My Experiences as an Executioner, by James Berry
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My Experiences as an Executioner, by James Berry
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My Experiences as an Executioner is the real-life account of English executioner James Berry, born in 1852 and died in 1913. In this book, the executioner recounts some of the executions that he personally conducted; he names names and also describes the methods whereby he executed his victims. In addition, the executioner writes about his own personal views on capital punishment and the different methods of execution that had been used all throughout European and American history, describing the mechanisms behind the guillotine, the garrote, hanging, stabbings, and so on.
James Berry offers a unique perspective from that of the executioner and even takes some time to describe the business-side of being an executioner. Illustrations of his victims, his business cards and of the different methods of executions are all contained in this edition.
The introduction was written by H. Snowden Ward.
My Experiences as an Executioner, by James Berry - Amazon Sales Rank: #3802239 in Books
- Published on: 2015-05-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.81" h x .41" w x 5.06" l, .40 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 178 pages
My Experiences as an Executioner, by James Berry
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. "Let 'er go boys" By Bernie Weisz "Let 'er go boys" was the last words of Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum, an incarcerated man who had put on too much weight awaiting his execution by hanging. When the drop from the gallows is too long, or excess weight of the condemned isn't calculated in "the drop", the results can be disastrous. On April 26, 1901, at 12:17 P.M, Tom Ketchum was executed by hanging from a scaffold. After saying the aforementioned, the sheriff cut the cord holding the trap door that Ketchum stood over and Ketchum plunged through it. Witnesses were horrified to see the head ripped from the body, which fell to the ground on it's feet and seemed to stand for a few minutes before falling over, with blood pouring from it's severed neck. How was this problem to be solved? A Handbook on Hanging (New York Review Books Classics) By hiring a "professional hangman." That is precisely what this book is about. Another very hard to find book, "My Experiences as an Executioner" is a treasure chest of knowledge in this subject.James Berry was the first British "hangman" that was literate and communicative enough to be able to write freely about his work. He actually had business cards that said "James Berry, Executioner", and notepapers that were emblazoned with the words "Executioner's Office". Berry also felt that the hangman was the last link in what he called the "chain of legal retribution". He also expressed that it was as honorable as the policeman chasing down the criminal, the prosecutor who prosecuted the criminal, the judge who pronounced the sentence. The Hanging Tree: Execution and the English People 1770-1868 Berry was a shoe salesman before he took up hanging and worked as an innkeeper after his retirement. Berry was clearly a humane man, as his contributions to the science of hanging, i.e. the amendment and amplification of the "long-drop theory" was intended to diminish physical and mental suffering, either by expediting the execution ceremony or by reducing the risk of mishap. Berry's "long-drop" method became standard practice until capital punishment was outlawed for murder in Great Britain.Berry retired from hanging in 1892 at age 40. Here is Berry's description of his "drop method": "My method of executions is the outcome of the experiences of my predecessors and myself, aided by suggestions from the doctors and is rather the result of gradual growth than the invention of any one man. The matter which requires the greatest attention in connection with the execution is the allowance of a suitable drop for each person executed, and the adjustment of this matter is not nearly so simple as one outsider would imagine. Murder & Execution in the Wild West It is of course, necessary that the drop should be of sufficient length to cause instantaneous death, that is to say, to cause death by dislocation rather than by strangulation, on the other hand, the drop must not be so great as to outwardly mutilate the victim. If all murderers who have to be hanged were of precisely the same weight and build it would be very easy to find out the most suitable length of drop, and always to give the same but as a matter of fact they vary enormously". Berry, aided by suggestions from doctors, developed his methods. The drop of the victim from the scaffold, once the trap door opened, caused instantaneous death by breaking the neck of the condemned (dislocation), not by strangulation and not so great as to cause mutilation.Initially, hanging caused death by strangulation-not by neck breakage. Berry's "drop system" was introduced and he varied it by height and weight of the condemned. The bigger the person, the higher the drop. Berry's predecessor, Mr. Warwood, figured out that a fall from 7-10 feet would sever the spinal cord giving instantaneous death. The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold Berry revealed in this book very specific information about British executions. The majority of English jails did their executions after 8 