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Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and and Amazon.ca
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Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery
by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

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Obsolete Occupations of the Netherlands

© Cor Snabel

In 1870 capital punishment was abolished in the Netherlands. By special justice 152 death penalties were imposed after W.W.II for crimes committed against the Dutch population. Forty of those were carried out by firing squads. We have to go back to 1861 to see our last executioner in action.

Executioner (beul)

The city of Haarlem has always had the privilege –if one could call it a privilege- to supply the executioner for Holland. The only exception was Dordrecht, as the oldest town it had its own executioner. If Amsterdam needed his services, the magistrates had to send a request to the Sheriff of Haarlem a few weeks in advance. According to the standard procedure a representative of Amsterdam traveled to Haarlem a day before the execution with two letters, one for the Sheriff with the request to allow the executioner to leave for Amsterdam and the other letter for the man himself with the official invitation to accompany the representative to Amsterdam.

The magistrates made sure they had several convictions for this “day of justice”, so it always was a tiring day for the executioner. His work usually meant to execute capital punishment in its several forms, whippings, branding or the less cruel punishments as public exposure. Whatever his job was, he was always sure he had enough audience; these “events” were witnessed by an enormous crowd, fathers even lifted their children on their shoulders so they would not miss a thing.

It is needless to say he and his family were outcasts of society. Every execution day was hard for them too; in the 15th and 16th century a few executioners, who failed to cut of the victims’ head with one blow of the sword, became prey of the disappointed crowd and were beaten to death. In the 17th and 18th century this never happened again, although the watching crowd judged him critically. The executioner was paid the same day and he was paid for every action. For breaking on the wheel for instance, he was paid for every turn of the wheel and per convict he earned 42 to 54 guilders. In one day he could earn as much as a common laborer made in a whole year.

>Choose from the following ancient occupations

Baker | Beachcomber | Beguine | Candlemaker | Dumpman | Executioner | Fanmaker | Fireman | Gravedigger | Innkeeper | Laundrywoman | Nightwatch | Peddlar | Porter | Seat Caretaker | Ship Shanghai | Soapmaker | Streetpaver | Tolltaker | Pharmacist


 
 

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