The Angle.

[confederate]

I went to Gettysburg earlier this year and went to the woods where Pickett's men awaited the impending attack. I went there just to look around where these brave men were at and I saw in the distance and I saw a figure so I sorta crept over because they were talking to them selves. I got close enough, and this is no lie, it was Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead and my best guess is it was ectoplasmic residue left while he was talking to somebody. I didn't hear anything but I saw this, General Armistead. I nearly **** my pants when I saw who it was. It's changed my life. I 'd like to know about Lo now. I didn't hear anything but I saw that face. Creepy but cool.

[ami]

yeah, right.

[confederate]

It's the truth. BTW, Pulling my leg or whatever actually has a grim tale behind it. When somebody was hung they'd sit, er, uh, hang there chocking slowly and a loved one or a friend would pull their leg to break their necks and make it quick. And it is the truth.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by confederate

It's the truth. BTW, Pulling my leg or whatever actually has a grim tale behind it. When somebody was hung they'd sit, er, uh, hang there chocking slowly and a loved one or a friend would pull their leg to break their necks and make it quick. And it is the truth.

That would have to be one terribly botched hanging, as the object was to break their neck at the end of the drop. Only an idiot executioner would allow someone to choke at the end of a rope.

There is an old Scottish rhyme that talks about checking to see if someone is dead by pulling their leg, but that is hardly the origin of the saying that we use today. To pull someone's leg was to trip them up or confuse them, not to kill them more quickly after a botched execution attempt.

[JWNathan]

When John Booth's coconspiritors were hung none of them died quickly, like 5 minutes or something?
-Jesse

[Derek]

From the Boston Post, July 8, 1865
"...Harold (sic) struggled some and some emissions of water took place from the body such as is frequently the case with persons dying a violent death. there was no perceptible movement of the body of Atzerott, and he apparently died easy. There was only a slight movement of the limbs of Mrs. Surratt observed."

The account states that it took five minutes for the whole of the scaffold to come to a complete stillness. It should not be implied that any of them struggled for 5 minutes. Had that happened, it would have taken a great deal more time for the scaffold to settle down.

Powel was said to have had several convulsive movements of his limbs, and he probably suffocated, instead of suffering a broken neck. If you have ever witness someone being choked out, it takes only a few seconds of struggle before the brain runs out of oxygen and you pass out. Death comes minutes later to a fit body, but there is no further struggle.

[JerseyBart]

"this is no lie"= a lie


I will say though, that standing on Cemetary Ridge and looking out at Seminary Ridge, and vice versa is rather intimidating and spooky considering all that took place there. Awe inspiring too.

Bart