 20. According to Syd Dernley's book, the figure is around 200. Whatever the number, they were all executed at Shepton Mallet military prison and were for American servicemen reputedly transfered there from all over Europe (whilst on active service) found guilty of rapes and murders (often both) and convicted by Courts Martial. Given the number of servicemen of all nationalities all over Europe at that time and the ease and motive for crime (linked to stress-trauma for young men in war situations), the figure of 200 is somewhat believable even though it sounds enormous at first thought. Dernley says the American authorities requested the British provide an executioner and the British suggested their Number 1 - AP, but however demanded he be paid the Home Office rate by the Americans for each and every prisoner. More likely is that the 2 authorities mutually agreed on the executioner, whilst AP himself might have pressed for full fees (and why not?). In any case the rate at that time was 10 guineas (£1.05), so 200 'jobs' would have been £210, an huge sum at that time. These are only words from Dernley though, who himself claims to be quoting AP, as there is no mention of a British assistant and certainly not Dernley himself.

It's said on these boards and elsewhere, that the figure of 200 relates to Nazi condemned, but in other writings his war crimes tally was 'only' 47 prisoners - the Belsen lot. The other main trials were dealt with by the American authorities, so this detail tends to seem true.

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and you know this how..... the proper way, where your neck breaks instantly, is painless.
just watched the movie, and i'm about to look a bit up on albert. very good movie, too.

I would like to know the answer to your question myself rowanrobinson. Since no one has ever survived a judicial hanging that was carried out properly in order to articulate what the experience was like (i.e. did they feel anything when the rope yanked their body to a screeching halt and snapped their neck at approximately the 3rd, 4th and or 5th cervical vertabrae - was it painful? Did you feel anything?). Judicial hanging has always been a gruesome and haphazard affair. It was both an art and a science, perhaps more of one than the other. If not done properly one of two things would happen: a) If the drop was not long enough or the noose was improperly positioned, then the poor wretch's neck would not be broken instantly and he or she would strangle to death at the end of the noose or, b) If the drop was too long, then you ran the risk of decapitating the condemned man or woman. This has happened on more than one occasion. Around 1903 when Blackjack Ketchum was hanged in Clayton, NM they calculated the drop for his weight at the time of conviction and did not account for the immense weight he put on while waiting for his execution. He was decapitated. The last woman hanged in Arizona was decapitated prompting the State to switch to the Gas Chamber. But if done properly as you said, it is thought to be painless or at least so quick that the condemned has little time to feel pain before they are said to be instantly unconscious. But since no one has survived a hanging or the Electric Chair or the Gas Chamber or Lethal Injection for that matter, all we have to base our assumption on is the opinions of the Medical Examiners who perform the autopsies and other medical professionals as to what they believe based on their knowledge of human anatomy and neurology as it currently stands. Since alot of what we once believed to be true medical fact in the past was eventually proven wrong as we learned more, who knows what we will learn in the future.

As to your wanting to lookup a bit on Albert Pierrepoint, my advice would be to read his autobiography, "Executioner: Pierrepoint". It is very good reading, in my opinion. It contains alot more historical fact about Pierrepoint, and capital punishment in Great Britain than the movie "The Last Hangman" will most likely ever contain (since I have not seen it yet - I plan to as soon as I can get my hands on a copy). Just look at the title. Pierrepoint was not the last executioner in England. He was the last Official Chief Executioner. Executions continued for another eight years after his resignation before abolition. Anybody with half a brain knows that all script writters and movie producers take loads of liberties with historical accuracy to produce a compelling and dramatical screenplay.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

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