Execution Tales Chapters 48-50
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Chapters 48 & 49 conclude Part 2 of Execution Tales. Chapter 50 is the start of Part 3 [Part 1 consisted of the crimes etc of Jane Edwards]
48: Trial & Cook County Jail
Five months after they were arrested Cheryl, April & Beth went on trial charged with twelve counts of first degree murder on February 24th 1877. Cheryl was by now 27 & April & Beth were 20. They chose to wear their College uniforms at the trial hoping to give an impression of sweet innocent respectability to the jury. It availed them nothing.
Ironically the crucial evidence against them was that each of the bodies had been wearing the same uniforms when they had been found, clearly identifying them as being College girls. Penny Smithson’s remains were never found. On March 28th they were found guilty of the twelve murders. As the verdicts were read April & Beth started to sob, while Cheryl remained impassive. The next day the inevitable sentences were handed down.
The judge said, “Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade you have each been found guilty of twelve counts of 1st Degree Murder. Do you have anything to say before sentence is passed?”
The only sound heard in the courtroom was April & Beth’s weeping
The judge continued, “Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade you will be taken to Cook County Jail & held there until the date of your executions. On that appointed date you will each be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your souls. Take them down”
April & Beth continued to sob as they were taken from the court. Cheryl was composed but her face was chalk white
At the prison the guards regarded their former colleagues with morbid curiosity as they were made to dress in prison uniforms & locked up. They would be given their own clothes back & taken to death row when the appeals process had been exhausted
Because of the age & sex of the culprits & the nature of their crimes the “College Girl” killers fascinated not just the people of Chicago but the entire country. There was some speculation that because of their age April & Beth would be spared the gallows but this proved to be unfounded & three weeks after their arrival at the prison the State Governor rejected the three young women’s final appeals.
Cheryl, April & Beth were moved to death row & their clothes returned to them. Cheryl then made an unusual request. She asked for a meeting with O’Hanlon & O’Rourke of the NYPD & Henry of the Chicago Tribune. April & Beth were too terror stricken to be involved.
At the meeting O’Hanlon said “Why are we here Miss Barnes?”. Cheryl smiled thinly & said, “I want to tell you the full story & I would like Mr Henry to ensure it is published after we are dead”. Harris took out his notebook & began to write furiously as Cheryl recounted everything starting with her transcription of the notes of April & Beth’s consultations with Doctor Harris. It took two further visits by the three men for Cheryl to finish her full confession
Two days later the scaffold was brought out & began to be assembled in the prison yard. It had been adapted since the execution of the baby farmers Clare & Catherine Wilson & was now capable of hanging two prisoners at a time. To accommodate this the entire front of the platform fell away when the trap lever was pulled
April & Beth cried almost incessantly in the death cells as they listened to the sounds of the gallows being erected. Cheryl though very pale seemed calm
The next morning at 10 am the execution party arrive at death row. It consisted of the Prison Governor, a chaplain & four male guards. April & Beth screamed, wept & pleaded for mercy as their hands were tied behind their backs & they were dragged by the guards struggling from the cells, down the stairs & out into the prison yard. Cheryl closed her eyes in her cell trying to shut out the sounds being made by the two doomed girls
Waiting in the yard were representatives from all of the organisations who had been involved in the case, apart from the Mafia. Amongst them were Captains Murdoch & O’Hanlon, Lieutenant’s Tierney & O’Rourke & the editor of the Chicago Tribune & his investigative team.
The terrified prisoners looked very young in their white blouses & tartan skirts as they were forced up the gallows steps. The hangman pulled them to the front of the gallows & noosed them. He then stood back.
The Governor went & stood in front of the two weeping trembling girls & said, “April Jones & Beth Slade you have been found guilty of twelve counts of Capital Murder. For these crimes you have been sentenced to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. Have you anything to say before sentence is carried out”.
April wailed, “Please don’t do this! Have mercy! I don’t want to die!”
Beth can only shriek in terror, “Nooooooooh! Nooooooooh!”.
The Governor moved to the back of the platform & nodded to the executioner who placed white hoods over the girl’s heads. Because of the horrible nature of their crimes, as had been the case with the baby farmers, the Wilson sisters, he has been told to ensure that the prisoners slowly strangled to death rather than being given a quick merciful passing by having their necks broken.
To this end April & Beth only drop a foot or so when the front of the gallows platform falls away. Their screams are cut short as the ropes bite into their soft throats & only gurgling sounds can be heard coming from under the hoods. Underneath the hoods April & Beth’s tongues spring from their mouths & their faces began to darken.
Their feet stretch downwards desperately trying to reach the ground. Their chests heave as they try fruitlessly to catch a breath of life-giving air. They begin to thrash & kick on the ropes their bodies writhing & bucking. Their kicking legs make wild gyrations occasionally lifting their yellow & black tartan skirts high enough to show their brief white panties. Gradually after five minutes their struggles diminish & April & Beth’s consciousness fades. Their feet give a few final spasmodic twitches & then they both swing dead on the gallows.
The spectators left the yard for some refreshments because as required by law the bodies must be left dangling for half an hour before being removed prior to burial within the prison.
When they returned forty minutes later a single noose dangled on the gallows crossbeam
Cheryl was brought out into the yard her composure still unbroken. She noticed O’Hanlon, O’Rourke & Henry & smiled grimly at them. She mounted the gallows steps with a firm step & stood unresisting at the front of the platform as the hangman placed the noose around her neck. When the Governor asked if she had anything to say she shook her head & closed her eyes trying to prepare herself for the coming ordeal.
She now knew following April & Beth’s executions that she too is in for an agonising dance in the air. The executioner placed a white bag over her head & then pulled the lever releasing the front of the gallows platform.
Like April & Beth Cheryl only falls about twelve inches & then her body begins to jerk as her struggle starts. Her legs flail back & forth & her arms, bound at the wrists, twist. Her shoes fly off as the intensity of her kicking increasesd & just like April & Beth’s her tartan skirt lifts up high enough to expose her underwear, her body convulses violently. Cheryl being bigger & stronger than the younger girls lasts eight minutes slowly strangling to death on the rope before she finally expires
The spectators silently left the prison yard leaving the last of the “College Girl Killers” swaying gently back & forth on the Cook County Gallows
49: Epitaph
The account of the “College Girl Killers” crimes which were based on Cheryl Barnes death row confession caused a sensation when they were serialised in the Chicago Tribune over the next week. The story spread from coast to coast throughout America as all the major newspapers picked up on it. The New York Times & the Philadelphia Enquirer gave it especial prominence due to the murders that had taken place in those cities.
