DEATH BY ROPE VOLUME ONE: 1867-1923 An Anthology of Canadian Executions

Between 1867 and 1962 over 700 men and women stood in the prisoner s dock in courtrooms across Canada and listened as a judge sentenced them to death.

Death by Rope : Volume One - An Anthology of Canadian Executions traces the stories of these men and women from 1867 to 1923 and details the crimes they committed as well as their final steps on the gallows. The book provides the opportunity to gain a vivid and fascinating look at some of the most notorious crimes perpetrated in Canada, from the most sparsely populated regions to the largest cities. The accounts are based on an examination of contemporary newspaper reports and the capital case files of the Department of Justice, many of which have only recently become available to researchers. Every story presented in this book represents a unique look at human nature and presents the reader with a dark, but important, aspect of Canadian history.

Dr. Jeffrey Pfiefer is a Professor of Forensic Psychology and the Saskatchewan Law Foundation Chair in Police Studies at the University of Regina. Dr. Pfiefer has worked extensively with police and prison services around the world including the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Western Australia Police Service, the Israeli Prison Service, the Prison Service of Namibia, and the Ministry of Prisons in Russia. He has published a large number of articles and chapters on a variety of forensic issues related to crime and criminals, and has received a number of awards for his work including the Research Award from the International Corrections and Prisons Association. He has a keen interest in the study of Canadian crime and the history of executions.

Dr. Ken Leyton-Brown is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Regina and Graduate Coordinator of the Police Studies Program. He has undertaken commissioned research for the Canadian Bar Association and the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, among others, and has published in a number of journals. He is particularly interested in the history and development of legal institutions and legal rights, and in the history of visible minorities in western Canada.