Well, this is rather gruesome news, even if it is over 100 years old. Back in 1902, there was a newspaper article about a school for hangmen in England. In order to avoid the unpleasantries of a botched execution, men were being trained in how to properly execute someone. According to the article, the men took turns at playing executioner and condemned. If you think that there might have only been a few guys attending, think again. Apparently the hours were good and the pay was high. Would you do it?
Education for Hangmen
England has a school for the education of hangmen. This latest adjunct to civilization in Great Britain was established as the result of bungling work by executioners during the last few months.
The work of a hangman is light and the pay high, so there are already a number of pupils at the school which is in London. A session there is an interesting sight. One of the pupils acts as the subject, the attendants taking turns playing the role of the condemned. Hanging consists not merely in placing a man over a trap door and launching him into space by releasing a bolt. There are various nice preliminaries to be gone through.
First, the condemned must be supported on his way to the scaffold in order to avoid painful scenes. After that there is the rope to be adjusted quickly and without fumbling, in order that the agony may not be prolonged on the scaffold. The rope must be strong enough to bear the weight of the condemned, but not so thick as to slowly choke the condemned to death. [Source]
