The Hangman's Craft
H
anging as a form of execution has been around for ages, and has been gradually refined to an efficient form. Efforts were made to optimize the event, using the weight of the victim to guide the length of the drop. Underdropping would cause gradual suffocation and prolonged suffering. Overdropping would cause the head to be snapped off, creating a messy affair.
The ideal drop, imparting a force of 1,260-foot pounds, creates the hangman's fracture, the gap in neck vertebrae illustrated by the circle, below:
To achieve this end, tables mapping weight to drop were developed, apparently being refined from time to time.
British Drop Table, 1892
Richard Clark, The Process of Judicial Hanging
| Weight of Prisoner | Drop (feet/inches) |
| Under 105 | 8' 0" |
| 110 | 7' 10" |
| 115 | 7' 3" |
| 120 | 7' 0" |
| 125 | 6' 9" |
| 130 | 6' 5" |
| 135 | 6' 2" |
| 140 | 6' 0" |
| 145 | 5' 9" |
| 150 | 5' 7" |
| 155 | 5' 5" |
| 160 | 5' 3" |
| 165 | 5' 1" |
| 170 | 4' 11" |
| 175 | 4' 9" |
| 180 | 4' 8" |
| 185 | 4' 7" |
| 190 | 4' 5" |
| 195 | 4' 4" |
| Over 200 | 4' 2" |
British Drop Table, 1913
Richard Clark, The Process of Judicial Hanging
| Weight of Prisoner | Drop (feet/inches) |
| Under 118 | 8' 6" |
| 120 | 8' 4" |
| 125 | 8' 0" |
| 130 | 7' 8" |
| 135 | 7' 5" |
| 140 | 7' 2" |
| 145 | 6' 11" |
| 150 | 6' 8" |
| 155 | 6' 5" |
| 160 | 6' 3" |
| 165 | 6' 1" |
| 170 | 5' 10" |
| 175 | 5' 8" |
| 180 | 5' 7" |
| 185 | 5' 5" |
| 190 | 5' 3" |
| 195 | 5' 2" |
| Over 200 | 5' 0" |
Delaware Drop Table, More Recent
Tom Zeller, The Not-So-Fine Art of Hanging, 2007
| Weight of Prisoner | Drop (feet/inches) |
| Under 120 | 8' 1" |
| 125 | 7' 10" |
| 130 | 7' 7" |
| 135 | 7' 4" |
| 140 | 7' 1" |
| 145 | 6' 9" |
| 150 | 6' 7" |
| 155 | 6' 6" |
| 160 | 6' 4" |
| 165 | 6' 2" |
| 170 | 6' 0" |
| 175 | 5' 11" |
| 180 | 5' 9" |
| 185 | 5' 7" |
| 190 | 5' 6" |
| 195 | 5' 5" |
| 200 | 5' 4" |
| 205 | 5' 2" |
| 210 | 5' 1" |
| Over 220 | 5' 0" |
