The Ghastly Profession of the Executioner Quiz

Answer: France

Marcel Chevalier was France's last official executioner. Chevalier started in his chosen field in 1958. He performed over 40 executions. He carried out the last 2 executions in France. The method used was the guillotine. He had been preparing his son for the position of chief executioner when the death penalty was outlawed in France in 1981.

He was the fifth member of his family to hold the position of chief executioner.

Answer: Albert Pierrepoint

Albert Pierrepoint executed at least 450 people during his years as the United Kingdom's chief executioner. He executed the other three choices. James Inglis holds the record for the quickest hanging. Michael Manning was the last person to be hanged in Ireland. John Haigh nicknamed the "Acid-Bath Murderer" was a serial killer hanged in 1949 for six murders. Pierrepoint became particularly well known for executing Nazi war criminals at Hameln in the then British Zone in 1945-1946. Pierrepoint lived to the ripe old age of 94.

Answer: It was considered more humane

The long-drop method was used because it took into account the person's height, weight and the strength of the rope. It was more likely to break the neck and cause instantaneous death, while the short drop method usually caused death by strangulation and could take 20 minutes to be fatal.

The downside was that if the calculations were wrong the long-drop method was more prone to cause an accidental beheading as occurred during the hanging of old west outlaw Black Jack Ketchum. The long drop was introduced to Britain in 1872 by William Marwood as an improvement to the short drop and standard drop methods.

It spread quickly from Britain to the other English speaking countries.

Answer: U.S.A.

The electric chair was invented and used in the United States. The only other country to ever use the electric chair was the country of the Philippines, who only used it for executions between 1924-1976. The electric chair was last used in 1998 and is considered out-dated. Most executions in the U.S.A. are carried out by lethal injection, although it should be noted that an execution was carried out in 2010 using a firing squad.

The executioner's identity is closely guarded.

Answer: Manual strangulation

Souflikar manually strangled over 5,000 people during his reign as "Bostanci" or executioner. This ritual execution had an unusual twist to it. The condemned raced the executioner through the court gardens to the spot of execution. If he got there first he was only banished. If he got there last he was manually strangled on the spot and his body was thrown into the river. "Bostanci" is translated into the word "gardener" as it was his job to keep weeds out of the court gardens and to weed out those who were considered to be a threat to the empire.

In this culture, the position of executioner was respected, feared, and exalted.

Answer: Russia

Blokhin was chosen in 1926 by Joseph Stalin to lead the company of official executioners for the Soviet Union. Blokhin claimed to have personally executed tens of thousands of men. He executed over 7,000 Polish POWs in 28 days during what became known as the "Katyn Massacre".

His usual method of execution was to push the condemned against a wall and shoot him in the back of the head. He was known to have done 300 in one night. He was highly decorated for his service to his country.

Answer: He never executed anyone

Christensen was the last official executioner for Denmark but never actually executed anyone. He held the office from 1906-1926. The last peacetime execution in Denmark occurred in 1892. It was performed by Jens Carl Theodor Seistrup using an axe on a convict who had been declared guilty of attempting to kill a prison officer.

Answer: Anne Boleyn

Jean Rombaud was the executioner brought in to execute Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, for treason and adultery. He was a renowned swordsman. His craft was practiced by having the condemned kneel upright and sever their heads with a single swing of his sword.

It was much more humane than the beheading by axe which could take three to four blows. He was brought in for his skill and so that no English executioner would be guilty of executing the Queen.

Answer: Germany

Franz Schmidt was a German executioner who worked from 1578-1617. His journal includes all his executions and all those who were punished by other means. When he retired from his profession he was promptly re-accepted into society. In Germany at this time, disrespectful professions included executioners, prostitutes, actors, millers, and beggars, just to name a few. Copies of Schmidt's original journal are held at libraries in Nuremburg and Bamberg. Schmidt executed by sword, rope, drowning, burning and breaking on the wheel.

Answer: Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland was the only president who ever legally executed anyone. His opponents tried to used this against him when he ran for president, but the ploy backfired when the public viewed these actions as being tough on crime.