Executioners were once a critical component of the justice system in New South Wales. In an era when judges handed down death sentences as easily as they toasted the good health of the monarch, someone had to do the dirty work of the authorities. Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard used to be a household name. Today, the noseless hangman who sparked fear and fascination everywhere he went is largely forgotten, yet Howard is vital to understanding attitudes towards capital punishment in Australia. Howard’s story is a critical chapter in the history of how generally enthusiastic spectators at early executions were overtaken by campaigners for the abolition of the death penalty. This dramatic tale of life, death, and radical social change is told through the sixty-one men and one woman who met Nosey Bob, under the worst possible circumstances, when he served as a New South Wales executioner between 1876 and 1904.

Rachel Franks holds PhDs in Australian crime fiction from Central Queensland University and true crime texts from the University of Sydney. A qualified educator and librarian, her work on crime fiction, true crime, popular culture, and information science has been presented at numerous conferences as well as on radio and television. An award-winning writer, her research can be found in a wide variety of books, journals, magazines, and online resources. She tweets @cfwriter.

Introduction: Looking for a noseless hangman 1. Learning on the job 2. Allowing the law to take its course 3. In the swing of things 4. Keeping count 5. The horror of botched hangings 6. A cruel equality 7. Short and long drops 8. A busy time at work 9. Criminals as fodder for the media 10. The executioner’s workload eases 11. A golden jubilee 12. Laid to rest Epilogue: The first and last men Appendix A: The executioners of New South Wales Appendix B: The patients of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard Select bibliography Acknowledgments Notes Index