The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1889-09-28
FAMOUS HEADSMEN.
Rufliars Who Have Acted as Execu
TONERS i'm Days Gone By.

Although that .'dread mirister of fate"
the executioner, has been universally de
spised, some men who have carried out
the last sentence of the law have enjoyed
o certain kind of fame in their vocation.
The man who beheaded Anne Boleyn was
brought over from France on account OF
the great celebrity he had obtained as
shedder Of blood. The London exccu-
ticner at one time had sort of rank,
which insured him profitable engage
ments in distant counties, these latter not
being sufficiently afiiuent to indulge in
the luxury of such functionary for their
own exclusive use. Wien Bishop Fisher
IN 1886, was brought to the scatfold we
read: "The execu;iOner being ready to do
his office hneeled down to him, as the
fashion Is, and asked him his forgiveness,
Il forgive thee said the brave old prelate,
with all my heurt and trust thou shalt
see me overcome this storm Justify"
The Countess Of Salisbury, who suffered
IN the same reign, did not initiate the
meek resignation of the bishop, and In
consequence, the eXecutioner was obliged
to act somewhat ferocious part. Deny
ing the justice of the sentence under
which she was to die, the noble lady re-
fused to lay her head on the block.
''She told the man." says Hume. "that il
he would have her head, he must win it
the best way he could, and shaking ber
venerable gray locks, she ran about the
scaffold, and the executioner followed her
with his ak. aiming many truitless blows
at her neck befOle be was able to give the
fatal stroke"
When the Duke of Norfolk came to his
melancholy end, the extcutioner, on his
knees. begged forgiveness. "The duke
did very courteously forgive him and put
into his hands four sovereigns OF gold and
eighteen shillings and six pence of sill
ver." When Mary Queen of Scots stood
on the scaffold, she took from her peck an
Agnus Del of gold, which she designed to
bestow as token Of her parting love on
Jane Kennedy, one of her attendants. 1t
was claimed by the chief executioner as
mis- perquisite.
'My good FRIEND" said the dying Mary,
sslet her have it, and she will pay you
more than the value of it in money"
This reasonable and touching request
was only answered by his coarsely snatch
ing the article in question.
Great care was taken to conceal the
name of the person who beheaded Charles
the First. On the scaffold he wore mask
and gray perlwIg; he had all assistant,
and both wore butchers woolen habits.
Some believed 1t was Brandon, the COM
mon hangman, who struck the blow, but
several witnesses gave evidence in 1900,
which went to fix the act on William HUI
let. Lily, the astrologer, says the deed
was done by an officer named Joyce.
A horrible celebrity attaches 10 the
name of John Grassland. This wretch,
with his father and brother, were convict
ed of horse stealing in the early part OF
Charles the Seconds reign. For some
reason it was thought proper to offer a
pardon to one # the condemned On con-
dition that he should carry the last SEN
tence of the law into effect upon his $3.50.
ciates. The father rejected life on such
terms, as did the elder son; but John, the
younger, had no such scruples, and he is
reported to have gladly closed with the
horrible offer, to have performed the Of
fee without remorse, and to have acquit-
ted himself so skillfully that be was ap-
pointed the regular eXecutiOner to that
and several adjacent counties. He lived
till about the year 1706, and is said to
have exercised his calling with delight to
extreme old age.
Cheshire, a London hangman. who was
specially retained to attend at Hertfort on
the occasion of Thurtells execution, was
wretched ruf6an, and the day before he
was found entertaining company of SO
with lecture on the art of banging,
which he illustrated by display of noos-
es, in which small efigies were suspen-
Ged. He got into such a state of intoxi-
cation in the course of the afternoon, that
the magistrate became alarmed lest the
dreadful spectacle of the succeeding
morning should be rendered more appal.
ling by his incapacity or misconduct, and
they actually made him share the prison
of the murderer to keep him sober.