Weird Assassination Story !

[BettyO]

Betty, I am guessing this was Dr. Francis Tumblety's idea...perhaps an early, crude form of artificial respiration in an effort to "bring JWB back to life" for trial.

Maybe Dr. Houmes will chime in on what happens when a dead person is hanged...

Dr. Francis Tumblety

Good old Dr. Tumblety....he's also a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case....

I have some eBooks regarding Tumblety if ya'll are interested - they are either in Epub or PDF format...but I have a couple of them -

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There is a famous historical example of "execution" after death. Oliver Cromwell died of cancer in 1658. In 1660 after the restoration of Charles II, Cromwell,who was the the principal regicide in the beheading of Charles I, was dug up and beheaded.
In "Hogan's Heroes" the German characters were always being threatened with being "court martialed,shot and sent to the Russian front."
Tom

Wonder if that's why Lew Powell's skull was taken by Gawler ?!? I've always wondered just why he wanted so gruesome a relic! Today, that would be desecration of human remains - and carries a prison sentence!

[Joe Di Cola]

An even stranger tale than Cromwell's remains concerns what happened to Pope Formosus (way back when). Presumably he was murdered by his successor who, not content with that, later had Formosus' rotting corpse disinterred, placed on the papal throne and then deposed, finally throwing the body into the Tiber.

[Craig Hipkins]

An even stranger tale than Cromwell's remains concerns what happened to Pope Formosus (way back when). Presumably he was murdered by his successor who, not content with that, later had Formosus' rotting corpse disinterred, placed on the papal throne and then deposed, finally throwing the body into the Tiber.

The Cadaver Synod, one of the strangest events in Papal history!

[Houmes]

There is a famous historical example of "execution" after death. Oliver Cromwell died of cancer in 1658. In 1660 after the restoration of Charles II, Cromwell,who was the the principal regicide in the beheading of Charles I, was dug up and beheaded.
In "Hogan's Heroes" the German characters were always being threatened with being "court martialed,shot and sent to the Russian front."
Tom

Desperate people do desperate things in desperate times. I spent several summers during college days working near Cimarron, NM, a sleepy town now, but during Wild West days quite rowdy. Clay Allison, a legendary killer and dangerous when drunk, had a nearby ranch and led many lynch mobs in the 1870s. One winter he led a mob to the cabin of Charles Kennedy, an accused killer who waylaid passersby. They hanged him, then Allison cut off the accused's head to make sure he was dead and stuck it on a pole in front of a bar for several days. Another time he led a group hanging Cruz Vega (unknown alledged crime) and not satisfied with the result, afterwards tied the end of the rope to his saddle and dragged the body through rocks and brush. Ironically, Allison's end came when he was again drunk one day and attempting to return home. He fell off his farm wagon and a wheel ran over his neck, killing him instantly. The incidence of lynchings dropped dramatically after that.

[BettyO]

There is a famous historical example of "execution" after death. Oliver Cromwell died of cancer in 1658. In 1660 after the restoration of Charles II, Cromwell,who was the the principal regicide in the beheading of Charles I, was dug up and beheaded.
In "Hogan's Heroes" the German characters were always being threatened with being "court martialed,shot and sent to the Russian front."
Tom

Desperate people do desperate things in desperate times. I spent several summers during college days working near Cimarron, NM, a sleepy town now, but during Wild West days quite rowdy. Clay Allison, a legendary killer and dangerous when drunk, had a nearby ranch and led many lynch mobs in the 1870s. One winter he led a mob to the cabin of Charles Kennedy, an accused killer who waylaid passersby. They hanged him, then Allison cut off the accused's head to make sure he was dead and stuck it on a pole in front of a bar for several days. Another time he led a group hanging Cruz Vega (unknown alledged crime) and not satisfied with the result, afterwards tied the end of the rope to his saddle and dragged the body through rocks and brush. Ironically, Allison's end came when he was again drunk one day and attempting to return home. He fell off his farm wagon and a wheel ran over his neck, killing him instantly. The incidence of lynchings dropped dramatically after that.

Interesting story, Blaine! This sounds like one bad dude who got his "just desserts!"

I found a very interesting story yesterday that has sort of a ghost story element to it - and it's purportedly true.

A Louisiana woman's husband was in the Confederate army. She was in her kitchen on July 1, 1863 when she heard a crash in the front room or parlor of her house. For no apparent reason, a large oil painting portrait of her husband had fallen off of the wall and crashed to the floor, but not before the head of the subject had been pierced by the finial of a chair sitting under the once hanging portrait.

Several weeks later a letter arrived which stated that her husband was deceased and had been shot in the head during the battle on July 1. Pretty eerie....

[J. Beckert]

Oh Jeez! You guys are even doing this to me on Roger's new site...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/finial

[L Verge]

If your wife comes at you swinging a lamp, Joe, be careful of the finial -- there's one on lamps also. And believe it or not, I know people who have collected lamp finials for years because they are small, screw off, and are easy to display. I've seen some with sharp points or even shaped like spears.

[J. Beckert]

Thanks for the tip, Laurie. Mom's been in a foul mood lately. It looks like some of the lamps here do have finials on them. I'm going to cover them up with antimacassars just in case.

[L Verge]

If Ma Beckert is like some of my friends, she's in a bad mood at the thought of you retiring soon and being at home bothering her! Sorry, guys, I just had to say it... I bet Mary Lincoln was in a better humor when Abe was riding circuit.

[J. Beckert]

I'd bet Abe was, too.

[BettyO]

Oh Jeez! You guys are even doing this to me on Roger's new site...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/finial

Sorry, Joe --

It's the pointy thing on the top of a chair back -- I didn't know what else to call it other than a "Chair Post"?!? HA!

[L Verge]

Joe, Agreed about Abe. I bet he whistled his way across Illinois!