Pierrepoint by Steven Fielding Page A

evening and seemed in good spirits, chatting to his warders and with the chaplain who made frequent visits. On the morning of his execution, he had a resigned air about him as his wrists were secured and he was led out into the corridor. Moments later the distinctive clump of the wooden leg echoed eerily through the hushed gaol. Entering into the yard, Dodds passed three reporters who had been given permission to witness events. He cast them a cursory glance and limped on without a word. Reaching the drop, Tom strapped the wooden leg to the other as Harry had explained to him,while the prisoner murmured repeatedly: ‘Lord have mercy on me.’ Seconds later, Dodds was dead.
    On 20 August, Harry crossed the Irish Sea to hang John Berryman at Londonderry. Berryman had been convicted of the murder of his brother and sister-in-law after a business dispute. The brothers were joint owners of a farm and after a series of disagreements over a variety of things he had battered them to death with a hammer.
    Harry was assisted by his brother Tom, and they were issued with the necessary warrants and a strict timetable to adhere to. Having accepted the role, Harry then had to turn down an offer from the governor of Perth Gaol to carry out an execution there on the day before the Ireland execution, as it would be impossible to travel from Scotland to be at Londonderry in time. It was then offered to John Ellis, who carried out the execution with Willis as his assistant. The brothers travelled to Londonderry via the midnight sailing from Heysham. Harry described the journey to Belfast as a glorious one, the beautiful calm night sky making many of his travelling companions disinclined to go below deck. Despite being awake most of the night, he met up with the officials from the sheriff’s office feeling refreshed and alert.
    After a brief rest in his quarters at the gaol, Harry was escorted to the execution chamber, which, he noted, was a long, low-roofed building adjacent to the condemned cell. Having made his calculations for a drop he tested the apparatus and filled a sandbag to stretch the rope. Pulling the lever the drop crashed open and gave the hangman a surprise. Instead of the usual nine- or ten-foot pit below the drop, the gallows had been rigged in a building that overhung the prison yard, and the man was to drop into a chasm with the floor some twenty feet below.
    When he entered the cell on the following morning he found Berryman lying on his bed in a distressed state. Two priests knelt at his side trying to offer him comfort while praying intently. Harry crossed the room and bent down to help the prisoner to his feet. Berryman seemed puzzled at the stranger who had entered, his state of mind being so confused that he didn’t realise it was time for him to leave the cell.
    The prisoner refused a stimulant and walked falteringly and painfully slowly as he made his last journey supported by a warder on either side. A large group of dignitaries gathered around the drop, but they kept well back and Berryman was dead moments after stepping onto the trapdoors. With the aid of a warder the body was hauled up, removed from the rope, and placed in a rough, plain coffin that lay across the open trapdoors. Removing the cap, Harry could see that although Berryman’s features were much swollen, the expression was one of composure, indicating a painless and instant death.
    While Harry was removing the prisoner and tidying away the tackle, the coroner and a jury arrived at the prison to carry out an inquest. Harry had asked the governor if he would refrain from giving his name, so that his anonymity could be maintained. This he agreed to and when questioned by the coroner he kept his word. The jury, however, disagreed with this finding and demanded to know the name of the hangman. A row broke out at the inquest with the jury repeating their demands to be told who the hangman was.
    ‘So help me God, I don’t know who he is!’ shouted the