The "String Em Up In Lancaster" Story

Gallow's Hill where people in Lancaster were at one time hanged.
It later became the campus of  Franklin & Marshall College.

It was an ordinary day.  Good day for a hanging!   And, in Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania that meant you headed to Gallow's Hill on the west side of the city.  Sitting on top of perhaps the highest point in the city was a gallows that was used for public hangings.  The site was 438 feet above sea level so those who gathered for hangings had a great view.  Thousands of spectators usually showed up for the hangings which lasted on that location until 1834.  

The jail as it appeared at N. Prince and W. King Streets.

At the time the County Jail, known as the Common Gaol, was a strong log house located on the sheriff's land at nearby Wrights Ferry, also known as Columbia.  It was in 1729 that the jail opened at that location.  Those that were hanged were brought by carriage to Gallow's Hill for hanging.  One woman was included among those that were hanged as well as three men who were accused of treason.  Eventually Gallow's Hill became our present day Franklin & Marshall College.  After 1834 the jail was moved to the corner of West King Street (at the time known as High Street) and North Prince Street in downtown Lancaster.  Another 23 Lancastrians were hanged in the jail yard at that location.  The jail yard was much smaller so spectators were limited to those that could fit into the jail yard as well as sit on nearby rooftops and walls.  Then in 1851 the jail moved to the current building on East King Street where viewing space was also limited within the jails walls.  The new jail was designed just like the Lancaster Castle in Lancaster, England.  

Lancaster's current jail on East King Street.

Then in 1912 the enter- tainment ended when the hangings ended and electro- cutions began at the state penitentiary at Rockview, Pennsyl- vania.  So why are people so intrigued with hangings?  I "Googled" that and found no response.  So, I'm not sure how to answer my own question. Seems that in the Colonial city of Lancaster, hangings were a way of life and at times, a social event.  Now, I can't end my story without telling you about a recent story published in the Lancaster Newspaper, written by Jack Brubaker, known to Lancastrians as the "Scribbler."  Story has to do with the last man who was executed by hanging in the county prison.  Seems that the man, whose weight was extremely high, broke the rope as he fell unconscious to the ground.  The date was May 23, 1912, and after he was hanged once without success, his half-strangled body was tied to a plank and a stronger rope was obtained.  He was finally hanged, but not until 16 minutes after it all began.  The Lancaster Newspaper told the story, in graphic detail, of his hanging as the first rope failed and had to be cut from his bleeding neck and as a second rope was placed around his neck as he made wheezing noises.  This botched attempt helped the state legislature make a decision to have all executions done at the state level.  Since that time, another eight Lancaster residents have been electrocuted by the state. Through all of this, the man who was hanged, twice, said he was innocent of the killing for which he was accused.  Didn't matter since no one believed him.  The rope which was used first was worn out from other hangings, but the jail wanted to get one more hanging out of it.  Didn't work!  The botched job makes for a great story, but certainly not for the man on the other end of that rope.  My guess is that's why they no longer hang, or at least try to hang, guilty parties.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.