The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1882-07-20
SENSATIONS in Il A. N GIN g.

1ASSOTACSsA ASSCOFSAsSs "a G-MSH0ulcMt1
Connected with the Hangman's
Moose The Various Ingenious
Schemes of Culprits to Save their
Necks.
There are many instances on record in
which the punishment of sus. per col.
has failed, either through some peculiar
ity in the neck Of the individual, or a
want of tact nthe hangman. More than
Six centuries ago if old records are
truthful Juetta de Balsham, convicted
Of harboring thieves, was sentenced to
be executed. She hung for three days,
revived, and was pardoned, as phe-
nomenon who had somehow or other
Overmastered the gallows. There is the
authority Of Obadiah Walker, master Of
New College, Oxford, for a story that a
Swiss was hanged thirteen times over,
every attempt being frustrated by a PEI
culiarity in the wind pipe which prevent
ed strangulation. We are not told
whether the thirteenth time was
successful, or whether the justice was
merciful at last. Ann Green was hanged
at Oxford for in fanticidein 1850; nay, her
legs were pulled, land her body struck
with soldiers muskets in accordan with
barborous custom sometimes adopted
of making assurance doubly sure. New
ertheless she survived after hanging
some considerable time. Her body was
given up for dissection. The surgeon OBJ
served faint signs of animation, tended
her instead of anatomizing her, and in
thirteen hours she was able to speak.
She remembered nothing distinctly of
what had occurred, but seemed to her
self to have been in a deep sleep. The
crown pardoned her; she married and
became the mother of a family, and her
husband forgave her the errors Of her
past life, possibly for kind of celebrity
for which the singular episode had
brought to her. ,s $g 3 3
Other examples of more or less
analogous kind are the following: "A WO-.
man-name unrecorded was hanged in
1908. She came to herself after sus-.
pension for the prescribed period, not
by slow degrees, but suddenly. John
Green experienced an ordeal something
like that of Ann Green. After being
to Sir William BLIZZARD, the celebrated
surgeon; and while out on a table in the
dissecting room he displayed signs of
life, and efectually recovered. A fe-
male servant of Mrs. Cope, of Oxford,
convicted Of some penal offense, was
executed in 1850. After hanging an un-
usually long time she was cut down and
fell heavily to the ground. The shock
revived her, but the unfortunate wretch
was efectually hanged the next day.
Margaret Dickson, a century and half
ago, was convicted of concealment of
birth, and was subjected to the last pen
atty Of the law. Her body, after hang
ing in the jibbet at Edinburgh, was cut
down and given to her friends. They
put it in a coffin, and drove off with itin
q cart six miles to Musselburg.
Some apprentices rudely stopped the
cart and loosened the lid of the coffin.
This let in the air, and the air and the
jolting, together revived her, She vas
carried IN doors alive, but faint and
edreiy conscious; minister came to-
pray with her, and she effectually re-
covered. No mention of collision oc-
ours in this narrative, although some Of
the incidents q would seem TO point that
way. Margaret lived many years, had
miliarly known in Edinburg, where she
sold salt, as Half hanged Maggie"
Instances are known in which re-
bound after the fall has enabled the feet
Of the victim to touch the platform, and
determined by a conflict between mer-
rites. a disgraceful scene took place
at Edinburg in 1918. The rope with
which man was hanged being too loose
his toes touched the platform, the as
sembled mob gotup a riot on some pre-.
text, the half-hanged man was carried
off, recaptured, and finally hung on the
following day. A scene ofsimilar deplo-
rable nature had been Witnessed at Jer.
soy q few years previously.
A whimsical legend, made the subject
of one Of Southey's ballads, relates to q
man who was resuscitated after hanging
and disappeared from the gibbet in d
mysterious manner. In ninety-one stan.
zas Southey tells the story of Roprecht
+ the robber, believed in Germany to have
some foundation in fact, Roprecht, who
had long been a terror to the inhabitants
OF Cologne, was at length caught, trie d
sentenced and executed.
On the next morning, to the surprise
OF the early passers by, the gibbet wal
found to be empty. One week latel
AeOpAOClAt N6@o5 SCCA 1dIl&A1lSs {tu0T6 again
but wearing boots and spurs instead o
shoes. What this could all mean wa
left to Peter Suoye to tell. He and hi
son Pet were driving home late OF
the after the execution. PASSING
near the gibbet they heard allow moan
Looking up the found tito proceed from
Roprecht. Robber and rascal though
he might be, they did not like to leav
him in such a pitiable state. They Gu
him down, put him into their home, re
cieved him and concealed him fror
the authorities. Whatever virtue
Roprecht may have possessed
gratitude was not one
them, for we are told that one mornin
early, before the family were astir, b
took Peters horse and PETS boots an,
spurs and absconded. But Frau Suoye
who had some little suspicion Of the mar
overheard some of his movements an
aroused her husband and son. Ihes
two mounted spare horses, gallope
after him, kept him in sight, overtoo
him, siezed him after a desperate strus
gle, dragged him to the gibbet and Their
hanged him most efectually
His own rope was ready there,
To measure the length we took good care;
And the job which the bungling hangma
hnc,oy,