Grace Baldridge, Amir Nikoui, Cecile Bestill, and Sara Spadacene talk about the guillotine, which became a popular execution method during the French Revolution.
I find myself looking up when I’m waiting at the corner for the bus, etc. to be sure that I’m not standing under a street-sign or traffic-signal that could come down on my head or neck. Yeah, I know the angle isn’t correct, yet the image persists.
Public executions with the guillotine ended with a female aristocrat during the revolution, and they ended because she was the only one who screamed and fought her way to the scaffold. This alarmed the watchers and from thence on, it was done in private.
In the video, firing squad was mentioned as a request. Yes, and it was recent. 1-3 years ago. It came about because of the inexcusable bad cocktail drugs used for lethal injection and the man didn’t want to suffer the fate of slowly dying on a table as had happened to other inmates.
In Washington, the general method of execution is lethal injection, but since the drug is no longer available and haphazard cocktails unreliable and torturous, hanging is the alternate method and can be at the inmate’s request. If memory serves, Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was given a choice. Die by lethal injection or plead guilty to all crimes, found bodies or not, and stay in prison until his death. He chose the latter. He admitted to 48, where he showed prosecutors where the women were buried, but he told them that he’d actually killed 90 but that their remains were unable to be located. You might wanna do a show on him or read up on him in Ann Rule’s “Green River, Running Red”.
Another interesting French Revolution beheading was Antoine Lavoisier. He was probably one of the most accomplished scientists of his time (chemistry and biology), but he was executed because he also assisted in tax collection before the revolution.
My ex-husband was a solider in Iraq. He discribed beheading to me once and I’ll never forget the look on his face. He discribed it as your still conscious and aware of what’s going on, but you can’t cry out because your vocal cords are severed. I don’t know how he knows this and I never asked.
hello again, my murderous friends. it looks like it’s time to check back into the story of Gary Condit and Chandra Levy -http://dailycaller.com/2016/11/04/abcs-2020-plays-gary-condit-voicemails-to-dead-intern-chandra-levy/
I don’t know if this is a good idea or not… but suddenly I am curious about movie portrayals of real life killers vs. the facts that 1) lead to their killing attitude 2) the events that SHOCKED the whole NATION! (imagine a newscasters cadence and tone there, please) and 3) What the result was as the killer was brought to justice, was there ever some form of regret or redemption, did the families move on and stuff like that?
I realize that a movie is limited to two hours or thereabouts, but there is so much more to these events that I’ve learned just watching Murder with Friends that I was thinking “I’d love to see what Grace and her friends could do with THIS job.” :P Sorry, I may have discovered a sadistic streak in myself after all.
If executions become too easy or too valuable they might become too common. That said:
My friend in China tells me that the inmate is tissue typed and people in need of organ transplants with matching tissues are found. The condemned inmate is not warned when the time of his (or her) execution will be. The cell door is opened, they are quickly shot in the head and their organs are harvested.
On another topic. The most humane form of execution is anoxic asphyxiation. The person is allowed to breath gas (usually nitrogen) with no oxygen in it. There is no gasping or even the realization that anything is wrong. Just a few normal breaths and victim passes out and dies shortly afterward. There is no trauma to the body or toxic substances. Very kind, very quick, very clean. Lawmakers in Oklahoma have suggested this for executions.
anoxic asphyxiation sounds great! i’ve always thought the Anne Sexton way was the way to go (car exhaust), but this sounds way better. Dr. Kevorkian — a famous Armenian-American — should have used that method.
A person shot in the head would not be a viable organ donor.
Tissue (skin, bone, corneas, saphenous veins, heart valves) can be safely harvested from cadavers up to 24 hours after death if the body has been refrigerated. But organs (heart, liver, kidneys, lungs) must be harvested while the donor is still hooked up to life support ( though brain-dead ).
I’m surprised that you cannot attend an execution of someone who received the death penalty in the US. It’s carried out by the state so it seems like the public should be allowed to witness it. Does anyone know more about that?
Comments
I find myself looking up when I’m waiting at the corner for the bus, etc. to be sure that I’m not standing under a street-sign or traffic-signal that could come down on my head or neck. Yeah, I know the angle isn’t correct, yet the image persists.
Public executions with the guillotine ended with a female aristocrat during the revolution, and they ended because she was the only one who screamed and fought her way to the scaffold. This alarmed the watchers and from thence on, it was done in private.
In the video, firing squad was mentioned as a request. Yes, and it was recent. 1-3 years ago. It came about because of the inexcusable bad cocktail drugs used for lethal injection and the man didn’t want to suffer the fate of slowly dying on a table as had happened to other inmates.
