The Executioners

Name: States of Death
Released: 2008-09-30

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S01E03: States of Death

In Britain it was the rope. In France; the guillotine. But in its short history the United States of America has experimented with a bewildering array of execution methods….And continues to do so. This programme examines the history of the five principal methods: Hanging, Firing Squad, Electric Chair, Gas Chamber and Lethal Injection.

Overview

They were cobblers, salesmen, barbers and landlords. Working men. Yet they were anything but ordinary. They were the State’s part-time killers; the hangmen.

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Episodes

S01E01 Hangman

September 17, 2008 47 min

This is the story of The Private Executioners…a unique history of British capital punishment, seen through the eyes of those who dispensed it. Though the hangman’s duties were grim, their experiences encompassed pathos, passion and...

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S01E02 Dynasties of Death

September 29, 2008 47 min

The story of the French ‘bourreau’ is perhaps the most remarkable in the history of judicial executions. Nowhere were executioners more shunned than in France. Since they were carrying out the King’s work, by divine...

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