Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-09-20
4 WALKING. GALLONS.
The Horrible Deeds of Lieutenant
= !. 4 HepenstaIL. ]. ,s - .
HANGED MEN FROM HIS NECK

This Handsome but Brutal Giant Of
the Wicklow Militia Was tho Most.
Gold RIooded and Eccentric Exeeu-
tioner That Has Ever. Existed. ~
~, Among the examples and records OF
British tyranny during the :, terrible
year 1898 there Is none more extraor-
dinary, according to a writer in an
English magazine, than that of Lieu.
tenant Edward Hepenstan, known by
the nickname of d "the walking gal
lows" for such he certainly was. lit-s
orally and practically.Frp GGf;.uH!9otf -;
This notorious Individual, who had
been brought up as an apothecary in
Dublin, obtained q commission In the
wicklow militia, in which he attained
to the rank Of lieutenant in 1795. He
was a man of splendid physique, about
six feet two inches in height and
strong and broad in proportion. Refer
ring to this handsome but brutal giant,
Sir Jonah Darlington In his memoirs
states: nc .&,Sls .r.,s rs !,
81 knew him we'll and from his coun-
him Of cruelty, but so cold biooded and
eccentric an executioner Of the human
race never yet existed" "sr 1. m ri,
At the outbreak Of the sanguinary re-
bellion, when the common law was
suspended and the stern martial vas
riety dourished in its stead, Lieutenant
Hepenstan hit upon the expedient Of
hanging on his own back persons
whose physiognomies he considered
characteristic of seditious tenets. At
the present day the story seems almost
incredible, but it Is notorious fact,
revealed by the journalism of the pc
riod, that when rebels, either suspected
or caught red handed, were brought be-
fore him Hepenstall would order the
cord Of a drum to be taken off and
then, rigging up a running moose,
would proceed to hang each in turn
across his athletic shoulders until the
victims had been slowly strangled to
death, after which he would throw
down his load and take up another. H
The walking gallows" was clearly
both a new and simple plan and a
mode Of execution not nearly SO
tedious or painful as a Tyburn or Old
Bailey hanging. IT answered his
majesty's service as wen as two posts
and crowbar. When rope was not
\ at hand Hepenstall's own silk cravat,
being softer than an ordinary halter,
became IA merciful substitute.
In pursuance Of these benevolent In
tentions the lieutenant would frequent
" administer an anaesthetic to his
trembling victimin other words, he
would first knock him silly with q
blow. His garters then did the duty
as handouts, and the crayat would be
slipped over the condemned mans
neck. j Il. i. &s .5.t s3s IA
Wherever he had an unusually pow
erful victim to do with, Hepenstall
took pride In showing his own
strength. With dexterous iunge of
his body the lieutenant used to draw
up the poor devils head as high as his
own and then, when both were cheek
by jowl, begin to trot about with bis
burden like jolting cart horse until
the rebel had no further solicitude
about sublunary affairs. 1t was after
one Of these trotting executions, which
had taken place in the barrack yard
adjoining Stephens green, that Hep
penstau acquired the surname of 'sthe
walking gallows." he was invested
with it by the gallery Of Crow Street
theater, Dublin.
At the trial of rebel in that city
the lieutenant, undergoing cross exam
ination, admitted the aforementioned
details Of his method Of hanging, ani
Lord Norbury, the presiding Judge
warmly complimented him on his 10y
atty and assured him that he had beer
guilty of no act which was not natura
to a jealous, loyal and efficient officer
Lieutenant Hepenstali, however, dit
not long survive his hideous practice
He died in 1904. Owing to the odiun
in which he was universally held, th
authorities arranged that his funera
should take place secretly, while
Dublin wit suggested that his tomb
stone would be suitably inscribed b
the following epitaph: ! !, s3trr. Ess.rsL.-
Here lie the bones Of Hepenstaii, 10
Judge, jury, gallowss rope and al. Il
ka&& A Slight Differsnee. ~ cn.1ll q ll.-,-,
The globe trotter was telling eabou
the wonders Of India.t 8t6s ,BL2 s.