Saturday 19 May 2012

Hanging in Horsham

Horsham gaol hung a soldier by the name of Edward Broadbent on the 11th August 1819.  He had shot a sergeant who had apparently been fairly tough on him and his fellow soldiers.  He reportedly said "there comrades, I did it for your benefit and I know my doom".
He knew he would be hung but he might have thought twice about committing the murder if he had known how badly his hanging was going to go.
The executioner decided to let his apprentice undertake the hanging and he was too slow leading to Broadbent taking matters into his own hands and jumping, but the rope was slightly too long so his feet ended up touching the ground.  Rather than start again with a longer rope it was decided the best solution was to dig away the ground under his feet until Broadbent was dead!!

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