When news of the case reached Europe here to it provoked a very high level of horrified fascination in all of the main European capitals. Charlie Henry became something of a celebrity because of the case & he sometimes wondered if Cheryl would have been pleased by the furore her confession had caused. He rather thought she would have been satisfied with her epitaph
Part 3: MG & PT
50: Alyssia Discovers her Vocation
Alyssia Mills was a lovely 21year old half Italian girl who had graduated from University College London in 2017 with a degree in English. As a result of the death of her wealthy parents in a car crash she was well off financially, inheriting as their only daughter a large sum of money plus the family home in Chelsea. She always wanted to be a writer. However she hadn’t known what area to specialise in until she came across an online account of the execution of Edith Thompson in the 1920’s for her participation in the murder of her husband
Edith Thompson
The executioner pulled back the small shutter on the cell door & put his eye to the inspection hole. Inside the woman prisoner he had come to peep at was standing in her bra & panties at the foot of the bed. Two wardresses were helping her to dress one of whom was fastening the prisoner’s suspenders. Not wishing to intrude upon the woman’s privacy any further the hangman closed the shutter. He was sorry that he had been a clandestine observer of the prisoner’s dressing however he needed to know as much as he could about her for the next morning he was going to hang her. The woman’s name was Edith Thompson
In the cell the two prison guards stood back & inwardly sighed saying to themselves “What a waste” as they regarded the very attractive 28 year old Edith. Her brown hair was cut short in a bob, she had large brown eyes & a peaches & cream complexion. Her figure was slender but womanly, she was wearing a white blouse, navy blue skirt, tan stockings & black shoes.
The senior guard said to the prisoner, “You need to come with us now Edith”
At her trial when the foreman of the jury read out the guilty verdict Edith had cried out “But I’m innocent! Innocent! I tell you!” Sobbing wildly she had almost collapsed. The two prison officers who were with her in the dock quickly supported her. With horror stricken eyes Edith saw the black cap solemnly placed upon the judge’s head. Looking at the trembling woman, the judge spoke quietly the fateful sentence prescribed by the law for premeditated murder ending with the dread words “..hang by the neck until you are dead”. Moaning faintly, scarcely more than half conscious Edith Thompson was carried from the courtroom. She was taken to Pentonville Prison to await execution
Vital & young Edith can’t believe that she is to be put to death by merciless authority. She started to cry & moan but she offers no resistance as the guards take an arm each & gently guide her from the cell. She sagged between them, barely able to walk, as the two female officers half carried her along the corridor towards the room which she will only leave to walk to the scaffold. Once in the death cell Edith collapsed onto the bed sobbing piteously.
In his office the Governor’s asked the executioner “What drop do you propose giving her?”
The hangman replied “I’ve decided on six feet & ten inches. I know that’s ten inches less than the Home Office regulations suggest for her height & weight & but I think we need a slightly shorter drop given her build”
The Governor then gave voice to his main concern, “What will you do if she swoons?”
The executioner responded, “I’ll pinion her in the cell & put the strap around her skirt at the same time. My two assistants will help to carry her to the shed & hold her up while I do the rest. They will be more used to that sort of thing than your two wardresses I imagine
The Governor nodded & said no more
The next morning Edith was woken up by her guards & they helped her to dress in the same clothes she had on the previous day. Initially Edith ws composed but she became distressed as she listened to the preparations for her execution being carried out in the execution shed a few yards away. The sound of the sandbag that hung overnight on the rope being pulled up was clearly audible as was the testing of the trapdoors
The execution shed was now ready. It’s only item of furniture besides the grim crossbeam, the coil of rope & the lever next to the trapdoors was a chair. This was hopefully not for the doomed young woman but it may be needed by the chaplain as he suffers from fits of dizziness.
As the execution party consisting of the Governor, the chaplain, the hangman & his two assistants approached the condemned cell they heard a low moaning sound coming from the death cell. They entered the cell & found Edith in in a state of complete collapse, she had lost all control of herself. The chaplain & the women officers strived to comfort her with consoling words to no effect.
Understanding the hangman’s beckoning nod the chaplain moved away & the female guards practically lifted the sobbing woman to her feet. The executioner quickly pinioned the semi-demented Edith’s hands behind her back & said to his assistants, “Strap her skirt to her legs & then when that is done help the wardresses carry her to the scaffold”. The hangman left them to it & hurried out to the execution shed.
Edith, carried by the women guards along with the two assistant executioners, arrived inside the execution shed seconds later. The only sounds were the doomed woman’s sobs & moans & the chaplain intoning the burial service. As Edith wass placed on the trap her four “Helpers” had to support her. The hangman pulled the white hood down over the prisoner’s head & placed the noose round her neck fixing the knot under her chin & left ear. He then went to the lever & signalled to the warderesses & his assistants to let go of the shaking woman.
For a fraction of a second the hooded figure on the drop is unsupported & Edith starts to collapse as the hangman pulls the lever. She falls the prescribed six feet & ten inches. The thud of the trap dropping echoes round the execution shed, the rope goes taut & then starts to sway slightly. The executioner & his assistants peer down into the yawning gap at the now still figure suspended in the pit. The body will be left on the gallows for thirty minutes before being winched up for the coroner & the post mortem
As she read about Edith’s hanging Alyssia was captivated by the description of the helpless terror of the victim & the formal remorseless process of the execution. She felt herself becoming sexually stimulated & pressed her thighs together under her skirt as the crotch of her panties became moist. That evening she masturbated for the first time in several weeks, the intensity of her orgasm taking her by surprise. Her interest aroused, Alyssia began to research her chosen subject intensively. The next condemned woman to pique Alyssia’s fascianation was Rhoda Williis who was executed in the early 20th century for baby farming
Rhoda Willis
Rhoda Willis was hanged on her 44th birthday. Her execution was the last involving a woman in the United Kingdom for over fifteen years & she was the last woman executed by Harry Pierrepoint who wrote long afterwards, “I was attracted & fascinated by the blaze of her yellow hair as she left her cell & walked in the procession to the scaffold the sunlight caused her hair to gleam like molten gold. I had hanged women before but never one so beautiful”
While it had been the Rhoda Willis’ beauty that had caught Alyssia’s attention it was the age of the victim & method of execution that especially interested her in the case of Grete Beier
Grete Beier
21 year old Grete Beier was found guilty & sentenced to death for the murder of her lover in Saxony in 1908. Macabre & somewhat appalling was the pomp which surrounded her subsequent beheading. Saxon law demanded that she should be beheaded by a Saxon-born man garbed in full evening dress even to a spotless white tie. The same law insisted that the weapon of execution should be a two-handed sword & that only one blow must be struck. The blow must fall “Between dark & dawn” hence the midnight beheading.
Max Ulmfield a Dresden butcher was engaged for the execution; a brawny man, heavy of build. On the night of the execution he arrived at the jail with four assistants all attired in sombre black except for the dazzling whiteness of their shirt collars.
It was the custom then to keep the condemned person in ignorance of the exact date of execution. Thus it was that on the stroke of midnight Grete was called from the bed where she was sleeping not knowing that her doom was set for this particular night. The prison matron brought her a white dress of exquisite material provided by the state. It was cut low at the neck & the thoughtful prison authorities had provided a waterproof bib to protect the dress from spatters of blood.
