Editor's Blog4 mins ago
Old question still unanswered?
Answers
No best answer has yet been selected by texol. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.If it's any help, and if you define the hangman's rope as a piece of string, then the execution rope was formed from a 13 foot length of 3/4" diameter Italian silk hemp rope, bound with Chamois leather to avoid marking the skin, in later years.It was stretched before use, by dropping a sandbag of approximately the same weight as the prisoner through the trap and leaving it suspended overnight. This reduced the diameter of the rope to about 5/8 inch. The purpose of this was to reduce any tendency of the rope to stretch during the actual hanging which would reduce the force applied to the prisoner's neck. Hemp has always been the preferred material as it is both soft and strong with a smooth surface
Hope this helps!