Jacob Bupp: The Hangman's Ropemaker

I've written about many hangings on this blog over the years, but, until recently, never gave much thought to the people responsible for manufacturing the ropes used to by the hangmen whose job was to dispatch unlucky convicts to the hereafter.

Fortunately, the history of one of these forgotten ropemakers has been preserved through the tireless efforts of Kelley Wood-Davis, whose ancestor, Jacob Bupp, was of the men who made the rope used in hangings during the 19th century. In fact, it was Bupp who made the rope for all of the executions that took place on "The Day of the Hangman" (April 9, 1890), when four different criminals in four different Pennsylvania counties were hanged within four hours of each other.


Anyone who would like to learn more about the life of Jacob Bupp should check out Kelley's blog:


https://piratesnaiad.blogspot.com/p/the-hangmans-ropemaker-project.html