Escapes from the Noose
eBook - ePub

Escapes from the Noose

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Escapes from the Noose

About this book

Over the centuries of British history, from the Anglo-Saxons to the 1960s, our society imposed the death penalty for serious crime. In the Regency years, the number of capital offences increased to over 200. But by the side of retribution there was always clemency. What could save a felon from the noose? From earliest times, the condemned could look to the sovereign for a royal pardon. Then, in 1782, came the establishment of the Home Office and the Home Secretary could play a part in reprieving those awaiting death in the condemned cell. At meetings in London, lists of the condemned were discussed and verdicts condoned or quashed. Life hung in the balance. In Escapes from the Noose, Stephen Wade tells the story of the pardons, the reprieves, the performances of some brilliant barristers to save clients, and the thorny problem of insanity and diminished responsibility. The book gives an account of these legal subjects, and explains the drama and sensation of the court of criminal appeal, which, from 1907, gave a last chance for the condemned in a hearing before the top judges of the land. Here you will find the stories of attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria, Dr Whitmarsh the abortionist, early forensics dramas, the murderous widow of Windy Nook, the story of Mrs Maybrick who may have been married to Jack the Ripper and many more. The stories cover the bizarre and the tragic, from the reprieve of the legless man to the murder of Jeannie Donald, for which the trial ended in the Scottish verdict of 'not proven.'

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Yes, you can access Escapes from the Noose by Stephen Wade in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Military & Maritime History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
  3. Acknowledgements
  4. 1 - Pardons from Medieval to Tudor
  5. 2 - The Beginnings of the Home Office
  6. 3 - Lord Santry 1739
  7. 4 - Three Tales of ‘Legal’ Escapes
  8. 5 - The Long Riston Mystery 1799
  9. 6 - James Hadfield 1800
  10. 7 - Hall and Morrison 1817
  11. 8 - Not Proven: Madeleine Smith 1857
  12. 9 - Victoria Under Attack
  13. 10 - Under Seal of the Queen: Dr Smethurst 1859
  14. 11 - The Wyberton Murder 1860
  15. 12 - Epilepsy Saved his Neck 1876
  16. 13 - Mrs Maybrick 1889
  17. 14 - Dr Whitmarsh 1898
  18. 15 - The Horace Rayner Story 1907
  19. 16 - Appeals Allowed 1907
  20. 17 - Edward Lawrence 1909
  21. 18 - The Tragedy of Mrs Castle: Driffield 1923
  22. 19 - The Wallace Enigma 1931
  23. 20 - Jeannie Donald 1934
  24. 21 - The Mills Case and the Eliza Ray Murder 1934-5
  25. 22 - William Edwards 1936
  26. 23 - Rowland and Simcox: Three Reprieves and a Hanging
  27. 24 - A Murderous Attack in Church 1948
  28. 25 - Legless Man Reprieved 1954
  29. 26 - The Widow of Windy Nook 1957
  30. 27 - Two Stories from the Suburbs
  31. Epilogue: Paranormal?
  32. Conclusions
  33. Sources and Bibliography