May God Have Mercy on Your Soul the Story of the Rope and the Thunderbolt

Baumann, Ed

ISBN 10: 0929387902 / ISBN 13: 9780929387901

Published by Bonus Books, Inc, Chicago, Illinois, 1993

About this Item

$24.95 Publishers Dust Jacket Price, B/W Illustrations, light shelf rubbings to the DJ covers.

Seller Inventory # 000117

Bibliographic Details

• Title: May God Have Mercy on Your Soul the Story of the Rope and the Thunderbolt
• Publisher: Bonus Books, Inc, Chicago, Illinois
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0929387902
• ISBN 13: 9780929387901
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Weight: 2 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

A newspaper reporter looks at the history of capital punishment in Chicago, recounts the stories and last words of convicted murderers, and discusses arguments for and against capital punishment

Reviews

During his 37 years as a reporter in Chicago, Baumann ( Murder Next Door ) witnessed every execution in Cook County. His chronicle of the last days of those executed reaches back to 1840, but his claim that he is undecided about whether there should be a death penalty seems disingenuous. Baumann begins with background on the grisly means of execution developed in Europe in centuries past. Writing about hanging, he notes that death often resulted from slow strangulation, not a broken neck; in discussing electrocution, he observes that we do not know whether it is painful. Baumann prints a talk against capital punishment given by New York's Governor Mario Cuomo in 1981, and a chapter entitled "A Vote in Favor of the Death Penalty" written by George Murray, author of The Legacy of Al Capone. Although the book is a mixed bag, it is nevertheless a powerful indictment of execution. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.