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Alexander Armstrong English (he used the pseudonym Arthur Ellis; 1864/1865 – 21 July 1938) was a British national who was the official hangman of Canada between 1912 and 1935. It is estimated he carried out more than 600 hangings in all of Canada's provinces and incorporated territories.[1]
Biography
editEnglish began his role as the assistant to John Radclive, a 20-year veteran of Canadian hangings. The only official method of capital punishment in Canada since the fall of New France was hanging. In his capacity as official executioner, English adopted the surname of the famous English executioner, John Ellis, as a pseudonym.
Career demise
editEnglish's career as Canada's professional hangman ended in ignominy following the botched execution of Tommasina Teolis, who had been convicted of hiring two hit men to kill her husband, at Bordeaux Prison in Montreal on 28 March 1935.
The long drop method of hanging was used, where the condemned would be executed by the weight of their body snapping their neck after they fell through the gallows' trap door. However, English used a miscalculation for Teolis' weight, which resulted in her dropping too far and being decapitated. This shocking event led to a public outcry that permanently ended English's career.[2]
Although since 1 January 1870, all executions in Canada were conducted in private, members of the public could still attend upon invitation from the prison or provincial authorities. This was ended following the beheading of Teolis.[2]
Three years later, English died in poverty in Montreal on 21 July 1938.[3] He was buried at the Mount Royal Cemetery.
Legacy
editThe Crime Writers of Canada present annual literary awards, which were known as the Arthur Ellis Awards from 1984[4] until 2020.[5][6]
English's career is referenced in the novella The Hangman by Canadian crime writer (and two-time Arthur Ellis Award winner) Louise Penny.
In 2009 Alexander English/Ellis featured in a documentary entitled the Hangman's Graveyard. The film follows an archaeological investigation into a forgotten cemetery at Toronto's old Don Jail. Two of the individuals featured in the film were executed by English/Ellis.
Canadian heavy metal band Hangman's Graveyard (band) was inspired by English/Ellis, even basing their name on the 2009 documentary.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Anderson, Frank W. (1972). Hanging in Canada. Frontier Books. p. 42.
- ^ a b Poplak, Lorna (2017). Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada. Dundurn. pp. 91–94.
- ^ "Hangman Ellis Dies in the City". The Gazette. 22 July 1938. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crime Writers of Canada - What We Do". www.crimewriterscanada.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Koren, David (15 November 2020). "Renaming of the Arthur Ellis Award". Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Qiao, Vicky (28 May 2021). "Will Ferguson among the winners of 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Awards". CBC.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- Bibliography
- House, Heritage (1983). Outlaws & Lawmen of Western Canada. Heritage House Publishing Co. pp. 46–50. ISBN 978-0-919214-54-5.
- O'Brien, Andy (1970). My friend, the hangman: dramatic encounters in sport, crime, and war. Ryerson Press. p. 15. ISBN 9780770003265.
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