Two men conducted the softly crying & trembling young girl to the prison-court, the walls of which were draped in black to the height of one storey. An altar hung also in black, & a gleaming white crucifix stood at one end & beside it a priest. Grete was led past the priest & the witness stand, including one newspaperman to the great black desk beyond. Here sat the judge who had passed sentence & the State Attorney who had prosecuted her for the murder of her lover
The judge rose, read out the verdict & the sentence of death & reported that the King of Saxony had declined to grant pardon & directed that the sentence be carried out forthwith. The priest stepped forward with the crucifix & exhorted Grete to repentence
She sobbed & pleaded, “I’m sorry! Please have mercy! Oh God please have mercy!”
At once the doomed girl was turned about & led struggling & wailing by the four deputy executioners in their frock coats to the death-block, a huge piece of solid oak with a groove cut to fit the neck. On one side was a cushion on which Grete was forced to kneel. She wriggled & fought as her arms were strapped to the block, her head was held in place by one of the assistants who had a firm grip on the girl’s hair. As she gazed into the bucket, placed to catch her head when it fell she let out a blood curdling scream of terror. Beside Grete lay an open coffin.
The black masked executioner, the muscles of his arms rippling beneath the sleeves of his dress coat, stepped forward. He spat on his hands, rubbed them on the knees of his trousers then carefully gripped the handle of the two handed sword. For a brief moment he held it lightly above the writhing, shrieking wailing girl & then there was a swish as he swung it like an axe, rising to his toes to get the full weight of his body behind the blow. The weapon struck true & Grete was silenced forever.
Somewhat floridly the only journalist in attendance wrote in the next day’s paper, “Last night the beautiful but evil Grete Beier paid with her life for her crime. Wearing a form fitting expensive white dress, her raven black hair tied up on her head she was dragged struggling & screaming to the block. The headsman’s sword severed her trembling slender alabaster neck in one blow. Thus did the lovely young murderess Grete Beier pay for her crime. Justice has been done!
What Alyssia found stimulating about the decapitation of Grete Beier wasn’t the beheading itself, which she concluded was a far too quick method of execution, but the age, apparent beauty of the victim, her terror & the ornate inevitable formality of the entire process. The next female killer who took Alyssia’s fancy was Rattan Bai Jan It was the foreign exotic element in the story of that titillated her.
Rattan Bai Jan
Rattan Bai Jan was found guilty of murdering three members of her family for the insurance money in late 1954 in New Dehli. The trial attracted huge interest across India due to the appearance & character of the accused woman. Rattan was a very good looking 35 year old woman, who had an air of dynamism about her. She exuded personality & a strong animal magnetism but perhaps her most impressive feature were her dark blue eyes.
She stood in the dock, her face expressionless, wearing a sari of silk & gold which produced a metalic shot-silk effect that was little short of dazzling as she was sentenced to death by hanging
On the 3rd of January 1955 Rattan, who had loved parading herself in a gold- threaded sari, walked unsupported dressed in the white sari traditionally worn by condemned Indian females to the British style gallows in New Dehli prison.
She uttered not a word staring straight ahead impassively standing on the trap as her hands were tied behind her, a strap secured around her sari at the knees, a black hood pulled down over her head & noosed. The executioner pulled the lever releasing the trap doors & Rattan plunged to her doom. Death was instantaneous, the only movement of the gently swaying body being the spastic reflexive twitching of the lower legs. Rattan Bai Jan achieved the distinction of the first female to be executed in India in the seven & a half years since Independence
Unlike the first executions which she had read about which were based on real cases the next story which Alyssia found fascinating was a fictionalised tale inspired by two actual events. It was based on the South African cases of Daisy de Melker who was hanged for murder in 1932 & Marlene Lehnberg who was convicted & sentenced to death in 1970, however her sentence was later commuted to life in prison. The author set the story in 1970 & substituted Marlene for Daisy in the descriptions of the trial & execution which were updated versions of what had happened to Daisy in the 1930’s
Marlene Lehnberg [Adapted from the case of Daisy de Melker]
On September the 16th in Johannesburg’s central criminal court the beautiful 19 year old white girl Marlene Lehnberg sobbed as the jury foreman rose & announced the guilty verdict. She had hired a black man Marthinus Choegoe to murder her lover’s wife. Choegoe had been shot dead by police while trying to escape. Marlene wept as the judge placed the black cap on his head & intoned the dread sentence
“Marlene Lehnberg you have been found guilty of premediated murder. It is the sentence of this court that you will be taken from here to a place of lawful execution & there be hanged by the neck until you are dead. I can hold out no hope to you that the sentence of this court will not be carried out”
Sobbing hysterically Marlene was taken to the court cells & then she was transferred to the main prison in Johannesburg to await execution
The prospect of the hangman’s rope being placed around the neck of a girl who was young, beautiful & white attracted much publicity, not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of the English speaking world & continental Europe. Pictures of the lovely blonde dressed in the tight tops & short mini-skirts she customarily wore were plastered across the front pages of newspapers across the globe
On November the 23rd Marlene learned that her appeal had been rejected & on the 26th of November her lawyer made an 11th hour appeal to the Minister of Justice for a postponement of sentence which was also unsuccessful.
Since the rejection of her appeal Marlene has been permitted to wear her own clothes & so early in the morning of November 27th when the execution party come for her she met them wearing a tight white blouse, brown suede mini-skirt & tan pantyhose. She recoils from the hangman & is restrained by having her hands tied behind her back.
Marlene screamed & struggled & has to be half carried from the death cell. The small procession with the wriggling, wailing girl in the middle wound it’s way to the white washed death chamber in the men’s section of the prison. From a beam near the ceiling, six chains hung each culminating in a large metal ring. From one of these dangled a noose. Under it on the floor were the painted imprint of human feet.
Marlene is propelled forward whimpering & stood on top of these diagrams & the rope coils around her throat. As she feels the hangman’s noose tighten around her slender white neck Marlene suddenly realizes that lust & love can sometimes lead to terror. She screams loudly, the sound reverberates around the death chamber, the noise is quickly muffled by the hood pulled down over her head & face.
The hangman quickly straps her trembling nylon clad ankles & knees together. Her legs squirm & rub together beneath her brown suede mini-skirt & her breasts move quickly in & out beneath the tight white blouse as she breathes quicker & quicker. The trapdoor crashes open & the doomed girl plunges downwards her descent being brought to an abrupt halt & an audible crack is heard as her neck fractured
However the murderesses that fascinated Alyssia the most were the 19th Century American mass killers, Doctor Jane Edwards & the College Girl Killers, Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade. She then went on to read everything she could get hold of on the four American female killers, including a transcription of Jane Edwards final confession entitled “Awakening” & a book by the 19th Century Chicago journalist Charlie Henry based on his interviews with Chery Barnes & his subsequent articles in the Chicago Tribune. She rubbed herself raw each night fantasising about the behaviour & pleasure of the killers & the terror of their victims
48: Trial & Cook County Jail
Five months after they were arrested Cheryl, April & Beth went on trial charged with twelve counts of first degree murder on February 24th 1877. Cheryl was by now 27 & April & Beth were 20. They chose to wear their College uniforms at the trial hoping to give an impression of sweet innocent respectability to the jury. It availed them nothing.
