James Berry was an ex-policeman who was Britain's hangman from
1884-92, throughout the period of the Whitechapel murders. Stewart
Evans here takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the world
of Victorian crime and punishment. Berry was a man of mystery. He
took a genuine interest in his 'victims' and the crimes they had
committed. As an amateur criminologist he built his own black
museum and kept scrapbooks relating to his activities. He was also
something of a showman, and not averse to publicity, whose press
coverage caused the government acute embarrassment. was often too
upset before and after one of his 200 executions to be able to
speak. One of his most famous (non) jobs was the strange case of
John Lee ('The man they could not hang'). When Berry pulled the
lever on the gallows nothing happened. After three attempts, Lee
was reprieved. There were also a few horrific incidents on the
gallows and his job evidently had its effect on him as, in
retirement, Berry became so depressed that he took steps to commit
suicide.
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