Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-10
THE TWO HEADSNIEN.
English and French.
from the Boston Courier

ME- ~ - HEAL SMEN
English and French.
From the Boston Courier.
MarwOOd the English hangman, who has lust
died, had held his Office for something like
twelve years. his first engagement" being at
Lincoln in 1871. His spare time was occupied
as cobbler in little shop close to the parish
church. He took much pride in the manner in
which he performed his executions, and was
never weary OF speaking of the great improve
ment OF the long drop over all other systems
previously adopted in this country or else
where. He had amassed O fair amount of pro-
perty, having several cottages of his own, be-
sides other Investments. Prior to his appoint
ment as executioner, 1t Is said, he was in poor
circumstances. He leaves widow but no son.
In his passage across st. Georges channel Mar
wood was always accompanied by two de-
teCtIves. He was OF very chatty dispO-
versation with his fellow. passengers.
who were generally unaware of his identity.
man OF middle height. with broad cOmpactly
set shoulders. dressed in such a coat as Lin
colnshre farmer would wear, with high black
stock and low felt hat. he looked the very per-
sOnificatiOn Of good humOred old conntryman
His place of business was 4 little One-stOried
building. close to HOrncastle churchyard with
the words ''MarwOOd, Crown Office" in large
letters over the door. A very short converse
ton with him was sufficient to show that he
looked upon himself as a benefuctOr Of the hui
man race In his shop were several ropes in
Guiding one with which he had hanged Charles
Peace. LEROY, Dr. Lamson and Kate Webster
Until he was executioner he had never seen an
execution, but for many years he had thought
over the subject. and he objected to the way
in which Cacraft, as he called it, ''choked his
prisoners to death" By carefully ascertaining
the weight of the criminal he thought he pro-
duced by his long drop Just the necessary force
TO dlsl0cate the vertebre and cause instant
death 1t is said that at an important interna-
tlOnal conference one OF his cards was quietly
slipped among the list of speakers to the utter
discontinue Ofthe gentleman who received it,
IL was not an unusual thing for Marw God to re-
ceive an intimatOn that prisoners who We're
committed to his hands had declared that they
would be dragged from the cells to the scalfold.
and he was often advised to have an assistant.
But. said he. when tap them on the Shout
der they always come with me. | give many
prisoners confidence by whispering that Twill not
hurt them, that it will soon be over" He never
referred to the execution of DR.. LamsOn with
out making the remark that the cuprit died
like gentleman" Before every execution he
had supplied to him very exact information as to
the age. size, weight and occupation of the pris-
Oner with whom he had to deal. and probably
he has taken to his grave the principle upOn
which he calculated the length Of the drop. for
TINS ne would never tell anybody. On one &C.
casiOn at Glasgow, while he was preparing the
prisoners on the scaffOld, the governor of the
Jail received letter. which might have been a
respite. The governor signalled to Marwood to
stop. and 1t was characteristic Of the execu-
TONER that he was careful not to allow the prs-
oners by any cessation of his grim labors to feel
that any delay was taking place. The letter
proved to be on other business and the eXecu-
ton proceeded
N. DEIBLER, THE FRENCH ExECUTIONER
is man of fOrty-eight years, with an energetic
face, mOustache and thick beard He looks
like a peasant in a great coat. NJ Diebler sue
ceeded his father-in-law. the celebrated Roch,
who died few years ago. He began his work
in Algeria when he married; then he was exc
cutiOner in Brittany, but now. since he sue
ceeded NJ. Koch. he attends to all the work in
France Fortunately for him and for the criminals
he has very little to do. for President Grevy is
opposed to capital punishment, and during the |
past five years he has signed only eight death |
warrants. In lo1-2 and '73 his predecessor
operated forty-three times. Formerly the |
French executiOner was paid sixteen hundred |
dollars year, but the pay has now been re- |
duced to twelve hundred. When, by chance. NJ. |
Deibler operates he is allowed SO much mile for
travelling expenses. and perGuisite of forty |
dollars. He has two aids and third laborer.
who is specially charged to see that the gullo-
tine is kept clean. He is called 'the washer"
Another perQuiste for the headsman is that his
eldest son is exempt from military duty NJ.
Deibler lives in one of the populOus quarters of
Paris, near the SaintLouis hospital. This house,
in the Rue Vicq-d' Air. adjOins the police head
quarters OF the tenth reimbursement. 'MOn-
sieur de Paris" he is called lives on the sec
Ond floor i'm q small and mOdestly furnished
apartment. The servant, who opens the door
with timid air, is the sister of one of the
headsmans aids At the corner of the chimney
place sits the mother-in-law, a small and shriv-
eied old lady Of ninety-one years. Then comes
an open and attractive countenance, and who
must have been very pretty in her
younger days. We have said that she was
NJ. ROch's daughter; all the headsmen belonging
to the same family by succession or by alliance
fathers and sons always marrying inside the
family so as not to allow the family inheritance
to escape from their hands. II we are to believe
the facetiOus reporter who called upon NJ. Deib-
Ter we should say that he was q melancholy
man and discouraged one, owing to NJ
crews clemency; but the fact is the reporter
found him difficult man to interview. M
hocn once had the misfortune to have biOg-
raPhy written by some enterprising Journalist.
anu as MS superiors suspected the executfoner
OF having furnished some OF the details he came
near losing his place by this publicity. M
Del0ler evidently does not intend to "giye him
self away" and for this reason he appeared
melancholy and silent to the reporter. The real
truth Is that Monsieur de Paris is quiet mas
Stunning man who attends to his private affairs
and to his public duties when the occasion pre-
sents itself-lke any other mortal On his fete
day his aids call upon him to wish him long life
and pr0sperity-and perhaps more activity
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