The Execution
Nelson had never had a murder case before this case. Gallows were specially constructed which allowed three men to be hanged simultaneously. A hangman was summoned from Wellington. 5 October was the date of execution. At approximately 8:30am Burgess, Levy, and Kelly were hanged. Burgess and Levy died instantly, however Kelly choked. Death masks were made of heads of the convicted for the pseudoscience of phrenology. It is unknown what occurred with the bodies, and there are many urban legends about the burial of the three bodies.
Read more about this topic: Maungatapu Murders
Famous quotes containing the word execution:
“Some hours seem not to be occasion for any deed, but for resolves to draw breath in. We do not directly go about the execution of the purpose that thrills us, but shut our doors behind us and ramble with prepared mind, as if the half were already done. Our resolution is taking root or hold on the earth then, as seeds first send a shoot downward which is fed by their own albumen, ere they send one upward to the light.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)