The Twisted History of the Noose

Hanging Matters

The story of hanging is long—there are hangings in Homer and the Bible—and often tragic—if for lynching alone—but rarely less than fascinating.

Published Aug. 27 2014 5:45AM EDT

articles/2014/08/27/the-twisted-history-of-the-noose/140825-canfield-hanging-tease_lzgeiw — Suhaib Salem/Reuters

Jack Shuler’s The Thirteenth Turn: A History of the Noose features an evocative account of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, which reached its infamous nadir when 38 American Indians were hanged in public in Mankato, Minnesota.

Kevin Canfield

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The Twisted History of the Noose

The story of hanging is long—there are hangings in Homer and the Bible—and often tragic—if for lynching alone—but rarely less than fascinating.

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Kevin Canfield