"There is no man so good that if he placed all his actions and thoughts under the scrutiny of the laws, he would not deserve hanging ten times in his life." - Michel de Montaigne, Book III of Essais
Friday 31 August 2012
Tuesday 28 August 2012
Friday 24 August 2012
Last Traitor Hung, Drawn, Quartered
On this day, the 24th August 1772, the last hanged, drawn and quartered method of execution took plavce. The unfortunate guy was the Scottish spy David Tyrie.
At his trial in Winchester, Tyrie was found to have been passing secrets to the French. The American War of Independence was still being fought, British forces thus stretched and these islands (British) more vulnerable to foreign attack than was comfortable. It was said that the information relayed by Tyrie was provided by senior figures in the government, so perhaps his horrific death was a way of discouraging such activity without the embarrassment of a trial featuring great names.
Tyrie’s execution was carried out by the shore in Portsmouth. Hanged for 22 minutes so probably already dead he was then beheaded (which we can take it ensured he was). His heart was cut out and symbolically burned in front of him, he was emasculated, cut into quarters and finally buried in the pebbly shore. For Tyrie, however, the indignity was not yet complete: sailors at the event immediately exhumed the four parts of his butchered body and hacked them into tiny pieces for distribution as very grim souvenirs.
At his trial in Winchester, Tyrie was found to have been passing secrets to the French. The American War of Independence was still being fought, British forces thus stretched and these islands (British) more vulnerable to foreign attack than was comfortable. It was said that the information relayed by Tyrie was provided by senior figures in the government, so perhaps his horrific death was a way of discouraging such activity without the embarrassment of a trial featuring great names.
Tyrie’s execution was carried out by the shore in Portsmouth. Hanged for 22 minutes so probably already dead he was then beheaded (which we can take it ensured he was). His heart was cut out and symbolically burned in front of him, he was emasculated, cut into quarters and finally buried in the pebbly shore. For Tyrie, however, the indignity was not yet complete: sailors at the event immediately exhumed the four parts of his butchered body and hacked them into tiny pieces for distribution as very grim souvenirs.
Thursday 9 August 2012
Rise of Gallows
"I was maybe thinking maybe people might take a second and think twice about people killing people."
The second I took told me I was right. When I see a murderer thats all I can see in his/her background is a gallows. It appears in a shadow behind the killer kinda like the crucifix above the deers head on a bottle of Jagermeister. But alas the message is differnet to me.
Like Marley in Dickens' book, the gallows are forged by the persons sins. Break that most dear of trusts, smash that most precious of things (life) and the only thing left is for you to perish for your diabolically selfish crime. Be as dust, be still and gone.
The second I took told me I was right. When I see a murderer thats all I can see in his/her background is a gallows. It appears in a shadow behind the killer kinda like the crucifix above the deers head on a bottle of Jagermeister. But alas the message is differnet to me.
Like Marley in Dickens' book, the gallows are forged by the persons sins. Break that most dear of trusts, smash that most precious of things (life) and the only thing left is for you to perish for your diabolically selfish crime. Be as dust, be still and gone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)