Customer Reviews

The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold

5 star:		(3)
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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I started reading this book expecting to find yet another collection of stories containing a kernel of historical truth and a mound of anecdotal inaccuracies. Too often the latter are added simply to tintillize the reader without bothering to check further into whether or not what is reported is the truth.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Abbott not only knows his historical facts but is able to present them in such a way that the reader does not want to put the book down. He does not spare us grisly details, yet does not overemphasize the gore. The stories of decapitations and hangings gone horribly wrong help us to understand why executions provided a unique form of "entertainment" for the myriad crowds who gathered around to watch the show. It also makes one glad that we are supposedly more humane today, although, as the book points out, even death by lethal injection does not insure the process will go swiftly and without any problems.

One aspect of the book is the manner in which it helps one to understand just what it was like to be an executioner. The job often was passed down from father to son, and there were reputations to be maintained. Other then for the occasional rogue, executioners were by and large men who tried to dispatch their victims as quickly and painlessly as possible. Too often rowdy crowds who hurled insults and even eggs and such at these men who were, after all, just doing their job, sometimes would result in a nervous executioner. And nervous executioners were prone to making mistakes, misjudgments and sometimes would have to literally run for their own lives if the job did not go well or if the sympathies of the mob were with the condemned. It was the first time I have read something from the point of view of the frightening looking man with the black mask over his head. Certainly not a popular profession!

I highly recommend this book for entertainment as well as knowledge of a subject few have endeavored to write about. I gave it a four simply because I found Mr. Abbot's habit of adding little stories after each chapter a bit distracting and out of place. Otherwise, if you have any interest in executions and believe in the motto "what can go wrong, will go wrong", even on the scaffold, treat yourself to this book!

Mr Abbott initially gives us an overview of some of the more grisly ways to meet an end, including dismemberment and deep-frying in oil. However, the presentation is detailed without being nauseating, which is quite a trick. Still, it's certainly enough to make one cringe.

The anecdotes are referenced enough to allow follow up research, without being overdone. This is an entertaining read, with a certain amount of black humor mixed in of necessity. It covers errors in execution, in reprieve, mobs and crowds, horrific mistakes that caused gory ends, and the people who went to their death with dignity, humor, or kicking and screaming. In this way, it gives a measure of insight into the condemned mind, and that of the executioner and crowd. Highly recommended.

Geoffrey Abbot's The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold is a remarkable collection of anecdotes about executions. The subtitle is somewhat misleading though, as while many of the accounts are of executions where things went awry - usually in very unfortunate and gory ways - there are a number of other accounts involving strange turns, bizarre coincidences, genuine displays of wit in the face of death, and in a few cases, miraculous escapes.

The book's descriptions give you a feel for what the executions were like for all involved: the condemned, the executioner, and the witnesses. And it quickly becomes clear that the hangings, beheadings and other executions portrayed in movies and television bear little resemblance to the real thing. In particular, it becomes clear that while the crowds that flocked to see executions back when they were done in public wanted to see the condemned die, a bungled execution where the condemned's suffering was prolonged could turn the crowd against the executioner, sometimes violently as happened in the 1685 beheading of the Duke of Monmouth:

"The executioner first struck an agitated blow, inflicting a small cut, and Monmouth staggered to his feet and looked at him in silent reproach. Then he resumed his place and the executioner struck again and again. Still the head remained on the block, while his whole body writhed in agony. As the horrified fury of the crowd increased, the headsman threw down the axe, crying 'I cannot do it. My heart fails me.' 'Take up the axe, man!' roared the Sheriff, while the crowd cried 'Fling him [the executioner] over the rails!' So he took it up and hacked away, but the job had to be finished with a knife. A strong guard protected him as he went off, else he would have been torn to pieces."

A common problem with many hangings and beheadings was due to the executioner being drunk, which usually resulted in the job being done badly though sometimes it lent a black comedic turn to events, as in this instance:

"As reported in the Derby Mercury of 1723: 'Last month Will Summers and John Tipping were executed for housebreaking. At the gallows the hangman was intoxicated with strong liquor and, believing there were three for execution, attempted to put one of the ropes round the parson's neck, and was with much difficulty prevented by the gaoler from doing so.'"

And for sheer pluck in the face of imminent demise, one has to admire this Scotsman's bit of wit:

"The choice of the tree on which they were to be hanged was traditionally left to the condemned felon, and Scotsman Jock Donald accordingly selected a small sapling. When the sheriff pointed out that it was much too small, Donald replied 'Och, but I'm in no hurry; I'll just wait till it grows!'"

Abbot's style, whether citing original sources or providing his own re-telling, is highly readable, and with the accounts being fairly short, the book is ideal for reading done in short intervals, like when riding on the subway or bathroom reading. Entertaining as well as educational. Highly recommended.

Even executioners have bad days. Though I would hardly call many of these blunders "ghastly", the stories do reveal that accidents happen even when the goal is to end a life.

The book begins with a handy explanation of the types of executions employed throughout human history. After this, sections are devoted to mishaps in the specific types of executions. Whether it is modern technology or focus of the author's research, most of the executions documented seem to be pre-twentieth century. Since beheadings and hangings were far from an exact science, it would be logical for there to be a large collection of these mishaps.

