Testament of Executioner, James Berry -
Three Marys.
Taken from the book, "My Experiences as an Executioner"
MARY LESLEY
"My next execution, in which the condemned person was a woman convicted
of poisoning her husband. After the sentence of death, even up to
the time of execution, she expected a reprieve, and to the last she protested
her innocence; though on the night before, she was restless and constantly
exclaimed "Lord! Thou knowest all," and prayed most fervently. She
wold have no breakfast, and when I approached her she was in a nervous,
agitated state, praying to God for salvation, not as a murderess but as
an innocent woman. On my approach she threw up her hands and shrieked,
"Murder! Murder!" and she had to be restrained and led to the scaffold
by two female warders, shrieking wildly all the time. She died as
she had lived, impenitent and untruthful, denying her guilt to the last"
[Note: there is now some doubt as to Mary Lesley's guilt]
MARY ANN BRITLAND
Mary Ann Britland was executed by Berry at Strangeways Gaol in
Manchester for the murder of a friend (and possibly her family).
"She was the class of persons for whom the three weeks' respite
between sentencing and death is the worst possible cruelty. She had
burst into tears upon hearing the death sentence promounced on her.
During the passing of the sentence she repeatedly interrupted the judge
with cries for mercy. Even after she had been removed to the cells
her screams could be heard for a long time by people outside. She
proteseted her innovence til the very last. In spite of a slim hope
for reprieve shecould not shut out her terrible fear and the dread of death
was so heavy pon her as to reduce her over th ethree weeks to a haggard
wreck. When the morning of her death came, she was so weakened as
to be unable to support herself and had to be carried to the scaffold by
two female warders. For an hour before her time she had cried and
moaned dismally and when I had entered her cell she commenced to scream
and call aloud. All the way to the scaffold her cries were heart rending
and as the white cap was placed over her head such cries as one might expect
at actual separatin of body and spirit through mortal terror. The
two warders held her on the scaffold as the noose was fixed, and at a signal
from me, stood back and before she had time to sway sideways or to collapse
the drop fell and th ewretched woman was dead."
MARY ELEANOR WHEELER
"The night before her execution was spent in the condemned cell,
watched by three feamle warders, who stated that her fortitude was remarkable.
When I entered her cell that morning she shook my proffered hand without
any trace of emotion. Asked if she wanted to make any statement,
as her last opportunity for doing so was fast approaching, she said 'My
sentence was a just one , but a good deal of the evidence against me was
false." She told her female warders that they were not needed although
one elected to stay with her. She went quietly then to a painless
death.
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