In Washington, the general method of execution is lethal injection, but since the drug is no longer available and haphazard cocktails unreliable and torturous, hanging is the alternate method and can be at the inmate’s request. If memory serves, Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was given a choice. Die by lethal injection or plead guilty to all crimes, found bodies or not, and stay in prison until his death. He chose the latter. He admitted to 48, where he showed prosecutors where the women were buried, but he told them that he’d actually killed 90 but that their remains were unable to be located. You might wanna do a show on him or read up on him in Ann Rule’s “Green River, Running Red”.
Another interesting French Revolution beheading was Antoine Lavoisier. He was probably one of the most accomplished scientists of his time (chemistry and biology), but he was executed because he also assisted in tax collection before the revolution.
Professor Lindsey Fitzharris is a medical historian who has done several blog posts on guillotine experimentation. In this one, she tells about people who were instructed to blink as many times as they could after the beheading: https://thechirurgeonsapprentice.com/2012/08/13/losing-ones-head-a-frustrating-search-for-the-truth-about-decapitation/
I don’t think she’s done anything on YouTube about the guillotine, but she has a very interesting channel.
If you like Board Games/Card Games there is a great game called Guillotine https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/116/guillotine
It is super fun, pretty fast, and who doesn’t want to execute the rich and powerful?
My ex-husband was a solider in Iraq. He discribed beheading to me once and I’ll never forget the look on his face. He discribed it as your still conscious and aware of what’s going on, but you can’t cry out because your vocal cords are severed. I don’t know how he knows this and I never asked.
hello again, my murderous friends. it looks like it’s time to check back into the story of Gary Condit and Chandra Levy -http://dailycaller.com/2016/11/04/abcs-2020-plays-gary-condit-voicemails-to-dead-intern-chandra-levy/
With the guillotine, the pains all in your head.
Sounds like a pain in the neck to me.
The Nazis used the guillotine to kill as many people as the French Revolution.
I don’t know if this is a good idea or not… but suddenly I am curious about movie portrayals of real life killers vs. the facts that 1) lead to their killing attitude 2) the events that SHOCKED the whole NATION! (imagine a newscasters cadence and tone there, please) and 3) What the result was as the killer was brought to justice, was there ever some form of regret or redemption, did the families move on and stuff like that?
I realize that a movie is limited to two hours or thereabouts, but there is so much more to these events that I’ve learned just watching Murder with Friends that I was thinking “I’d love to see what Grace and her friends could do with THIS job.” :P Sorry, I may have discovered a sadistic streak in myself after all.
I <3 you guys. ;)
Grace, would you consider doing an episode on Robert Durst or Phil Spector?
Second Durst suggestion.
If executions become too easy or too valuable they might become too common. That said:
My friend in China tells me that the inmate is tissue typed and people in need of organ transplants with matching tissues are found. The condemned inmate is not warned when the time of his (or her) execution will be. The cell door is opened, they are quickly shot in the head and their organs are harvested.
On another topic. The most humane form of execution is anoxic asphyxiation. The person is allowed to breath gas (usually nitrogen) with no oxygen in it. There is no gasping or even the realization that anything is wrong. Just a few normal breaths and victim passes out and dies shortly afterward. There is no trauma to the body or toxic substances. Very kind, very quick, very clean. Lawmakers in Oklahoma have suggested this for executions.
anoxic asphyxiation sounds great! i’ve always thought the Anne Sexton way was the way to go (car exhaust), but this sounds way better. Dr. Kevorkian — a famous Armenian-American — should have used that method.
A person shot in the head would not be a viable organ donor.
Tissue (skin, bone, corneas, saphenous veins, heart valves) can be safely harvested from cadavers up to 24 hours after death if the body has been refrigerated. But organs (heart, liver, kidneys, lungs) must be harvested while the donor is still hooked up to life support ( though brain-dead ).
I’d love a guillotine toy.
I’m surprised that you cannot attend an execution of someone who received the death penalty in the US. It’s carried out by the state so it seems like the public should be allowed to witness it. Does anyone know more about that?
Like the circumcision tool from Robin hood men in tights lol
shades of Richard Dawson/Damon Killian hosting The Running Man. he’s one mean motherfucker!
I love this series!
For some reason I’m highly amused by the guy holding a cig while he adjusts the electric chair at 0:52
I will tots go watch the Kochs’ execution and that of other rich, evil bastards (emphasis on evil). Just sayin.