Perhaps the stories that are most entertaining are the tales of those who eventually walked away from their own execution after being thought dead. Read over a series of a few days, the book is rather monotonous. The book is more informative than entertaining.

"The Executioner Always Chops Twice" is an interesting collection of anecdotes, but as a previous reviewer states they are not "ghastly blunders." Often the mishaps or issues are some ironic coincidence or a slight blunder. However, a view that all execution is a ghastly practice to begin with would make any accidents ghastly as well.
As a book, it is light simple reading. A series of short stories, often no longer than a page, it is perfect for flipping through on the bus or subway. It starts with a brief introduction of the various methods and then chapters consisting of tales from each of the respective method. They are arranged well but occasionally a story shows up in the wrong "method" and breaks the continuity.
Overall, this book was fun to read and sparked me to look into some of Abbott's other work and some stories contained within. While not a wholly serious study of execution it is entertaining reading that will make you think of what execution really is.

This book is a rare, fascinating, and humorous read. I can't vouch for the validity of the stories and information but it seems to be very well presented and authentic. Hard to find books of this caliper these days when "everyone's a writer".

The morbid pun on "The Postman Always Rings Twice" perfectly states this book's theme. I wasn't even certain why I bought this book and then I remembered that my sons and I had met the author when we were touring the Tower Of London. Mr. Abbott served as a "Yeoman Warder" for many years and the boys and I met him while touring the famous landmark. He was the medieval uniformed guard who lectured us about the use of the chopping block for executions. He must have mentioned that he'd written several books on the subject because I was impressed enough with his obvious expertise that I wrote down his name so that I could caption the color photos we were taking of him as he spoke. I must remember to dig out those photos and send him some copies because they are much better than the one reproduced on the book's jacket, but I digress.
This subject has always provided a morbid fascination for the public. Not withstanding the fact that there was no broadcast media in that era, the average citizen was fascinated by public executions. Observing a human being sent to his maker has always intrigued his neighbors. Perhaps they hoped to get a clue as to how they would experience their own death? Perhaps they are trying to see the spirit of the departed actually leave the body and ascend or descend to the next plain of existence? Maybe they are only interested in the drama of seeing a criminal receive his just rewards?
The author points how in olden days "no instruction was given to the executioner regarding exactly how he should perform his tasks and little or no consideration was given to the possible suffering of the victim...so why hone the axe razor-sharp? Why go to all the trouble of training a man to aim it accurately and mercifully? Why allow the victim to die quickly on the rope, or die at all, before disemboweling them with the ripping knife, had they been sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered? After all, the victims were there to be punished--and punished they were."
This book discusses many of the methods of torture that were often part of the interrogation process that preceded a sentence of death. Many of the actual methods of execution were also detailed and included such traditional choices such as "Being Boiled to Death", "Burning at the Stake", "Breaking on the Wheel", "Beheading" and the most common "Hanging." All of these forms of execution were terrible even if carried out correctly. In many cases the death sentence was so poorly carried out that the victim endured the equivalent of several death sentences. This included hangings where the dead criminal was buried while still alive. Others clawed their way out of the shallow graves and freedom. It included beheadings where the ax man missed his target several times and in at least one case was almost stoned to death by the angry mob watching him botch the execution of one of their friends, family members or popular folk hero. Hangings were often carried out in groups with two-dozen victims being strangled on a single gallows. Thirty-eight Native Americans were dispatched at one time on the gallows during the Civil War. Until relatively recent history when some executioners took pity on their victims and figured out how to make their executions almost instantaneous with a long drop that snapped the victim's neck, victims were often dangling only inches off the ground and slowly strangled over as much as an hour. This was the normal method of carrying out a hanging. Why use a lot of rope when only a little was necessary and why force the victim to climb a high ladder when he could more easily be pushed off on the first or second rung as long as his or her feet couldn't reach the ground during their death dance?
The book goes into the gory details of several famous executions of such people as Sir Thomas More, Isabeau Herman, "Half Hanged Meg" and Captain Kidd the infamous pirate who was captured in Boston but shipped back to England for his trial and hanging. The book reports many blunders by executioners, describes the horrible crimes committed by and the deaths of some of the more colorful criminals in English history and relates many of the most famous "Last Words" of the about-to-be-executed.
The book's final segment details the incident that resulted in the King of France forbidding the use of the wheel as a form of execution. One overwhelming fact is obvious from reading this book. The executions of today are as humane as could possibly be devised. Those being executed today should thank their lucky stars that they are not being executed by the methods practiced only a hundred years ago. The "Good Old Days" were not that great especially if you had been convicted of counterfeiting a penny--a crime punishable in England by hanging for men and burning at the stake for women.

This was a terrific book! It was educational as well as very amusing in a very dark sense. I've seen the author on the History Channel and found him to be both interesting and well versed on his subject.

This book was really interesting and informative. I had no idea all that went on.

Another book of appalling anecdotes, about executions gone dreadfully wrong. Mr Abbot demonstrates that even something as horrific as burning at the stake can be screwed up-- and made worse!