Scenes like this from history books used to drive me crazy when I was a kid. I'd stare in awe at them for hours.

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We both have a very troubled upbringing ....

 

It seems so!

 

Me too, my first exposure to the guillotine was in history books and in dictionaries. Then coupled with the dresses, that was it for me, hooked on my own dressed up execution ❤️

 

Me too just fantasies about my execution

 

I was really turned on by preparation for executions, and determined I was really psychologically into saving the beautiful innocent women, but turned to indifference to the fate of guilty persons. I witnessed two executions back in the seventies in California's Lethal Gas Chamber, there was a sterile atmosphere to both, the condemned just went to sleep as we watched. No coughing, no gasping, no smoke curling up as he struggled against the straps, he just sat there waiting and never knew what happened, he never know the tablets had been lowered into the acid, just sat there. One of my fellow officers had witnessed two executions in Texas, and one in California, and said for his peace of mind the Gas Chamber was the easiest way to go. In Texas riding Old Sparky threw a person against the straps, and there was a terrible stench of bodily fluids. Another friend of mine a high ranking official in a common wealth country had to send an officer to witness a hanging years ago. He got an enthusiastic volunteer right away, and made the arrangements. A couple days after the execution he called the man's wife to see why he had not returned to work and she replied he had come home drunk, and had been drunk for the past few days. He never talked to his mates about the event. The chairs have been removed from California's chamber and replaced with a bed for lethal injections.

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Thank you for sharing you experiences with us so honestly Konaron. I think watching a real execution would be very traumatic. Illustrations from books such as the one I posted are of course pure fantasy and make the event seem romantic even, the way she bares her cleavage for example.

 

At one of the executions I attended our office sent myself and another officer to serve as witnesses. The person who went with me was a big burly Macho guy who one would assume was afraid of nothing. He worked some very nasty streets in California, and we all had worked with him and had never seen any sign of fear on his part. He talked about the person getting what he deserved on the way to the prison at San Quentin. Once inside, he just followed myself and the others as we filed into the larger room that encircled "The little Green Room" as it was called. He said nothing as the condemned was brought into the chamber and strapped in. Then as the man had been strapped in and the guards had left the chamber, he broke into a heavy sweat. He headed for the exit door which is locked and told the guard he had to get out, he was really sweating by this time, and the guard told him he could not leave as he was a witness. He really began to fuss, telling the guard he had to get out as he was going to be sick. At that time I walked up behind him and said, "Calm down Jim, it is all over, he is gone." My friend stopped, and turned around he looked toward the glass into the room where the condemned appeared to be sleeping in the chair. He seemed a bit sheepish, and when they unlocked our door he calmly stepped out and headed for the parking lot. "Claustrophobia" was his explanation. He never discussed it among his fellow officers very much, and never volunteered to go to another execution.

 

I fully sympathise with him there.

 

That must have been tough for you, Konaron as well as your colleague. My sympathies!

 

yes, dictionaries and History books were my first too. I remember there was a drawing of La Pola about to be shot and I used to stare at it. I just can't understand why. I know witnessing an execution has to be horrible and I feel sympathy for Konaron and his partner in duty

 

When I was a kid I found a copy of Ripley's Believe It or Not with a drawing of Katherine Howard rehearsing her beheading. I kept that book until it fell apart from me staring at that page so much.

 

Quote by Sam Sneed

When I was a kid I found a copy of Ripley's Believe It or Not with a drawing of Katherine Howard rehearsing her beheading. I kept that book until it fell apart from me staring at that page so much.

I would love to see that image, Sam. Here’s the one that got me fascinated!

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Quote by Tsarista

Scenes like this from history books used to drive me crazy when I was a kid. I'd stare in awe at them for hours.

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I really should have said how much I like this image! It looks familiar to oneI saw many years ago!

 

My interest and fascination with the history of capital punishment, particularly associated with the Tudor period, was sparked by a picture I encountered in a boo about Henry VII's six wives. There was a remarkably detailed illustration - though not, alas, exactly historically accurate - of Katherine Howard preparing to kneel at the block. She was depicted with raven dark hair tied up at the back and wearing an incredibly low cut red dress, revealing the slender contours of her exposed neck. I was quite captivated by this image.

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