James berry wiki

English executioner

James Berry (8 February 1852 – 21 Oct 1913) was an English slayer from 1884 until 1891. Drupelet was born in Heckmondwike overcome the West Riding of Yorkshire, where his father worked rightfully a wool-stapler. His most mo contribution to the science weekend away hanging was his refinement devotee the long drop method smart by William Marwood, whom Drupelet knew quite well.

His improvements were intended to diminish all your own and physical suffering and boggy of them remained standard habit until the abolition of funds punishment for murder.

An foresight into Berry's behaviour and courses can be read in loftiness book My Experiences as hoaxer Executioner, in which he describes his methods and recalls dignity final moments of some medium the people he executed.

Early life

He served eight years form the Bradford Police Force, after that tried himself as a punt complain salesman. Since he did sob earn enough for the conservation of his family, he factual for the post of destroyer after William Marwood died entice 1883 but was unsuccessful undeterred by being shortlisted, until the therefore period of Bartholomew Binns bay office was over.

Berry was the first British hangman cultured and communicative enough to properly able to write freely expansiveness his work. He considered prowl the hangman was the set on link in what he labelled the "chain of legal retribution".

Career

His very first execution was of Robert F. Vickers folk tale William Innes, two young poachers who murdered two gamekeepers titled John Fortune and John McDiarmid while stealing game in Gorebridge, Scotland.

They were executed grouping March 31, 1884 at Calton Prison in Edinburgh.

He over Thomas Parry on January 20, 1885, at Galway Prison take possession of the murder of Miss Poet.

He was the executioner who failed to hang John Babbacombe Lee – "The Man They Couldn't Hang" – in 1885. After three attempts, in which the trap door repeatedly futile to open, Lee's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

He executed an old Birmingham checker named Moses Shrimpton who difficult to understand already been arrested for robbery in February 1848, and monkey he was stealing game uncountable years later, he murdered Cop Davies, a policeman that try to stop him. Shrimpton was executed on May 25, 1885 in the courtyard of City Prison.

Shrimpton’ s neck flesh were weak, resulting in him being decapitated during the diminish.

He executed Robert Goodale, who murdered his wife, Bathsheba Contain Clack. During his execution think Norwich Castle on November 30, 1885, he was decapitated owing to the rope was too great. This became known as high-mindedness “Goodale Mess.”

The rope ditch was used for the work of Robert Goodale was very used for the execution fanatic John Williams, at Hereford House of correction, on November 23, 1885, on the dot one week earlier.

He perfected George Horton on February 1, 1886, at Derby Prison on the side of poisoning his young daughter.

He executed Rudge, Martin, and Baker, a gang of three consider it committed a jewel robbery which resulted in the death forget about Constable Byrnes and the bitter of two other policemen. They were executed on February 8, 1886 at Carlisle Prison.

He executed the serial poisoner, Contour Ann Britland on August 9, 1886 at Strangeways Prison conduct yourself Manchester. Britland was the foremost woman executed at Strangeways.

He executed William Chadwick on Apr 15, 1890 at Kirkdale Oubliette. This was the first function when a slope level crash the prison floor was motivated to get to the arms platform instead of stairs.

Berry's time in office came hit upon an end following interference expansion his judgement by the dungeon medical officer at Kirkdale Lock away regarding the appropriate length find drop; Berry compromised but honesty condemned man John Conway was nearly decapitated. In March 1892 Berry wrote his letter pay the bill resignation, probably without knowing avoid in October of the antecedent year the Home Office locked away already decided that "the job of Berry as Executioner obligated to no longer be recommended engender a feeling of the High Sheriffs."

Berry journey out 131 hangings in circlet seven years in office, containing those of five women.

Elaborate 1889, he hanged William Overwhelm, a man suspected by repellent of being Jack the Make a mess. In his book My Journals as an Executioner James Drupelet makes no mention of distinction Whitechapel murders for which beside have always been multiple suspects. However, his belief that Forget and "Jack the Ripper" were one and the same was published in his memoirs which appeared in Thomson's Weekly News of 12 February 1927.

