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Bruce In Bangkok Bruce In Bangkok is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 576
Default Yeah, I know "plonk"

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:20:44 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:22:43 +0700, Bruce In Bangkok
wrote:

I suggest that the meaning is cruel punishments and also unusual
punishments.


I happen to have a book on the subject of execution of death sentences
by hanging. It was well into the nineteenth century before hangmen
started using the long drop, one which breaks the neck, so that the
body doesn't thrash around, neater that way. This also shuts off the
blood flow to the brain, causing immediate loss of consciousness.
On the other hand, the good old short drop took about twenty minutes
to kill, as the air was not shut off completely. Certainly cruel, but
it was the usual method. The condemned at Nuremburg were killed
indoors, on a portable gallows that was supposed to be set up over a
hole in the ground. Those *******s got the short drop.


If what I read is correct hanging was very much a spectacle in
England. Crowds of people, bets taken on how long the hangee would
last, speeches from the gibbet, a real outing.

Hanging was invented to be less cruel than boiling in oil or breaking
on the wheel. It achieved that at least.

The state of Utah used to offer the choice of hanging or shooting,
Nobody ever picked hanging.

Casady

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)