A Hangman's Diary

Author: Franz Schmidt
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1629149764
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Book Description
From 1573 to 1617, Master Franz Schmidt was the executioner for the towns of Bamberg and Nuremberg. During that span, he personally executed more than 350 people while keeping a journal throughout his career. A Hangman’s Diary is not only a collection of detailed writings by Schmidt about his work, but also an account of criminal procedure in Germany during the Middle Ages. With analysis and explanation, editor Albrecht Keller and translators C. Calvert and A. W. Gruner have put together a masterful tome that sets the scene of execution day and puts you in Master Franz Schmidt’s shoes as he does his duty for his country. Originally published more than eighty years ago, A Hangman’s Diary gives a year-by-year breakdown on all of Master Schmidt’s executions, which include hangings, beheadings, and other methods of murder, as well as explanations of each crime and the reason for the punishment. An incredible classic, A Hangman’s Diary is more than a history lesson; it shows the true anarchy that inhabited our world only a few hundred years ago. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

My Experiences as an Executioner

Author: James Berry
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Book Description
James Berry's book, 'My Experiences as an Executioner,' delves into the dark and morbid world of capital punishment through the eyes of a seasoned executioner. Berry's writing is straightforward and devoid of unnecessary embellishment, reflecting the harsh realities of his profession. The book provides a glimpse into the psychological toll of taking human lives in the name of justice, offering a unique perspective on a controversial practice. Set against the backdrop of a time when public executions were common, Berry's narrative serves as a chilling reminder of the consequences of violence and the cost of administering justice. His stark prose and attention to detail create a haunting account of life and death in the executioner's domain. James Berry's personal experiences as an executioner shape the narrative of his book, shedding light on the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by those who carry out society's most unforgiving duties. His insights into the inner workings of the executioner's mind reveal the complexities of a role often shrouded in secrecy and taboo. With 'My Experiences as an Executioner,' Berry challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the justice system and the individuals tasked with enforcing it. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical and psychological aspects of capital punishment, offering a rare glimpse into a world few dare to explore.

A Hangman's Diary

Author: Albrecht Keller
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781258011475
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description

The Faithful Executioner

Author: Joel F. Harrington
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1448129370
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
Meet Frantz Schmidt: executioner, torturer and, most unusually for his times, diarist. Following in his father’s footsteps, Frantz entered the executioner’s trade as an Apprentice. 394 executions and forty-five years later, he retired to focus his attentions on running the large medical practice that he had always viewed as his true vocation. Through examination of Frantz’s exceptional and often overlooked record, Joel F. Harrington delves deep into a world of human cruelty, tragedy and injustice. At the same time, he poses a fascinating question: could a man who routinely practiced such cruelty also be insightful, compassionate – even progressive? The Faithful Executioner is the biography of an ordinary man struggling to overcome an unjust family curse; it is also a remarkable panorama of a Europe poised on the cusp of modernity, a world with startling parallels to our own.

The Monk and The Hangman’s Daughter

Author: Ambrose Bierce
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 96

Book Description
Step into the dark and gripping world of Ambrose Bierce’s "The Monk and The Hangman’s Daughter." This compelling novel unfolds through the pages of an undated diary, chronicling the arrival of three Franciscan monks in Berchtesgaden, including the diary’s writer, Ambrosius. What begins as an ordinary account soon evolves into a profound exploration of human conflict. Through Ambrosius’s eyes, experience his fateful encounters with Benedicta, the hangman’s daughter. Their interactions delve into themes of redemption, the struggle between body and spirit, and the haunting shadows of past sins. Can the power of forgiveness overcome the weight of past wrongs? How does the battle between physical desire and spiritual redemption play out in this tale of tragic consequences? Embark on a journey through Bierce’s meticulously crafted narrative, where each entry reveals layers of moral and emotional complexity. "The Monk and The Hangman’s Daughter" offers a poignant reflection on the struggle for redemption and the human condition. Ready to dive into a story where the stakes are nothing less than the soul’s salvation? Open the pages of "The Monk and The Hangman’s Daughter" and confront the intense clash of body, spirit, and past sins. Don’t miss the chance to explore this classic work of American literature. Purchase "The Monk and The Hangman’s Daughter" today and uncover the depths of human struggle and redemption.

The Hangman's Daughter

Author: Oliver Pötzsch
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 054774501X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 453

Book Description
Hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is being practiced in the small town of Schongau in 1659 after a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder.

The Midwife's Tale

Author: Sam Thomas
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250010772
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Book Description
In the tradition of Arianna Franklin and C. J. Sansom comes Samuel Thomas's remarkable debut, The Midwife's Tale It is 1644, and Parliament's armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels' hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget's friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer. Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who's far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha's past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city's most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther's murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand.

The Executioner's Journal

Author: Frantz Schmidt
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
ISBN: 0813938716
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Book Description
During a career lasting nearly half a century, Meister Frantz Schmidt (1554-1634) personally put to death 392 individuals and tortured, flogged, or disfigured hundreds more. The remarkable number of victims, as well as the officially sanctioned context in which they suffered at Schmidt’s hands, was the story of Joel Harrington’s much-discussed book The Faithful Executioner. The foundation of that celebrated work was Schmidt's own journal--notable not only for the shocking story it told but, in an age when people rarely kept diaries, for its mere existence. Available now in Harrington’s new translation, this fascinating document provides the modern reader with a rare firsthand perspective on the thoughts and experiences of an executioner who routinely carried out acts of state brutality yet remained a revered member of the local community, widely respected for his piety, steadfastness, and popular healing. Based on a long-lost manuscript thought to be the most faithful to the original journal, this modern English translation is fully annotated and includes an introduction providing historical context as well as a biographical portrait of Schmidt himself. The executioner appears to us not as the frightening brute we might expect but as a surprisingly thoughtful, complex person with a unique voice, and in these pages his world emerges as vivid and unforgettable. Studies in Early Modern German History

The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter

Author: Ambrose Bierce
Publisher: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ISBN: 8726553708
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 105

Book Description
"The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter" tells the tale of 17th century monk Ambrosius, who meets a young girl named Benedicta, a hangman’s daughter, who is shunned by her community because of her father’s profession. A friendship develops between the two, and when the girl’s virtue gets corrupted, Ambrosius is ready to fight for her. It is a story of friendship, love, morality, and redemption. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) was an American writer, journalist, critic, poet, and Civil War veteran, best known for The Devil's Dictionary (1911). He dominated the horror genre as the preeminent innovator of supernatural storytelling in the period between the death of Edgar Allan Poe and the rise of H.P. Lovecraft. Bierce’s death was as mysterious as his strange stories; sometime around 1914 he left for Mexico, wanting to experience the Mexican Revolution firsthand, and was never to be seen again.

The Hangman's Tale

Author: Syd Dernley
Publisher: Trans-Atlantic Publications
ISBN: 9780330316330
Category : Capital punishment
Languages : en
Pages : 207

Book Description