Ironically the crucial evidence against them was that each of the bodies had been wearing the same uniforms when they had been found, clearly identifying them as being College girls. Penny Smithson’s remains were never found. On March 28th they were found guilty of the twelve murders. As the verdicts were read April & Beth started to sob, while Cheryl remained impassive. The next day the inevitable sentences were handed down.
The judge said, “Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade you have each been found guilty of twelve counts of 1st Degree Murder. Do you have anything to say before sentence is passed?”
The only sound heard in the courtroom was April & Beth’s weeping
The judge continued, “Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade you will be taken to Cook County Jail & held there until the date of your executions. On that appointed date you will each be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your souls. Take them down”
April & Beth continued to sob as they were taken from the court. Cheryl was composed but her face was chalk white
At the prison the guards regarded their former colleagues with morbid curiosity as they were made to dress in prison uniforms & locked up. They would be given their own clothes back & taken to death row when the appeals process had been exhausted
Because of the age & sex of the culprits & the nature of their crimes the “College Girl” killers fascinated not just the people of Chicago but the entire country. There was some speculation that because of their age April & Beth would be spared the gallows but this proved to be unfounded & three weeks after their arrival at the prison the State Governor rejected the three young women’s final appeals.
Cheryl, April & Beth were moved to death row & their clothes returned to them. Cheryl then made an unusual request. She asked for a meeting with O’Hanlon & O’Rourke of the NYPD & Henry of the Chicago Tribune. April & Beth were too terror stricken to be involved.
At the meeting O’Hanlon said “Why are we here Miss Barnes?”. Cheryl smiled thinly & said, “I want to tell you the full story & I would like Mr Henry to ensure it is published after we are dead”. Harris took out his notebook & began to write furiously as Cheryl recounted everything starting with her transcription of the notes of April & Beth’s consultations with Doctor Harris. It took two further visits by the three men for Cheryl to finish her full confession
Two days later the scaffold was brought out & began to be assembled in the prison yard. It had been adapted since the execution of the baby farmers Clare & Catherine Wilson & was now capable of hanging two prisoners at a time. To accommodate this the entire front of the platform fell away when the trap lever was pulled
April & Beth cried almost incessantly in the death cells as they listened to the sounds of the gallows being erected. Cheryl though very pale seemed calm
The next morning at 10 am the execution party arrive at death row. It consisted of the Prison Governor, a chaplain & four male guards. April & Beth screamed, wept & pleaded for mercy as their hands were tied behind their backs & they were dragged by the guards struggling from the cells, down the stairs & out into the prison yard. Cheryl closed her eyes in her cell trying to shut out the sounds being made by the two doomed girls
Waiting in the yard were representatives from all of the organisations who had been involved in the case, apart from the Mafia. Amongst them were Captains Murdoch & O’Hanlon, Lieutenant’s Tierney & O’Rourke & the editor of the Chicago Tribune & his investigative team.
The terrified prisoners looked very young in their white blouses & tartan skirts as they were forced up the gallows steps. The hangman pulled them to the front of the gallows & noosed them. He then stood back.
The Governor went & stood in front of the two weeping trembling girls & said, “April Jones & Beth Slade you have been found guilty of twelve counts of Capital Murder. For these crimes you have been sentenced to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. Have you anything to say before sentence is carried out”.
April wailed, “Please don’t do this! Have mercy! I don’t want to die!”
Beth can only shriek in terror, “Nooooooooh! Nooooooooh!”.
The Governor moved to the back of the platform & nodded to the executioner who placed white hoods over the girl’s heads. Because of the horrible nature of their crimes, as had been the case with the baby farmers, the Wilson sisters, he has been told to ensure that the prisoners slowly strangled to death rather than being given a quick merciful passing by having their necks broken.
To this end April & Beth only drop a foot or so when the front of the gallows platform falls away. Their screams are cut short as the ropes bite into their soft throats & only gurgling sounds can be heard coming from under the hoods. Underneath the hoods April & Beth’s tongues spring from their mouths & their faces began to darken.
Their feet stretch downwards desperately trying to reach the ground. Their chests heave as they try fruitlessly to catch a breath of life-giving air. They begin to thrash & kick on the ropes their bodies writhing & bucking. Their kicking legs make wild gyrations occasionally lifting their yellow & black tartan skirts high enough to show their brief white panties. Gradually after five minutes their struggles diminish & April & Beth’s consciousness fades. Their feet give a few final spasmodic twitches & then they both swing dead on the gallows.
The spectators left the yard for some refreshments because as required by law the bodies must be left dangling for half an hour before being removed prior to burial within the prison.
When they returned forty minutes later a single noose dangled on the gallows crossbeam
Cheryl was brought out into the yard her composure still unbroken. She noticed O’Hanlon, O’Rourke & Henry & smiled grimly at them. She mounted the gallows steps with a firm step & stood unresisting at the front of the platform as the hangman placed the noose around her neck. When the Governor asked if she had anything to say she shook her head & closed her eyes trying to prepare herself for the coming ordeal.
She now knew following April & Beth’s executions that she too is in for an agonising dance in the air. The executioner placed a white bag over her head & then pulled the lever releasing the front of the gallows platform.
Like April & Beth Cheryl only falls about twelve inches & then her body begins to jerk as her struggle starts. Her legs flail back & forth & her arms, bound at the wrists, twist. Her shoes fly off as the intensity of her kicking increasesd & just like April & Beth’s her tartan skirt lifts up high enough to expose her underwear, her body convulses violently. Cheryl being bigger & stronger than the younger girls lasts eight minutes slowly strangling to death on the rope before she finally expires
The spectators silently left the prison yard leaving the last of the “College Girl Killers” swaying gently back & forth on the Cook County Gallows
49: Epitaph
The account of the “College Girl Killers” crimes which were based on Cheryl Barnes death row confession caused a sensation when they were serialised in the Chicago Tribune over the next week. The story spread from coast to coast throughout America as all the major newspapers picked up on it. The New York Times & the Philadelphia Enquirer gave it especial prominence due to the murders that had taken place in those cities.