A.M. It took 3 minutes after the condemned man entered the gallows to complete the job, so Berry always entered the "execution cell" at 7:57 A.M. First, Berry would read the condemned the official "authority to hang", signed by the authorizing sheriff. When Berry entered, the Chaplin would already be there, along with two attendants. In some cases not confessed, Berry would ask the convict to confess, even though the execution would proceed regardless. Berry did this to make sure he was not hanging an innocent man. In most cases, the condemned usually confessed to Berry.Throughout the book, Berry would never divulge what the condemned told him. Out of hundreds of condemned he had executed, only two to three went to their death without confessing their guilt.Necktie Parties: A History of Legal Executions in Oregon, 1851-1905 After Berry entered the execution chamber, he would tie and secure the condemned convict's arms and legs. A white cap would be put over the convict's head and face to prevent them from seeing anything. Berry would pull the lever and the trap door would open, sending the condemned to eternity. Despite death being instantaneous, the body would be left hanging for one hour, then lowered into a coffin made in the prison and carried to the mortuary to await inquest, which would occur between 10 to 12 P.M. After the inquest, the body would be buried in the prison grounds. No reporters would be allowed to witness the act. Berry strongly disagreed with this, as he felt the press "ought to have some assurance that the details of each execution are carried out decently and in order".After the execution a notice of completion of the act would be posted on the front prison door (there was no TV or radio then). This notice was usually signed by the prison doctor. One time, Berry miscalculated "the drop" length when he executed a convict named "Robert Gooddale" and the victim's head was entirely jerked off. This made Berry reconsider and recalculate his "drop table". The History of Capital Punishment Aside from being exonerated by the coroner, Berry shortened all his future drops. So the question remains:why did Berry take early retirement in 1892 at age 40 from this profession? The reason was because in August, 1891, following an argument between Berry and the Kirkdale jail medical officer over the correct length of drop, Berry made a compromise by splitting the difference" between his estimate and that of the doctor. Here is Berry's description of the results: "On August 20th, 1891 at Kirkdale Jail, at the execution of John Conway, an attempt was made to dictate to me the length of drop, and a most unfortunate scene ensued". Incidentally, Conway's head was virtually decapitated. This incident, along with all the unpleasant publicity that followed was the reason for Berry's exit from the execution business.Soon afterwards, Berry quit and was approached to be highly compensated to undertake a tour of lectures describing his experiences-which he used as a forum to advocate the abolition of capital punishment. His billing was: "The Late Hangman-The Man Who Will Entertain You With Exciting Episodes". Berry was very successful and toured the music hall circuits for many months. Regardless of whether he was paid to espouse those views, his complete change of mind was firm, and he became a sincere opponent of capital punishment. Death Sentences: Styles of Dying in British Fiction There is a very interesting chapter in this book of Berry's most interesting executed victims, what their crime was, how they acted right before they were hung, and what their last words were. Incredibly, when Berry's lecture engagements petered out, he turned his hand to various other jobs. Aside from being an innkeeper, he was a clothes salesman, and a bacon salesman on commission. Berry's last years were devoted to both Evangelistic and temperance work and he died in his home in October, 1913. This is a very hard book to find, and if you are not wealthy, you might want to try the library. It has been out of print for over 70 years. There are two reasons for it's rarity.First, the book was produced with inexpensive paper for it's page, and cardboard for it's dust cover. It rarely survived a single reader's turning of the pages, let alone the ravages of time. Second, a man named George Chapman was arrested in 1902 for murdering his three common-law wife's. A copy of Berry's book was found on Chapman's possession upon his arrest. Hanging Between Heaven and Earth: Capital Crimes, Execution Preaching, and Theology in Early New England Upon discovering this, Berry appealed to police to keep all references to his book out of the case, explaining that he wished to be entirely disassociated from it. He had, he said, destroyed all the copies remaining in his possession, and all the others which he could find. In conclusion, many of Berry's contemporaries regarded him as a monster, a licensed killer. However, it should be remembered that Berry was a stable man, with a wife of 19 years, 6 children and many pets. He would write poems of comfort for the condemned, and his goal was to make hanging painless for his victims. Execution 13: A Hanging in Michigan This book is a valuable tool for anyone interested in criminal justice, capital punishment and it's morality, as well as a historically valuable tale of crime and punishment in England at the beginning of the twentieth century. Find this book!
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