Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-01-02
Oalcraft, the Hangman.

Much has been written concerning
the "Monsier de Paris" of London, en-
bracing many anecdotes of the famous
hangman and romance touching the
cause of his becoming an executioner.
About the year 1864 member of the
San staff, then reporter for the Lon
don daily Telegraph, was sent to inter-
view Calcraft regarding the hanging of
convict. He found the hangman, who
was a shoemaker by trade, in his pleas
ant three story brick house in Islington.
In front of the house and at its rear
were yards filled with flowers. The
rear yard was crowded with rose bushes,
and the hangman had great pride in
them. In the course of the visit he
spoke of his gardens, and said that any
man who loved flowers could not have
a very bad heart. He cultivated many
fine tulips and averred that if he had not
been Calcraft, the hangman, he would
once have taken a prize on his display
of tulips at big fair. There was an
iron fence in front of the house. So
great was the popular aversion for the
office that Calcraft held, that it was al-
most impossible to rent the houses that
were near his, and the children ran past
the iron gate opening into his yard
when they had TO 60 through the quiet
street in which he lived.
At that time Calcraft was pleasant
looking little man, with round features
and full iron-gray beard. He wore
an ordinary business suit, and was
scrupulously neat in his attire. The
house was handsomely furnished. On
table was large Bible, which, it is
said, the hangman read a great deal,
and the book bore evidence of having
been much used.
Calcraft's wife was at that time a
matronly appearing woman, to whom
he seemed to be very devoted. In the
course of the interview Calcraft said
that hanging, if attended toby one who
understood his business, was not a
painful death. He used small ropes
for men of nervous temperament and
thicker ropes for those of opposite tenn
permanent, and he produced several
ropes of different style and showed how
the knot should be adjusted.
In his later years Calcraft made q
strong effort to enable his children tc
outlive the stigma that attached itseli
I w blAOll ldlhCl BOolblOhs A1C CuuS1ICN
them literally, and at length one ot
them entered the Indian civil service
and fulfilled his duties creditably
There was at first great outcry
against the appointment, but it died ou
as the young man pursued his way even
| ly and gave satisfaction. In his treat
ment of prisoners who were to bC
hanged, Caltraft was curt and business
like. At hanging in Dundee the rop'
broke, and the hangman always after
ward furnished the ropes himself, anC
was very careful to personally inspect
the arranging of the gallows and every
thing pertaining to it.
Thackeray used to tell story abou
Calcraft, which the reporter, who inter
viewed the hangman at lslington, re
members hearing from the novelist
lips. Thackeray said that on the da,
of the hanging of man who had killet
another in a carriage of the Metropoli
tan Underground Railway, he wa
riding on the outside of an omnibus
Beside the driver sat stranger. A
Islington, a small, pleasant-spokel
man, with handbag, mounted tn
stage, and sat with the driver. Thack
cray, the stranger, and the little mai
conversed until they reached Newgate
where the latter got down, after shak
ing hands with the others. Then tn
driver said to them: "Do you know
who that man is who got DOWN.
They did not, When he told them
was Calcl aft, the hangman, tn
stranger, Thackeray used to aver, wa
so startled that he fell from his seat +
the ground.