Likewise, certain cases they omit various details I would have liked to read, lists of stolen items, lists of murders committed by someone, etc. The actual diary itself has various things omitted as well, strangely various entries, at least in my copy just have the word, " do" put in without anything else. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.

We aim to get back to enquiries with an initial response within a fortnight, however this is dependant on our volunteer archive team. I learned a lot from the extensive introduction about crime and punishment at the time and kept thinking what an interesting premise it would be for a book of short stories, since each execution described is a little micro-story in and of itself.It will help to be in a certain mood to read this book, as it is non-fiction, and does go on at length about crimes and their respective execution. I borrowed it from Hoopla, looking forward to hearing the experiences of Franz Schmidt in his own words. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

Ernstin, when she brought forth her child alive in Master Beheimb’s house, herself crushed its little skull and locked the body in a trunk. I dont fully know what I was expecting from this book but it certainly wasn't this, it failed to bring to life the diary of the hangman and just really went through the number of executions and methods. The medieval times were wild and viewing it through the eyes of a professional executioner while listening to the “crimes” of each that lead to their demise at his hands is such a fascinating viewpoint and the content is an actual record gather from Franz Schmidt’s diary. Funded by Greater Manchester Police, it not only collects and preserves archive material and objects relating to the history of policing in the Greater Manchester area, but acts as an important resource for community engagement, where visitors can talk to staff and volunteers about policing.Theft and murder being the most common but i was surprised at the amount of infanticide, child-murder, and even one account of bestiality in the book. I am glad that I read this book, but, unlike “The Faithful Executioner”, I don’t see myself revisiting it in the future. First he shot dead his companion, secondly a miller’s man who helped him to attack and plunder a mill by night.

Various accounts report, "that guards had to tie her to a small wooden chair before drawing the noose around her neck", and that "she was hanged in a bosun's chair". Find signed collectible books: 'The necessity of a national reformation of manners; or, the duty of magistrates, ministers, and all others, to put the laws in execution against .

Hangings, drownings, beheadings, burnings and breaking on the wheel are carefully recorded without much comment. Someone who's killed more people we can imagine in the name of justice, who even made suggestions to change the system to make it less cruel to certain crimes. It wasn't even that grisly in the detail - apart from the notable exception of the gentleman who's head turned and his tongue moved "as if trying to speak" for some time after it had been separated from the body. Now an esoteric of legal and criminal history, A Hangman's Diary gives a year-by-year breakdown on all of Master Franz Schmidt's executions, which included hangings, beheadings, and other methods, as well as details of each capital crime and the reason for the punishment. W. Gruner have put together a masterful tome that sets the scene of execution day and puts you in Master Franz Schmidt's shoes as he does his duty for his country.

An interesting read, albeit less in-depth then I would have liked compared to the Faithful Executioner.Keller's part about Schmidt was a good introduction to the actual diary and gave me some perspective on certain entries or absence thereof (*cough cough* the brother-in-law). When they were being led out, the Margrave’s wife wanted to see the poor sinners as they passed, and saw her own husband among them, whom she embraced and kissed, for she had not known her husband had been arrested, nor that he was a fellow of that sort. The Meister Schmidt was an interesting person, and the fact that as an executioner, kept a diary of all of the various tortures, executions, crimes, and other various tidbits of life at this time is fascinating! A Hangmans Diary is not only a collection of detailed writings by Schmidt about his work, but also an account of criminal procedure in Germany during the Middle Ages. Starting the profession at age eighteen (under the supervision of his father), he performed more than 350 executions during his forty-five years of service.