San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-27
HANGING ON A FRIDAY.
No Reason for Executing Criminals on
the Fifth Day of the Week.

| the Fifth Day OF the week.
An investigation of the question whether
Friday is a day which is especially set
apart for hanging shows that most mem
! bers of the legal profession are ignorant on
| that point. They cannot affirm whether
| it was accident or design that caused the
unlucky lay of the week TO be chosen for
the executions.
One member of the legal profession
maintained that there was an old custCm
which marked out FRIDAY as the day Tor
bangiDgs because the crucifiXion OF the
80 thieves occurred on thNt day. Another
light of the law remarked: You see. Friday
is bad day. There is only one Good Fri
day in the whole year, consequently it Is
looked upon by judges as a most appropri-
EIe day for hanging criminals.
1t may he stated right here that there is
nothing in the above reasons and that 1t
Is only chance circumstance that four
fifthS of the executions take place on
Friday. In the earlier Gays of English
justice, vnen the hanging of a man was a
most ordinary occurrence, and was the per-
atty which followed Fighter oi.ensc:, such
Is stealing forgery, arson and 9th: Ielo-
MES, as well as murCler haHginGs occurred
on every day of the week cNcepC Sunday.
The act governing the time of execution
provided that felOn should be executed
on the next day but one after his convic-
ton.
In Consequence no particular day of tn"
week was ever fixed upon. All this was
in those good old days when Lord Chief
Justice ,Jeffreys, in a circuit of eight
weeks, sentenced no less than 800 persons
10 be hanged. Well indeed might he boast
that he hanged more traitors than the
whole of his predecessors since the con-
questl That was after the Monmouth re-
belion in 1855, when the king referred to
these doings of his favorite judge as ''the
CHIEF Justices campaign in the west"
That, too, was in the time of the famous
Jack ketch, who became so notorious as
an eXecutioner that his name is generally
given to the common kangman in the city
of London. 1t was Of this rope artist
as the mOderns fippantly call that function
airy, that his wife remarked, Any bungler
can put a man to death, but only my Jack
knows how to make a gentleman die
sweetly." Later on a more humane spirit
pervaded English justice. IL was recog
uized that forty-eight hours was indeed
short period wherein TO allow criminal to
repent and to make his peace with his
Creator.
The first step was to hold all criminal
trials on Friday. That was not the period
when a trial lasted a week or longer. 1t
generally took se court only few hours
TO decide on a felon's fate. Justice was
indeed Quick-very frequently too quick
and murderer would be sentenced on the
same day. By sentencing him on Friday
his execution would fall on Sunday, &C
cOrding to the two days law, and, as no
hangings were allowed till Monday, the
telon thus gained a days respite. In con-
sequence Of this Monday was the usual
hanging day, and in narratives of the "Old
Galley" this explains the dark way in
which Monday was always spoken of.
In 1896 the two days law was repealed,
and the present law came into force, which
allows a murderer reasonable time. The
custom of appointing Monday for hang.
ing still remained. In order not to have
two executions on the same day the Judge
some Oimes appointed Tuesday, and for
nigh fifty years in the English criminal
caleT lar it will he found that ninety nine
out If hundred executions have occurred
on 4 Monday or Tuesday. Nowadays
this distinction is beginning to die out, al.
thou 5h it has only commenced in England
On the other side of the water no distinc.
hon is made and murderers are hanged ON
Whatever day the judge sees fit-Ottaws
Cor. Albany Argus.