Aaron Mahnke

But here's the thing.

When the time came for Mary's big drop, it did not end up being that big at all.

That is, the executioner had made the rope too short.

And so rather than a clean snap, Mary just dangled there.

One witness said that after swinging for a while, she choked out a few words, asking what they intended to do next.

Of course, the answer was to try again.

And this second time, it stuck.

Not a great look for the Massachusetts justice system, but hey, at least one guy found the whole affair rather fitting.

Cotton Mather of the Salem Witch Trials fame.

After all, Mather figured that Mary had tried to kill her child twice, so why shouldn't she be killed twice as well?

It's an ugly story from top to bottom, I know.

But the worst thing about it, botched hangings like Mary's weren't even rare.

In fact, they happened all the time.

Ropes too short leading to strangulation.

Ropes so long that the condemned would hit the ground.

Heads slipping out of nooses or, in particularly grisly cases, popping off altogether.

Not to mention the fact that the crowds attending public hangings tended to turn into drunken mobs committing even more crimes.

And suffice to say, things needed to change.

A more humane, precise method was in order.

And with electricity new on the scene, it seemed this buzzy modern tech should play a part.