When news of the case reached Europe here to it provoked a very high level of horrified fascination in all of the main European capitals. Charlie Henry became something of a celebrity because of the case & he sometimes wondered if Cheryl would have been pleased by the furore her confession had caused. He rather thought she would have been satisfied with her epitaph
Part 3: MG & PT
50: Alyssia Discovers her Vocation
Alyssia Mills was a lovely 21year old half Italian girl who had graduated from University College London in 2017 with a degree in English. As a result of the death of her wealthy parents in a car crash she was well off financially, inheriting as their only daughter a large sum of money plus the family home in Chelsea. She always wanted to be a writer. However she hadn’t known what area to specialise in until she came across an online account of the execution of Edith Thompson in the 1920’s for her participation in the murder of her husband
Edith Thompson
The executioner pulled back the small shutter on the cell door & put his eye to the inspection hole. Inside the woman prisoner he had come to peep at was standing in her bra & panties at the foot of the bed. Two wardresses were helping her to dress one of whom was fastening the prisoner’s suspenders. Not wishing to intrude upon the woman’s privacy any further the hangman closed the shutter. He was sorry that he had been a clandestine observer of the prisoner’s dressing however he needed to know as much as he could about her for the next morning he was going to hang her. The woman’s name was Edith Thompson
In the cell the two prison guards stood back & inwardly sighed saying to themselves “What a waste” as they regarded the very attractive 28 year old Edith. Her brown hair was cut short in a bob, she had large brown eyes & a peaches & cream complexion. Her figure was slender but womanly, she was wearing a white blouse, navy blue skirt, tan stockings & black shoes.
The senior guard said to the prisoner, “You need to come with us now Edith”
At her trial when the foreman of the jury read out the guilty verdict Edith had cried out “But I’m innocent! Innocent! I tell you!” Sobbing wildly she had almost collapsed. The two prison officers who were with her in the dock quickly supported her. With horror stricken eyes Edith saw the black cap solemnly placed upon the judge’s head. Looking at the trembling woman, the judge spoke quietly the fateful sentence prescribed by the law for premeditated murder ending with the dread words “..hang by the neck until you are dead”. Moaning faintly, scarcely more than half conscious Edith Thompson was carried from the courtroom. She was taken to Pentonville Prison to await execution
Vital & young Edith can’t believe that she is to be put to death by merciless authority. She started to cry & moan but she offers no resistance as the guards take an arm each & gently guide her from the cell. She sagged between them, barely able to walk, as the two female officers half carried her along the corridor towards the room which she will only leave to walk to the scaffold. Once in the death cell Edith collapsed onto the bed sobbing piteously.
In his office the Governor’s asked the executioner “What drop do you propose giving her?”
The hangman replied “I’ve decided on six feet & ten inches. I know that’s ten inches less than the Home Office regulations suggest for her height & weight & but I think we need a slightly shorter drop given her build”
The Governor then gave voice to his main concern, “What will you do if she swoons?”
The executioner responded, “I’ll pinion her in the cell & put the strap around her skirt at the same time. My two assistants will help to carry her to the shed & hold her up while I do the rest. They will be more used to that sort of thing than your two wardresses I imagine
The Governor nodded & said no more
The next morning Edith was woken up by her guards & they helped her to dress in the same clothes she had on the previous day. Initially Edith ws composed but she became distressed as she listened to the preparations for her execution being carried out in the execution shed a few yards away. The sound of the sandbag that hung overnight on the rope being pulled up was clearly audible as was the testing of the trapdoors
The execution shed was now ready. It’s only item of furniture besides the grim crossbeam, the coil of rope & the lever next to the trapdoors was a chair. This was hopefully not for the doomed young woman but it may be needed by the chaplain as he suffers from fits of dizziness.
As the execution party consisting of the Governor, the chaplain, the hangman & his two assistants approached the condemned cell they heard a low moaning sound coming from the death cell. They entered the cell & found Edith in in a state of complete collapse, she had lost all control of herself. The chaplain & the women officers strived to comfort her with consoling words to no effect.
Understanding the hangman’s beckoning nod the chaplain moved away & the female guards practically lifted the sobbing woman to her feet. The executioner quickly pinioned the semi-demented Edith’s hands behind her back & said to his assistants, “Strap her skirt to her legs & then when that is done help the wardresses carry her to the scaffold”. The hangman left them to it & hurried out to the execution shed.
Edith, carried by the women guards along with the two assistant executioners, arrived inside the execution shed seconds later. The only sounds were the doomed woman’s sobs & moans & the chaplain intoning the burial service. As Edith wass placed on the trap her four “Helpers” had to support her. The hangman pulled the white hood down over the prisoner’s head & placed the noose round her neck fixing the knot under her chin & left ear. He then went to the lever & signalled to the warderesses & his assistants to let go of the shaking woman.
For a fraction of a second the hooded figure on the drop is unsupported & Edith starts to collapse as the hangman pulls the lever. She falls the prescribed six feet & ten inches. The thud of the trap dropping echoes round the execution shed, the rope goes taut & then starts to sway slightly. The executioner & his assistants peer down into the yawning gap at the now still figure suspended in the pit. The body will be left on the gallows for thirty minutes before being winched up for the coroner & the post mortem
As she read about Edith’s hanging Alyssia was captivated by the description of the helpless terror of the victim & the formal remorseless process of the execution. She felt herself becoming sexually stimulated & pressed her thighs together under her skirt as the crotch of her panties became moist. That evening she masturbated for the first time in several weeks, the intensity of her orgasm taking her by surprise. Her interest aroused, Alyssia began to research her chosen subject intensively. The next condemned woman to pique Alyssia’s fascianation was Rhoda Williis who was executed in the early 20th century for baby farming
Rhoda Willis
Rhoda Willis was hanged on her 44th birthday. Her execution was the last involving a woman in the United Kingdom for over fifteen years & she was the last woman executed by Harry Pierrepoint who wrote long afterwards, “I was attracted & fascinated by the blaze of her yellow hair as she left her cell & walked in the procession to the scaffold the sunlight caused her hair to gleam like molten gold. I had hanged women before but never one so beautiful”
While it had been the Rhoda Willis’ beauty that had caught Alyssia’s attention it was the age of the victim & method of execution that especially interested her in the case of Grete Beier
Grete Beier
21 year old Grete Beier was found guilty & sentenced to death for the murder of her lover in Saxony in 1908. Macabre & somewhat appalling was the pomp which surrounded her subsequent beheading. Saxon law demanded that she should be beheaded by a Saxon-born man garbed in full evening dress even to a spotless white tie. The same law insisted that the weapon of execution should be a two-handed sword & that only one blow must be struck. The blow must fall “Between dark & dawn” hence the midnight beheading.
Max Ulmfield a Dresden butcher was engaged for the execution; a brawny man, heavy of build. On the night of the execution he arrived at the jail with four assistants all attired in sombre black except for the dazzling whiteness of their shirt collars.
It was the custom then to keep the condemned person in ignorance of the exact date of execution. Thus it was that on the stroke of midnight Grete was called from the bed where she was sleeping not knowing that her doom was set for this particular night. The prison matron brought her a white dress of exquisite material provided by the state. It was cut low at the neck & the thoughtful prison authorities had provided a waterproof bib to protect the dress from spatters of blood.
Two men conducted the softly crying & trembling young girl to the prison-court, the walls of which were draped in black to the height of one storey. An altar hung also in black, & a gleaming white crucifix stood at one end & beside it a priest. Grete was led past the priest & the witness stand, including one newspaperman to the great black desk beyond. Here sat the judge who had passed sentence & the State Attorney who had prosecuted her for the murder of her lover
The judge rose, read out the verdict & the sentence of death & reported that the King of Saxony had declined to grant pardon & directed that the sentence be carried out forthwith. The priest stepped forward with the crucifix & exhorted Grete to repentence
She sobbed & pleaded, “I’m sorry! Please have mercy! Oh God please have mercy!”
