The
hanging procedure was exact and well planned. The executioner
calculated how many feet the body must drop to produce a snap of the
neck. This was determined by his height and weight.
The
rope that was to be used, made of sisal hemp, was stretched for
months in advance by hanging it with a heavy weight on the end of it.
This was done so that there would be no "give" to the rope.
It was then tied with a special "hangman's knot" that
formed a noose. The knot was placed snugly behind the condemned man's
ear, and when he was dropped, the knot threw the head to one side so
severely that the neck was broken and the man immediately lost consciousness.
The
trap was sprung by a heavy ball attached to a cord. Three cords were
led to a booth beside the traps, but screened from the gallows. Of
the three cords, two of them were dummies, but one was the fatal cord
that sprung the trap. Just prior to the execution three guards would
be placed into the screened booth. Here the three cords were
stretched across a shelf and the three guards sat facing the cords.
Each was given a razor sharp knife and when the hangman's signal was
given, each man cut the cord in front of him. One of the cords sprung
the trap, but no one knew which one, so, theoretically they would
never know which man cut the fatal cord.
Traditionally,
all executions were at ten o'clock in the morning and on a Friday. I
do not know why this time was selected or how this tradition was
started. Many visitors came by the narrow gauge train. Horse drawn
busses would unload their passengers, turn and gallop the horses back
to Greenbrae for another load. I was impressed by the young men on
their bicycles, who patrolled the road between San Rafael and San
Quentin to inspect the telegraph wires to see that they were intact.
If the wires were cut, a message of reprieve could not reach the
prison from the Governor at Sacramento.
Executions
were a regular occurrence and we always knew about them. We knew the
man who was delegated to conduct the hangings. He was a regular
employee of the prison but when an execution was held, he served as
the hangman. During our time as youngsters, this man was Frank
Abrogast. He was a large, handsome fellow, and pleasant natured, but
we always thought of him as The Hangman. In
addition to his regular salary, he was given an extra fee of ten
dollars for each hanging, and a days vacation.
Condemned
men were kept in one corner of the Old Spanish Cell block while
awaiting appeals from their conviction or awaiting the time set by
the court for their execution. This area was called Condemned
Row and the men remained in their small cells, except for
an hour or so each day when they were brought out under guard and
allowed to walk around the yard. This was done after all of the rest
of the prisoner's had been locked up. Twenty-four hours before the
execution the condemned man was brought to the area adjacent to the
gallows where two bare cells were located. A pad to sleep on was
placed in the corner, but there was nothing else present. Officials
were careful that nothing was within reach that could be used as a
weapon or as a means of self-destruction.
In
the many times that I had toured through the prison with a visiting
friend, I noticed that some of the men had written short messages on
the wall of the condemned cell in pencil. They were readily readable,
and as I recall, some were touching and pitiful.
Warden
James B. Holohan, did not like the hanging method of execution and
he advocated that the State abandon it in favor of the Gas Chamber.
He appeared before legislative committees in his efforts to have the
change made. It wasn't until 1938 that San Quentin began using the
gas chamber.
He
dreaded attending the hanging, but it was the Warden's duty to carry
out the sentence prescribed by law. He used to ask Clint Duffy, whom
worked for him as secretary, to accompany him to the gallows on these
occasions. Thus Clint, during the period which he served as Warden
Holohan's secretary, and the eleven and one half years that he served
as Warden, was required to witness about one hundred and fifty
executions. During his term as Warden he officiated at the execution
of eighty-eight men and two women. It is no wonder that, after these
experiences, he would favor the abolition of the death penalty. His
contention is that it does not accomplish its purpose; that is, it
does not deter murderers from killing. Also he points out that rarely
has any murderer who had good financial backing ever been executed.
Author:
William J. Duffy, Jr.
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