The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-27
HOW TO HANG A MAN.
An Expert furnishes the Public With
some Scientific Pointers.
EI.o9,i f5a P1oeoe (t;t,, IT,.

An Expert furnishes the Public With
some Scientific Pointers.
From the Kansas City Times.
"Yes, that Ozark job was q horrible
botch, but 1t might have bean safely IRE
dicted. You couldn't expect a man who
has never had any experience IL the busi-
ness to do a correct and artistic piece of
work in hanging one man, and when il
comes to taking care of three at once YOU
may confidently expect bad bungle il a
novice undertakes to do itn The speaker
was Daniel 7. Bnkley, thewell known exc
cutioner, whom reporter found yesterday
comfortably reading a nesspaper in his
apartments at the corner Of @afighth and
Grand avenue. This mRsz 3 ssy bas prsb-
ably hanged more criminals than any other
nan in the Uni ed Sta es, is an oddity. He
talks Of he hangman's dread work as ssr-
ously and coolly as a college professor
would demonstrate an everyday theory in
physics.
our profession is just like any other in
the fact that it can be prac iced poorly or
we'll" co ltinued Mr.. Binkley. I'm order
o attain any emi1e CO IN it a man must
give it careful study and thought, and il is
not every man who can conduct an execu-
tion without any friction or unoleasin :,
effects. From what | nave heard and read
of the Ozark performances Judge that it
was very crude piece Of work
Now, in the construction of the machine
or gallows there is room for immune a Ia
blunders. There are as many differe
machines az there are eIecutioneis, for
every one has his own pet ideIs | build
mine Is feet high al, ogether, leaving 10
ct between the grou ID and the floor.
After allowing inches for the floor itself
this will give 7 feet ches betwesn the
floor and tho beam. The trap is Of course
the most delicate pat Of the machine. In
the Ozark job they used one big ira { r
three men. Now if they had had an indi-
v1ual trap for each man, they could have
rehanged young Win Walker Immediately
instead Of waiting until the others were
taken down. always support the trap
with slides or latches of hard wood under
meath, so arranged that they can be worked
by a single lever placed either a. the rear
or side of the platform. Then | lways
have q rope fastened on the under side of
the trap near g front. running under the
trap and over a pulley at the rear On the
end | have bag Of sand or other weight
Of 200 pounds or so, 50 th0t when it is
spru < it will fly swiftly back and renal
tight against the floor The weight serves
also to keep it in place. 50 that is may not
fly back and hit the subject | once saw a
mans head almost knocked Of By a return.
ing trap. 1t was very annoying don't
ike the spring arrangement; II i too bun
glesome and noisy for artistic effect | al
ways pad the bottoms Of my ra)s 50 they
will move back noiseles5y. The action
should always be quick, 50 that the trap
may keep out Of the way Of your mans
feet. With my arrangement 1t generally
keeps about inches ahead Of him Then
q point in physical science comes I'D in
placing your man on the trap. He should
be about the midi ile, we'll toward the fr jut.
II placed too far back you are likely TO SEQ
a sliding motion in the fall, which is always
in bad form.
Nov, the next important point is the
rope. ! have one here which | used In
hanging Sylvester Grubb at ViIcennes,
Ind, April 49, and opening a bureau
drawer Binkley took out a coil Of dirty,
greasy looking three quarter inch rope.
II used considerable caro- n getting this,
having il made especially fro - long iOer
hemp. have no use for ordinary hemp. As
soon as | got 1t hung IL up ith a 2J0-
pound bag u sand on the end and found
that IA tWenty-four hours the 20-foot rope
stretched inches A rope Is al gays likely
10 stretch, and / tlilK tIat's whore the
Ozark people made their greatest miscalcu-
latiln. ! sp,nt several b urs " irkink 1t
over with J3ss faK 80 tIat u wOIl slide
easy. The old knot was with nine wra Js
like this tnl he Uaie moose, giyi % o.
latiou hangmln's knot. "Du y u see IL makes
a very large "a awkward knot IN or
der % iliustra y his assertion ne slipped the
moose over bis mead aud rev tue X W %
tau .ht uuder nls In ear. "NIW, have
always obtained beJler results frOII k.0t
II four wraps. The biz xlot d liable -
sax tne nau's head over int0 bad at-itlds
IN 9r Ter w determine upD tBs dry1 yu
must stuly tie subjects a-.Eut ADD uaDIts
Now III 4 were v 4 IL a. hAHg IA Ian ~ lgut
weight like you ! would want l0nge ~
than for heavy ga ~ yOlr liJsel-s afs
s9f 3" and tle han2maD cIssps1 BIS clam =
hand about tns r.p0rter t1r "aud D.
would nos rsqI lYag drop ~ Dreas
your usck / never drop b Da lees tnt
feet nor more tla ,. generally about ~.
! alway. take uD my slack with ~ ~
bands, ~ a. D. bAl tb 101so 10 place. J.
is ia bu8aess G. le i slip ar5upd t4e sub
le Is cllu ~ ~ D.. tle knot get 0ut ~
place An eEecgtlO ler whg uadersta 1ds
bla prJfgsslOa sln fyef fail ~ Drees
mans neck never etraaEis hin nor maze
81 hpf1sigu VI tne ESQ.,