At once the doomed girl was turned about & led struggling & wailing by the four deputy executioners in their frock coats to the death-block, a huge piece of solid oak with a groove cut to fit the neck. On one side was a cushion on which Grete was forced to kneel. She wriggled & fought as her arms were strapped to the block, her head was held in place by one of the assistants who had a firm grip on the girl’s hair. As she gazed into the bucket, placed to catch her head when it fell she let out a blood curdling scream of terror. Beside Grete lay an open coffin.
The black masked executioner, the muscles of his arms rippling beneath the sleeves of his dress coat, stepped forward. He spat on his hands, rubbed them on the knees of his trousers then carefully gripped the handle of the two handed sword. For a brief moment he held it lightly above the writhing, shrieking wailing girl & then there was a swish as he swung it like an axe, rising to his toes to get the full weight of his body behind the blow. The weapon struck true & Grete was silenced forever.
Somewhat floridly the only journalist in attendance wrote in the next day’s paper, “Last night the beautiful but evil Grete Beier paid with her life for her crime. Wearing a form fitting expensive white dress, her raven black hair tied up on her head she was dragged struggling & screaming to the block. The headsman’s sword severed her trembling slender alabaster neck in one blow. Thus did the lovely young murderess Grete Beier pay for her crime. Justice has been done!
What Alyssia found stimulating about the decapitation of Grete Beier wasn’t the beheading itself, which she concluded was a far too quick method of execution, but the age, apparent beauty of the victim, her terror & the ornate inevitable formality of the entire process. The next female killer who took Alyssia’s fancy was Rattan Bai Jan It was the foreign exotic element in the story of that titillated her.
Rattan Bai Jan
Rattan Bai Jan was found guilty of murdering three members of her family for the insurance money in late 1954 in New Dehli. The trial attracted huge interest across India due to the appearance & character of the accused woman. Rattan was a very good looking 35 year old woman, who had an air of dynamism about her. She exuded personality & a strong animal magnetism but perhaps her most impressive feature were her dark blue eyes.
She stood in the dock, her face expressionless, wearing a sari of silk & gold which produced a metalic shot-silk effect that was little short of dazzling as she was sentenced to death by hanging
On the 3rd of January 1955 Rattan, who had loved parading herself in a gold- threaded sari, walked unsupported dressed in the white sari traditionally worn by condemned Indian females to the British style gallows in New Dehli prison.
She uttered not a word staring straight ahead impassively standing on the trap as her hands were tied behind her, a strap secured around her sari at the knees, a black hood pulled down over her head & noosed. The executioner pulled the lever releasing the trap doors & Rattan plunged to her doom. Death was instantaneous, the only movement of the gently swaying body being the spastic reflexive twitching of the lower legs. Rattan Bai Jan achieved the distinction of the first female to be executed in India in the seven & a half years since Independence
Unlike the first executions which she had read about which were based on real cases the next story which Alyssia found fascinating was a fictionalised tale inspired by two actual events. It was based on the South African cases of Daisy de Melker who was hanged for murder in 1932 & Marlene Lehnberg who was convicted & sentenced to death in 1970, however her sentence was later commuted to life in prison. The author set the story in 1970 & substituted Marlene for Daisy in the descriptions of the trial & execution which were updated versions of what had happened to Daisy in the 1930’s
Marlene Lehnberg [Adapted from the case of Daisy de Melker]
On September the 16th in Johannesburg’s central criminal court the beautiful 19 year old white girl Marlene Lehnberg sobbed as the jury foreman rose & announced the guilty verdict. She had hired a black man Marthinus Choegoe to murder her lover’s wife. Choegoe had been shot dead by police while trying to escape. Marlene wept as the judge placed the black cap on his head & intoned the dread sentence
“Marlene Lehnberg you have been found guilty of premediated murder. It is the sentence of this court that you will be taken from here to a place of lawful execution & there be hanged by the neck until you are dead. I can hold out no hope to you that the sentence of this court will not be carried out”
Sobbing hysterically Marlene was taken to the court cells & then she was transferred to the main prison in Johannesburg to await execution
The prospect of the hangman’s rope being placed around the neck of a girl who was young, beautiful & white attracted much publicity, not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of the English speaking world & continental Europe. Pictures of the lovely blonde dressed in the tight tops & short mini-skirts she customarily wore were plastered across the front pages of newspapers across the globe
On November the 23rd Marlene learned that her appeal had been rejected & on the 26th of November her lawyer made an 11th hour appeal to the Minister of Justice for a postponement of sentence which was also unsuccessful.
Since the rejection of her appeal Marlene has been permitted to wear her own clothes & so early in the morning of November 27th when the execution party come for her she met them wearing a tight white blouse, brown suede mini-skirt & tan pantyhose. She recoils from the hangman & is restrained by having her hands tied behind her back.
Marlene screamed & struggled & has to be half carried from the death cell. The small procession with the wriggling, wailing girl in the middle wound it’s way to the white washed death chamber in the men’s section of the prison. From a beam near the ceiling, six chains hung each culminating in a large metal ring. From one of these dangled a noose. Under it on the floor were the painted imprint of human feet.
Marlene is propelled forward whimpering & stood on top of these diagrams & the rope coils around her throat. As she feels the hangman’s noose tighten around her slender white neck Marlene suddenly realizes that lust & love can sometimes lead to terror. She screams loudly, the sound reverberates around the death chamber, the noise is quickly muffled by the hood pulled down over her head & face.
The hangman quickly straps her trembling nylon clad ankles & knees together. Her legs squirm & rub together beneath her brown suede mini-skirt & her breasts move quickly in & out beneath the tight white blouse as she breathes quicker & quicker. The trapdoor crashes open & the doomed girl plunges downwards her descent being brought to an abrupt halt & an audible crack is heard as her neck fractured
However the murderesses that fascinated Alyssia the most were the 19th Century American mass killers, Doctor Jane Edwards & the College Girl Killers, Cheryl Barnes, April Jones & Beth Slade. She then went on to read everything she could get hold of on the four American female killers, including a transcription of Jane Edwards final confession entitled “Awakening” & a book by the 19th Century Chicago journalist Charlie Henry based on his interviews with Chery Barnes & his subsequent articles in the Chicago Tribune. She rubbed herself raw each night fantasising about the behaviour & pleasure of the killers & the terror of their victims
Great to hear that you are still enjoying Execution Tales. In light of comments made on another site about my over use of the present tense I have amended the Chapters already posted & edited the rest. Below is the changed version of Cat Ballou, which I know is one of your favourite film scenes. Do you think the changes have improved it? [Also as you like Salem I have attached two stills recently posted on the site] What do the rest of the readers of Execution Tales think?