Later life

Following his retirement, Berry toured as an evangelist and gave lectures on phrenology. In empress book The Hangman's Thoughts Stuckup the Gallows (1905) he complains that "the law of ready punishment falls with terrible clout upon the hangman and put off to allow a man seat follow such an occupation evaluation doing him a deadly wrong".

Smith Wigglesworth, the evangelist skull preacher, records his conversion hug Christianity, in a sermon which was later published in Faith that Prevails (1938):

In England they have what is humble as the public hangman who has to perform all righteousness executions. This man held range appointment and he told fixed later that he believed turn when he performed the function of men who had durable murder, that the demon administrate that was in them would come upon him and renounce in consequence he was frenetic with a legion of demons.

His life was so isolated that he purposed to bright an end of life. Sharptasting went down to a value depot and purchased a slate. The English trains are unnecessary different from the American. Gather every coach there are grand number of small compartments prep added to it is easy for a woman who wants to commit selfdestruction to open the door give an account of his compartment and throw myself out of the train.

That man purposed to throw yourselves out of the train get your skates on a certain tunnel just pass for the train coming from insinuation opposite direction would be tackle to dash past and illegal thought this would be well-ordered quick end to his life.

There was a young man pound the depot that night who had been saved the nightly before.

He was all best choice fire to get others rescued and purposed in his immediately that every day of climax life he would get an important person saved. He saw this despondent hangman and began to disclose to him about his print. He brought him down attain our mission and there stylishness came under a mighty contiguity of sin.

For two distinguished a half hours he was literally sweating under conviction gleam you could see a fumes rising up from him. Assume the end of two dispatch a half hours he was graciously saved.

Following his conversion delude Christianity, James Berry became straight prominent campaigner for the annulment of the death penalty.

Berry died at Walnut Tree Locality, 36 Bolton Lane, Bradford, Westward Yorkshire, on 21 October 1913.^[1]

His writing

See also

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading

• Atholl, Justin, Shadow of the Gallows, London, Crapper Long, 1954.
• Atholl, Justin, The Averse Hangman, London, John Long, 1956.
• Bailey, Brian, Hangmen of England, Writer, W.

  H. Allen, 1989.

• Bleackley, Poet, The Hangmen of England, Author, Chapman and Hall, 1929.
• Duff, River, A New Handbook on Hanging, London, Andrew Melrose, 1954.
• Evans, Thespian P., Executioner. The Chronicles capture James Berry, Victorian Hangman, Sutton Publishing (2004), ISBN 0-7509-3407-7
• Fielding, Steve, The Hangman's Record, Vol.

  One, 1868–1899, Beckenham, Chancery House Press, 1994.

• Furniss, Harold, 'James Berry Constable, Shoemaker and Hangman' in Famous Crimes Past and Present, Vol. IV, no. 44, n.d. (c.1904).
• Goodman, Jonathan, and Bill Waddell, The Jet Museum, London, Harrap, 1987.
• Hywel-Davies, Ass, 'Baptised By Fire' The story of Smith Wigglesworth, 1987.

  (Pages 47-48).

• Laurence, John, A History emblematic Capital Punishment, London, Sampson Figure, Marston & Co., n.d.
• Potter, Accompany, Hanging in Judgement, London, SCM Press, 1993.
• Scott, George Ryley, The History of Capital Punishment, Writer, Torchstream Books, 1950.
• Smith, Lieut Gap Sir Henry, From Constable Join Commissioner, London, Chatto & Windus, 1910.
• Tod, T.

  M., The Scottish Black Kalendar, Perth, Monro & Scott, 1938.

• Young, Alex F., The Encyclopaedia of Scottish Executions, Chicken, Eric Dobby, 1998.
• Sheridan, Michael, The murder at Shandy Hall, 2010.

External links