, 1880-01-10
@erklp Statesman.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1850
CALCRAFT. THE MANCMAN.

Desfa Of the Most Fasous Erecmtioner Of
Ms Age--His skin in Dru~i1g the Bot
and BoSsisg for Troat--f Disciple of
Isack Walton aud Jack kefoh-
A London dispatch of December 18th
says: The noted executioncr, Calcraft,
who for forty six years held the Office OF
hangman in England, is dead.
There is a stream in the suburbs OF
London known TO jaunting clerks and
holiday making schoolboys as the River
Lee, where eockney youths take their
aquatic diversion on Saturday afternoons
during tbs summer months On the days
when the river was deserted lean, pen
sive and clerical person would frequent
the banks, book IN ono hand, a tshins
rod in the other IL WAS Caicrait, the
hanernan. Where he came from, who ne
was, Why he had chosen his particular
profession, no one ever knew. Legend
had it that he was convict, VINO had
been hardened on tho condition that he
would adopt the executiOners profession.
Others ayerred that he had embraced IL
through morbid love of death. Caicraft
never BETRAYED his secret, and all bi6sra-
phies of the man are fictitious. Tins
alone is certain, that he has executed with
punctuality and dispatch, some oi the
most noted criminals of the century.
He entered the business in 1888, about
6fty wears after the Tyburn Tree had been
removed, and the gallows was set up
almost every Monday morning IN the
narrow passage between Fleet street and
Ludsate Hill, known as the Old Bailey.
He first came into public notoriety at the
HANGING OF JAMES GEEENACRE,
In 1887. This man had murdered Han
nah Brown, woman TO whom he had
been engaged to be married, and then
had cut the body into pieces aud hidden
portions Of it III variu;s parts 81 Lon
don, the trunk being placed undera sack
and concealed behind some f;sstoaea near
the P.ne-applc To l-har, IN Eige"arc
Road He conie 5 d hat II iu"ai. Brown
had d ,ceived him hy Irs;eld - to have
some property, and that on night she
called at his lodgings aaj laughed al her
trick. In rage he struck her with 4 sllk
roller, and. the blow proving mortal, he
formed the resolution of cutting up al
concealing the body. No criminal cast
since the trial of DR. Dodd had stirred
SO much excitement III London. On the
nipht of Greenacrc's execution hundreds
of persons sept on the steps ot the pris3i
and of ST. Sepuichre's Church, and boy!
remained on the lamp-Posts. The crowd
in the streets whiled away the night II
ribald Jokes and drunken brawls. Green
acre, when he passed to the gallows, wa
Totally unnamed. He could not articu
late the responses of the Ordinary, an'
had to be supported or he would hav'
fallen.
COURVUlSIEE AND MULLER.
Greenacre's execution brought fame L
Calcraft He did not rest well with hi
laurels. Three years later he was calle'
to carry out the sentence Of the law o
Francois Benjamin Courv"isier, a Swis
valet, found guilty Of the murder Of hi
master, Lord William Russell Lor
William, who was III his seventy-thIr
year, lived alone i'll his house III Norfol
street, Park lane, with his establishmer
VI tNO Iitlts Lilh vi '1NAA N'A'ANi. NAAN 49,
servant On the morning of thu murder
the housemaid found his study III dlsol
der, and entering his bedroom with Coul
voisier, saw that his head was nearly seN
cred from his body. Two bank note
supposed to have been taken from Lon
Williams body, were found behind ii
skirting board of the buffers pantr,
Those notes convicted Courvoisicr; he W.
hanged on July 9th, 1910. Upward {
twenty Thousand yeople were present ;
the scene Most of them waited all nigl
at the debtor door of the old BAILEY
High fees were paid for house roofs al
the windows were crowded iS the he
began to toll at eight o'clock the multi
tude uncovered. and al two minutes pa
the hour Courvoisier ascended the SCI
leading to the drop. followed by the eNr
cutioner and ordinary Of the prs n. Il
died without a struggle n a,e Of j
death was universally attributed to Ia
craft $ skill.
4 MEN GESiJ-
Had risen in the business Jack Ketcl