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou “You have been found guilty of murder. Is there anything you wish to say before I pass sentence”. The judge looked at the beautiful young woman standing at the defendant’s table. She sobbed “I’m innocent. Please you must believe me”. The judge replied, “The jury has decided otherwise. Cat Ballou “I sentence you to hang by the neck until you are dead. The execution will take place one week from today at noon. As is customary in these circumstances the Governor will be informed of the position & asked if he wishes to commute the death sentence to life in prison Return the prisoner to the town jail”. Cat cried piteously as she was led away.
On the morning of the execution Cat looked out from her cell window at the newly assembled gallows standing in the middle of the town square. She gripped the bars on the window so hard her knuckles were white. A large crowd was beginning to gather. This is the first execution of a female in the territory & so the spectators are very excited by the prospect of a woman having her neck stretched on the gallows, swinging & kicking the air, especially one that looked like Cat Ballou.
The sheriff & one of his deputies appeared through the door leading from the office to the cells.. The prisoner turned round as she heard them approach. The deputy stared at Cat transfixed as he waited for the sheriff to open the cell door. The prisoner was a slender well developed young woman, no more than a girl really, with shoulder length light brown hair & large almond shaped brown eyes. She was wearing a long white lace dress, which could be taken for a wedding gown. The sheriff’s wife had given Cat the dress as she had felt sorry for the young girl & thought that she should at least be given the chance to look her best for her hanging.
The law officers entered the cell. Cat’s wide eyes stared hopefully & fearfully at them “Have you heard from the Governor Sheriff?” she asked her voice trembling. “Yes Cat, we have. The Governor has told us he isn’t minded to intervene in your case. The execution will proceed as scheduled in an hour.” The prisoner’s eyes welled up with tears, her hand goes to slender white column of her neck. “Oh God!” she cried. “You can’t hang me! You can’t! I’m innocent! I’m innocent”. She wrung her hands in despair & almost collapsed into the plain wooden seat, which was the only furniture in the cell apart from the bunk. The sheriff offered Cat a makeup bag & a hand mirror & said to her. “Cat try to be brave. My wife thought you should have this so that you can make yourself look as presentable as possible.” The prisoner looked up at the sheriff & through tears whimpered, “Please thank your wife for this, & also of course for the lovely dress”. She took the bag & the mirror.
The sheriff left but the deputy pulled a chair from one of the empty cells & sat down in front of Cat’s cell. The authorities are determined that there is no risk of the prisoner taking her own life & so cheating the noose. Cat looked at the mirror & took out the lipstick, make up jar & a small brush from the small bag. As she began to apply the make up with the small brush to her face she tremulously asked the deputy “How long will it take?”. Cat had seen a hanging in Dodge City three months previously & the vision of the condemned man writhing on the end of the rope like a stranded eel was still vivid in her mind, as were the strangled, squeals & gasps that had accompanied his protracted demise.
The deputy was a decent man & wanted to be kind but he sees no point in lying,”If you are lucky Cat you will pass out after a couple of minutes & death will follow swiftly. If not…..”, his voice trailed away. He knew that the authorities were determined to make an example of the girl & the hangman had been instructed to make sure that there was no chance of the prisoner’s neck breaking when she dropped through the trap. He didn’t share this with Cat
At five to twelve the execution party entered the area with the cells at the rear of the sheriff’s office. It consisted of the sheriff, another deputy, a doctor & a minister. Cat got up from her seat as the cell door opened. She looked stunning in spite of the large tears rolling down her cheeks. She managed to walk unaided from the cell & through the sheriff’s office. As they emerged into the sunlight the crowd broke out into the traditional hanging hymn. “When we gather at the river, the beautiful, beautiful river” echoed round the town square.
With the prisoner in the middle the execution party walked slowly towards the gallows. Cat glanced nervously from side to side at the faces in the crowd. Some showed pity, some righteous anger & more than a few sadistic pleasure as they looked forward to seeing such a beautiful young woman dance on the end of a rope. When they arrived at the steps to the gallows the doomed girl lifted the skirt of her dress up revealing slim ankles clad in silk stocking, which had also been supplied by the sheriff’s wife, so that she didn’t trip on it as she climbed the stairs leading to the platform.
The sheriff, one of deputies & the minister followed her up the steps. The doctor & the remaining deputy stayed standing on the town square. The masked hangman was waiting for Cat on the platform. When she arrived he went behind her & firmly but gently took her arms & pushed her onto four foot square trapdoor at the front of the platform. The waiting noose swayed slightly in the light wind framing the prisoner’s terrified face. The executioner took out a piece of rope & tied Cat’s wrists behind her.
The sheriff was carrying a formal looking paper. The singing died away as he started to read, “Cat Ballou, you have been found guilty of murder & sentenced to hang by the neck until you are dead. Is there anything you wish to say before sentence is carried out”. Cat could only whimper, “Get on with it”. The sheriff nodded at the executioner. He pulled the noose over the prisoners’s head & tightened it round her trembling neck, careful to ensure that none of her hair was caught under the rope. As she felt the rough fibred hemp against her skin Cat’s eyes opened wide & she gasped. He moved to stand next to the trap door lever at the side of the gallows platform. The sheriff looked at the hangman & nodded. He pulled the lever
The wooden platform falls out from under the condemned girl. She falls about three feet. The skirt of her dress flies up her thighs giving the gaping crowd a good view of her shapely slender legs encased in the expensive white silk stockings. The rope is unforgiving as it digs into Cat’s throat, twisting & stretching the tendons in her neck. Her breathing cut off, choking rasps come from her. Her face begins to darken, suffused with trapped blood now unable to circulate to the rest of her body. Drool flows freely from her gaping mouth & her tongue begins to protrude as she searches fruitlessly for air she is unable to inhale.
Her body shakes & convulses, breasts bouncing, & her legs kick furiously giving the appreciative crowd more sightings of her desperately threshing silk covered legs, at times up to her stocking tops & even once or twice of the bare thighs above them. She twists back & forth swinging on the rope, straining against the noose which is slowly strangling her to death. Her complexion slowly darkens further from red, to crimson to purple, her eyes become bloodshot as capillaries start to burst. Her struggles become gradually weaker & the noises coming from her mouth grow faint. Her death throes finally cease after what must have seemed to Cat like an eternal nine minutes. Her body wheels gently backwards & forwards, the intense agony leading up to her death screams out from horribly distorted features, sightless bulging eyes stare out over the crowd from a now very dark face, tongue lolling out of the side of the open mouth.
The spectators began to gradually disperse excitedly discussing what they have witnessed. They all agreed that everyone who saw the hanging of Cat Ballou will never forget it. The body was left hanging for a further half hour to ensure that life was definitely extinct. It was then taken down, examined by the doctor to confirm death & handed over to the undertaker for disposal
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou “You have been found guilty of murder. Is there anything you wish to say before I pass sentence”. The judge looked at the beautiful young woman standing at the defendant’s table. She sobbed “I’m innocent. Please you must believe me”. The judge replied, “The jury has decided otherwise. Cat Ballou “I sentence you to hang by the neck until you are dead. The execution will take place one week from today at noon. As is customary in these circumstances the Governor will be informed of the position & asked if he wishes to commute the death sentence to life in prison Return the prisoner to the town jail”. Cat cried piteously as she was led away.
