The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-07-21
SENSATIONS In HANGING.

SENSATIONS In HANGING.
There are many instances on record in
which the punishment of sus per col.
has failed, either through some pecul-
iarity in the neck of the individual, or a
want of tact in the hangman. More
than six centuries ago-if old records are
true-Juetta de Balsham, convicted of
harboring thieves, was sentenced to be
executed. She hung for three days, re-
vived, and was pardoned as a phenome-
non who had somehow or other over
mastered the gallows. There is the au-
thority of Obadiah Walker, master of
New College, Oxferd, for a story that a
Swiss>was hanged thirteen times over,
every attempt being frustrated by pc
culiarity in the wind-pipe which pre-
vented strangulation. We are not told
whether the thirteenth time was sue
cessful, or whether justice was merciful
at last. Ann Green was hanged at Ok
legs were pulled, and her body struck
with soldiers muskets, in accordance
with q barbarous custom sometimes
adopted OF making assurance doubly
sure. Nevertheless, she survived after
hanging some considerable time. Her
body was given up for dissection. The
surgeon Observed faint signs of ANNA
ton, tended her instead of anatomizing
her, and in thirteen hours she was able
to speak. She remembered nothing dis
tinctly of what had occurred, but seemed
to herself to have been in deep sleep.
The crown pardoned her; she married
and became the mother of family, and
her husband forgave her the errors of
her past life, possibly for a kind OF ce-
lebrity which the singular episode had
brought to her.
Other examples of more or less anal
ogous kind are the following: woman
name unrecorded--was hanged in
1903. She came to herself after a sus-
pens;on for the prescribed period not
by slow degrees, but suddenly. John
Green experienced an ordeal something
like that of Ann Green. After being
harged at Tyburn, his body was taken
to Sir William BLIZZARD, 3 celebrated sur
geCIf and while out on table in the
dissecting loom he displayed signs of
life and ettectually recovered. A female
servant of Mrs. Cope, of Oxford, con-
victed Of some penal offense, was exc
cuted III 1850. After hanging an unusu-
ally long time she was cut down and fell
heavily to the ground. The shock re-
~yived her, but the unfortunate wretch
was etfectually 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 on the gibbet at Edinburgh, was cut
down and given to her friends. They
put it IN a coffin, and drove off with it in
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 iolting
revived her. She was carried in doors
alive, but faint and scarcely conscious
q minister came to pray with her, and
she effectually recovered. No mention
of collision occurs in this narrative. al
though some incidents would seem to
point that way. Margaret lived many
wears. and had other children born to
her. and was Familiarity known in Edin-
burgh, where she sold salt, as "Half-
hanged Maggie.
Instances are known in which a re-
bound after the fall has enabled the feet
OF the victim to touch the platform, and
with what ultimate result has to be de-
termined by conflict between mercy
and sternDess on the part of the author
tiles. A disgraceful scene took place at
Edinburgh in 1918 The rope with which
man was hanged being too loose. his
toes touched the platform, the assembled
mob got up riot on some pretext. the
half-hanged man was carried off, re-
captured, and finally hanged on the fol-
lowing day. A scene of n similar de-
plorable nature had been witnessed at
jersey few years previously.
A whimsical legend, made the subject
of one of Southey's ballads. relates to a
man who was resuscitated after hanging,
and disappeared from the gibbet in q
mysterious manner. In ninety-one
stanzas Southey tells the story of
Roprecht. the robber, believed in Ger
many to have some foundation in fact.
Roprecht. who had long been terror to
the inhabitants of Cologne, was at
length caught, tried, sentenced and ex-
ecuted.
On the next morning, TO the surprise
of the early passers by. the gibbet was
found to be empty. One week later
Roprecht was seen hanging there again,
but wearing boots and spurs instead OF
shons. What this conld all mean was
left to Peter Suoye to tell. He and his
son Pet were driving home late on the
night after the execution. Passing near
the gibbet they heard q low moan. Look