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Show LEARNING TO BE HANGMAN Tho New Incumbent Has Grewsome Rehearsals of His Unenviable Unen-viable Profession. ievernl executions took placo recently recent-ly at Pcntonvlllo prison on tho senf-fold senf-fold which has been tho scene of tho final exit of numerous notorious criminals, crim-inals, relates London Mall. Tho executioner was Alec Taylor, tho newly appointed common hangman, nnd tho subjects "hanged" In set form wcro lay figures of cloth nnd sand. It Is, of course, essential that tho official that has to carry out tho last dread rentenco of the law should first thoroughly learn tho technique of his grewsomo profession to Insure that when the time come3 all tho operations opera-tions will happen decently and In order. or-der. Therefore each new hangman Immediately after his appointment goes through a realistic course of 'raining. In pursuance of this policy, Taylor, under tho guldanco of experienced ex-perienced prison officials who havo assisted as-sisted at many executions, Is now serving serv-ing his apprenticeship. Several sandbags shaped to represent repre-sent men of different weights wero supplied for Taylor's practice. Ho was instructed that men of varying builds should be given certain prescribed drops" to effect Instantaneous death. Then n sandbag 'made to tho rough scmblanco nnd weight of a man was placed on tho scaffold flap, Taylor was told tho weight, tho nooso wan properly adjusted, tho rcqulsito drop arranged for and tho lover pulled. This experiment was performed again and again with differently wolghtcd bags. Tho other part of tho hangman's training, the pinioning ot n condemned con-demned prisoner, was even moro realistic. real-istic. For tho tlmo being stalwart warders posed as condemned murderers. murder-ers. Taylor, practicing on them, was shown the quickest and most effectivo way ot securing the hands and feet. |