On the morning of the execution Cat looked out from her cell window at the newly assembled gallows standing in the middle of the town square. She gripped the bars on the window so hard her knuckles were white. A large crowd was beginning to gather. This is the first execution of a female in the territory & so the spectators are very excited by the prospect of a woman having her neck stretched on the gallows, swinging & kicking the air, especially one that looked like Cat Ballou.
The sheriff & one of his deputies appeared through the door leading from the office to the cells.. The prisoner turned round as she heard them approach. The deputy stared at Cat transfixed as he waited for the sheriff to open the cell door. The prisoner was a slender well developed young woman, no more than a girl really, with shoulder length light brown hair & large almond shaped brown eyes. She was wearing a long white lace dress, which could be taken for a wedding gown. The sheriff’s wife had given Cat the dress as she had felt sorry for the young girl & thought that she should at least be given the chance to look her best for her hanging.
The law officers entered the cell. Cat’s wide eyes stared hopefully & fearfully at them “Have you heard from the Governor Sheriff?” she asked her voice trembling. “Yes Cat, we have. The Governor has told us he isn’t minded to intervene in your case. The execution will proceed as scheduled in an hour.” The prisoner’s eyes welled up with tears, her hand goes to slender white column of her neck. “Oh God!” she cried. “You can’t hang me! You can’t! I’m innocent! I’m innocent”. She wrung her hands in despair & almost collapsed into the plain wooden seat, which was the only furniture in the cell apart from the bunk. The sheriff offered Cat a makeup bag & a hand mirror & said to her. “Cat try to be brave. My wife thought you should have this so that you can make yourself look as presentable as possible.” The prisoner looked up at the sheriff & through tears whimpered, “Please thank your wife for this, & also of course for the lovely dress”. She took the bag & the mirror.
The sheriff left but the deputy pulled a chair from one of the empty cells & sat down in front of Cat’s cell. The authorities are determined that there is no risk of the prisoner taking her own life & so cheating the noose. Cat looked at the mirror & took out the lipstick, make up jar & a small brush from the small bag. As she began to apply the make up with the small brush to her face she tremulously asked the deputy “How long will it take?”. Cat had seen a hanging in Dodge City three months previously & the vision of the condemned man writhing on the end of the rope like a stranded eel was still vivid in her mind, as were the strangled, squeals & gasps that had accompanied his protracted demise.
The deputy was a decent man & wanted to be kind but he sees no point in lying,”If you are lucky Cat you will pass out after a couple of minutes & death will follow swiftly. If not…..”, his voice trailed away. He knew that the authorities were determined to make an example of the girl & the hangman had been instructed to make sure that there was no chance of the prisoner’s neck breaking when she dropped through the trap. He didn’t share this with Cat
At five to twelve the execution party entered the area with the cells at the rear of the sheriff’s office. It consisted of the sheriff, another deputy, a doctor & a minister. Cat got up from her seat as the cell door opened. She looked stunning in spite of the large tears rolling down her cheeks. She managed to walk unaided from the cell & through the sheriff’s office. As they emerged into the sunlight the crowd broke out into the traditional hanging hymn. “When we gather at the river, the beautiful, beautiful river” echoed round the town square.
With the prisoner in the middle the execution party walked slowly towards the gallows. Cat glanced nervously from side to side at the faces in the crowd. Some showed pity, some righteous anger & more than a few sadistic pleasure as they looked forward to seeing such a beautiful young woman dance on the end of a rope. When they arrived at the steps to the gallows the doomed girl lifted the skirt of her dress up revealing slim ankles clad in silk stocking, which had also been supplied by the sheriff’s wife, so that she didn’t trip on it as she climbed the stairs leading to the platform.
The sheriff, one of deputies & the minister followed her up the steps. The doctor & the remaining deputy stayed standing on the town square. The masked hangman was waiting for Cat on the platform. When she arrived he went behind her & firmly but gently took her arms & pushed her onto four foot square trapdoor at the front of the platform. The waiting noose swayed slightly in the light wind framing the prisoner’s terrified face. The executioner took out a piece of rope & tied Cat’s wrists behind her.
The sheriff was carrying a formal looking paper. The singing died away as he started to read, “Cat Ballou, you have been found guilty of murder & sentenced to hang by the neck until you are dead. Is there anything you wish to say before sentence is carried out”. Cat could only whimper, “Get on with it”. The sheriff nodded at the executioner. He pulled the noose over the prisoners’s head & tightened it round her trembling neck, careful to ensure that none of her hair was caught under the rope. As she felt the rough fibred hemp against her skin Cat’s eyes opened wide & she gasped. He moved to stand next to the trap door lever at the side of the gallows platform. The sheriff looked at the hangman & nodded. He pulled the lever
The wooden platform falls out from under the condemned girl. She falls about three feet. The skirt of her dress flies up her thighs giving the gaping crowd a good view of her shapely slender legs encased in the expensive white silk stockings. The rope is unforgiving as it digs into Cat’s throat, twisting & stretching the tendons in her neck. Her breathing cut off, choking rasps come from her. Her face begins to darken, suffused with trapped blood now unable to circulate to the rest of her body. Drool flows freely from her gaping mouth & her tongue begins to protrude as she searches fruitlessly for air she is unable to inhale.
Her body shakes & convulses, breasts bouncing, & her legs kick furiously giving the appreciative crowd more sightings of her desperately threshing silk covered legs, at times up to her stocking tops & even once or twice of the bare thighs above them. She twists back & forth swinging on the rope, straining against the noose which is slowly strangling her to death. Her complexion slowly darkens further from red, to crimson to purple, her eyes become bloodshot as capillaries start to burst. Her struggles become gradually weaker & the noises coming from her mouth grow faint. Her death throes finally cease after what must have seemed to Cat like an eternal nine minutes. Her body wheels gently backwards & forwards, the intense agony leading up to her death screams out from horribly distorted features, sightless bulging eyes stare out over the crowd from a now very dark face, tongue lolling out of the side of the open mouth.
The spectators began to gradually disperse excitedly discussing what they have witnessed. They all agreed that everyone who saw the hanging of Cat Ballou will never forget it. The body was left hanging for a further half hour to ensure that life was definitely extinct. It was then taken down, examined by the doctor to confirm death & handed over to the undertaker for disposal
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What a wonderful depiction of Cat Ballou's hanging! Always been excited by her white dress billowing at her fall
The changes made to Cat Ballou story improve the narrative for sure. Again, nice story. I wasn't expecting the twist and the jump to 2017.
I'm not so big on flashy dresses but those stills of Cat Ballou brought back some nice memories of the time I discovered my fet
I'm not so big on flashy dresses but those stills of Cat Ballou brought back some nice memories of the time I discovered my fet
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Forum > Public / Stories > Execution Tales Chapters 48-50