Why is "The Upright Jerker" considered one of the worst punishments in the history of mankind?

Imagine being hanged in reverse. That’s what The Upright Jerker does. It puts a rope around your neck and then drops a heavy weight that pulls you up with a violent jerk. Your neck snaps and you die in agony. This is one of the most horrific ways to die in history. But which do you think is worse: hanging down or hanging up? 🪒😱💀

• A man stands at the gallows, his head covered with a black hood. The noose awaits, and he is asked for any final words. However, this execution is not a typical hanging; it is a method known as the Upright Jerker. Welcome to the intriguing world of this unique form of capital punishment.
• Perhaps you are familiar with the infamous outlaw John Dillinger, who was considered the FBI's first "Public Enemy Number 1." But few know that the original public enemy number one was actually Gerald Chapman, a sophisticated criminal known as "The Count of Gramercy Park." Born and raised in Brooklyn, Chapman embarked on a life of crime from an early age, eventually becoming an eloquent, well-dressed figure associated with a Prohibition-era gang.
• Chapman's criminal exploits included bank robberies, bootlegging, and even accusations of murder. Despite pleading his innocence, the court deemed him guilty, and law enforcement agencies were determined to see him dead. This brings us to the peculiar and brutal method of execution known as the Upright Jerker, which was reserved for Chapman, one of the most notorious criminals of his time.
• Born in New York to Irish immigrant parents in 1887, Chapman had a tumultuous upbringing. He faced his first arrest at the age of 14 and spent a significant portion of his youth behind bars. However, it was during his time in prison that he immersed himself in literature and self-education. Upon his release, he transformed himself into a man of refinement, adopting a posh British accent and mingling with high society.
• In his twenties, Chapman established bootlegging operations across the United States, amassing considerable wealth. His crowning achievement came when he robbed a U.S. mail truck, making off with money, bonds, and jewelry worth around 2.4 million dollars by today's standards. He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in New York's affluent Gramercy Park neighborhood, earning him the monikers "The Count of Gramercy Park" and "The Gentleman Bandit."
• Despite his cunning, Chapman was eventually arrested and gained further notoriety for escaping from police custody. He was recaptured and sentenced to 25 years in prison, only to escape once again, even eluding capture after sustaining injuries during his recapture from a prison hospital. Chapman proved to be an elusive criminal.
• During his time as a fugitive, Chapman went on a crime spree, resulting in the death of a police officer. It was at this point that the media declared him "Public Enemy Number One." This designation made him an immense embarrassment to the federal authorities, who were determined not only to apprehend him but also to ensure his swift execution.
• On April 6, 1926, Chapman was brought to the gallows in Connecticut's Wethersfield Prison. Despite his fervent pleas for justice, he was destined to face the Upright Jerker. This peculiar device operated by using pulleys and a weight to lift the noose, causing a sudden jolt intended to break the convict's neck. Unlike traditional hanging methods, the condemned man was not secured but left hanging a few feet off the ground.
• However, the Upright Jerker did not guarantee a swift or humane death. Chapman's execution took a grueling nine minutes, far from the desired outcome. This "automatic gallows" failed to gain traction worldwide due to its inherent flaws. Nevertheless, it was tested and employed in several states, including New York.
• Prior to Chapman's encounter with the Upright Jerker, a man named Lewis Wilber met the same fate in Morrisville, New York. The force exerted by the 238-pound (107kg) weight used in the contraption lifted Wilber off the ground, resulting in a gruesome spectacle. He was sent flying four feet into the air before descending to hang two feet above the ground, a sight that horrified onlookers and undermined the authorities' intent.
• James Stephens, another victim of the Upright Jerker, suffered a similar fate. He convulsed and contorted in agony until asphyxiation finally claimed his life. These outcomes were far from the intended quick and painless death the execution method aimed to achieve. Benjamin Hunter experienced the same ordeal, enduring agonizing pain and prompting witnesses to express their horror at the scene.
• These incidents occurred toward the end of the 19th century, a period when British scientists were also attempting to refine hanging methods, introducing measured drops to ensure a quick death. However, even those attempts often resulted in botched executions, leaving the public dissatisfied with decapitations or drawn-out deaths by strangulation.
• The Upright Jerker was supposed to represent a modern American take on capital punishment, yet it failed to live up to its promises. Critics labeled it "hideous" and "brutal," arguing that it rarely achieved its intended purpose of breaking the convict's neck. Traditional hanging, despite its flaws, at least held the possibility of a shorter period of painful strangulation.
• As the 19th century drew to a close, the hydraulic upright jerker emerged as a supposed improvement. In 1892, a man named Mr. T. Thatcher Graves was meant to face this version in Colorado. The intricate device relied on the condemned person triggering a sequence of gears and water flow that ultimately raised the noose and ended their life. However, this method also proved largely ineffective and often resulted in botched executions.
• Mr. Graves, apprehensive about being the first to test this complex killing machine, took his own life in his jail cell. Allowing the prisoner to effectively execute themselves became a trend toward the end of the 19th century. Other devices were created, where the condemned would stand on a platform, triggering the release of a weight. However, water was abandoned as a mechanism, and alternative approaches were explored.
• Surprisingly, in 1905, a man named Francis Barker invented a hanging machine for himself in Nebraska. His device incorporated a trap-door, deviating from the upright method. Barker's creation allowed the condemned individual, including himself, to push a button to initiate the release of the door. Popular Mechanics magazine even suggested that law enforcement agencies would appreciate such a product.
• Ultimately, the electric chair replaced the Upright Jerker as the preferred method of execution in the early 20th century. States across the United States increasingly adopted electricity as a means of capital punishment, emphasizing its supposed painlessness, speed, and humanity, although these claims were later disputed.
• The exact date of the last execution by the Upright Jerker remains unknown, but its use ceased sometime in the 1930s. In 1933, Colorado reported the final flight to eternity using this method. The electric chair prevailed as the prevailing means of execution, as hanging was perceived as outdated. Although the electric chair also had its own issues, it ultimately supplanted the Upright Jerker.
• The era of the Upright Jerker, with its gruesome and flawed attempts at swift executions, became a thing of the past, giving way to evolving methods in the realm of capital punishment.

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