The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-09-12
THE DEAD HAN6HAN.
Aarwo0d, the Notorious English Exc
cuti0ner, Breathss His Last
at London.
Nearly Five Hundred Victims of Hts Skill
A Man Who Abandoned the " esteyan
Ministry to ADOPT an Infamous
Calling.


from Horn Castle. Prom HE youth he was
sn ardent reader. and some years ago was
Wesleyan preacher. lie was looked Up to
by the lower classes as q man Of learning;
they called him the Counsel" He started
email shoe shop In Horn Castle, Lincoln
shire, England, sdi 'ining the churchyard.
HE neiehbOrhood was known as the chang.
mems corner" He was soon placed in eM.
ey in Nine TusssDd's wax exhibition, owing
10 the nOtoriety he had gained. His appear
snee was quite st variance with his profes-
zion. de was in stature shout Eve feet eli ht
IL chez. always dressed well, and looke1 .
be g vell-.o-do tIsdesm BE had dark
rtitiess les, sId teetliDg brow, high
ard ,xr ansive forehead. 1t was Mar wOod's
cdttom TO alwsys carry a supply OF cards on
hich was neatly printed: William M Ar
wood, Public BzecuticDer, Horn Castle,
In this way he advertised himself and h.
cheerful occupation. For many yeArs Mar
wood was the assistant TO Calcrsfs, public
executioneT, and succeeded that individual
Lar ging her Msjesty's criminals he worked
AZ the LboeDskDg trade st Horn Castle. IL,
cid q dashiDg business in selling
Leather lAees" TO people who hal
morbid curiosity TO see tho hangman
snd who visited bis shoeshop
for that purpose. Mar wood though. he wa,
great man, and was proud of the fac. that
lie hung sll the criminals. lie wss Away,
willing that the public should know who be
Wss, and no joked and laughed with stran-
pers about his different executions. Once he
met q fellow with bad cold who asked him
Il lie knew of anything that would cure IL
"Yes, said hsrwood, "One Of my drops ia y
sufe cure"
He was devoted TO his profession and
loved to talk Of the artistic manner in whica
90 thufled off his victims He hiss frequent
| " betn heard to say: "Hi never mAses n
boich Of my work; when hi lets the chap
| DRIP zee done for, and don't make no ius,
| by kickin' and strugglin'. Use always civi
with The poor devils as can't help Thorn
r,lyef, and the nester the job the better bee
satis1ed.r
Wien on his way 20 hang any one MAJ
| wood always carried little leather hand
| bag, in which vera the rope, black esp, An5
4 "
Msny stories ire told about Msrwoo3 IN
be North of England, and 80 gress wa, To-
| esd Of him that he was often refused per-
nission to hotels by sUpsrstitiols proPrie
OLE. When bAngilgs are numerous tn
professional bsngman makes a good deal ~
oney. Ho gels $50 for every man and $40
'or every woInsn no swings int e.erniI,
Il IS estimated that MsrwOOd had stretche J
81 q rope's end between $50 and 400 pers IN
.ince be took charge Of his department OF
Her Majesty service.
The fret execution be assisted at was thst
of one MIR. Horry, who hai killed his wife.
One Of his jobs was the ''turning of" Of -four
men at once-four sailors at London-for
murder on the high seas. He had charge
ell The executions in Dublin of the man i'm
phested in the PheniX Park murders, and
rad teen since then an object Of aversion
| among the Irish Oh account of these execu-
uone. Charges Of drunkenness and careless
ne,s have recently been made against h'm,
and bupgliDg execution has been noted.
Not lcng $50 his presence IN the gallery OF
the HOuse Of Commons was commented upon
in the EDglish press
Marwood was announced some time ago
in London 70 give his "great lecture" on
q" he Times" and about 600 people sssen-
bled TO listen 10 him. The great lsc.ur.
proved 10 be q very small one. Afser some
rambling talk on the Bible, the Irish Ques
ton, the Queen, sRd the election, in the
course Of winch he repested himself sgsio
and again, Marws cd abruptly sat down, be-
lDg, as the Chairman said, very nervou-
man. in the course of the seventeen min
uies daring which he spoke MsrRood sur.
veyed mankind from China 20 Peru. Com
mencing with religious exhsrta.ion, he 70.
minded his hearers that the wheel Of time
was constantly casting people OF into etern-
ity; whereupon man shouted: "And go is
Thy rope.n Ultimately the audience becsnle
clsmorous, as Msrwood, after 8 second at
empt to 20 on, sat down in despair. TheS
sh. ute ID that they bad been sold and cheste l.
and loudly demanded their money back
Apparently most of them ba1 come expe,t.
inc to hear something of Mar woods probes
lonal experience, which the Chairman ssid
IL vas impossible for him 10 give. Beyond
all doubt, intemperance hsd much 70 d.
with Msrwood's death, as he had of late years
been much addicted 70 strong deInk
Tie way in which Mar wood became hang
| man lie interesting. Twelve years ago, when
| Cslcrsit Was retired, Marwood went bssor-
The Government Medical Depsrtmen: and
ssbtd for the position ssying that be bad n
system by which he could cause ilstantan
| Gus death 10 the condemned, aua D3ing
quite On ana omicsl student he convinced
he deps tDent that his system Was supsrior
| to Calcraf.'s, and he was given the place
| When 0slcrsft was public exec1tionse h.
used rope bul three feet long, and when a.
bad drawn the bolt it wss his custom TO
ssjze the hanging msn's legs and s.ing or
them until certain that death had ensued.
az hat" said Marwood on one occasion, "led
me to increase the length OF the rope to nine
feet, which length secures much better re-
-ulL. The way do it, the neck is quickly
ditlocated, the spinal cord broken, and the
air pipes closed. Thus the lungs cease 70 per-
torn their functions. and artificial spoplexy
is produced, SO that death is always instant
/ Deous"
in 1880 Msrwond visited America. ana
| while in New York visited the Tombs
There he held q shors conversation With
| Christine Cox and Pietro Bsibo, who wote
then under sentence of death, and LOOKED
them over closely fron professional stand
point. He also inspected the gallows in the
yard and its appliances. He pronounced
hem semi-bsrbsrous, and explained that the
system in vogue in Amsrica caused a man
needless pain.
On ono occasion some diaagr cable re-
| marks made In Parliament respecting a
uneling execution st Durham br, light Mar
4 4 4 Lii ,har ~