oldbattleaxe
Sr. Member
- May 26, 2010
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While I have the historical experts on a roll. What would you think was going on here? Mexican American War of a soldier or? Just some thoughts thats all ?
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I’m still unconvinced.
OK, the lynch-mob are hauling the guy up, so that supports a presumption he’s being hanged rather than has been hung. There is also a shallow tangential angle between the telegraph pole and the noose rope, so it must be swinging.
However it must be swinging very gently because the picture is pretty sharp. Note how sharp the shadow of his arm is on the pole too. I would suggest that the reason why the lynch mob look to be in such wooden postures is that they’re been lined up in a single plane of focus and told to stand still for reasons related to the limitations of film sensitivity and camera shutter speed in the age when the pic was taken.
Those same limitations apply to the ‘victim’ too. He can’t be moving in anything more than a very gentle sway. If he was being hung, surely he’d be struggling, creating more movement and more blur? There’s no sign of that at all. Look at his legs too. Sharp. No sign of movement and strapping him above the knees wouldn’t be enough to completely restrict the movement of a struggling victim.
Then look at his face. Mouth closed and no particular sign of distress. Wouldn’t he be struggling for breath? Uttering some noises of distress?
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Years ago, there wasn't such a thing as DNA. Cell phones with cameras also wasn't owned by a Great majority of Americans, plus security cameras on a majority of business' s and street corners. I'm not for capital punishment for jay walkers, but for these monsters that have committed brutal crimes and has been proven guilty in a court of law. If we continue putting hardened criminals in prison for life, we will Never have enough prisons. A good scientific comparison, would be like attempting to pour a gallon of water into a pint jar...it just won't work, and hasn't for years. JMHOI completely agree with everything you said. My issue with it is that people make mistakes, which means some small number of people have been convicted of crimes they didn't commit. DNA evidence has exonerated some people after their execution. You can't un-kill someone. If the choices are killing Ted Bundy along with a few innocent people, or paying for Ted's lunch, I'll buy his lunch.
Don't mean to start any big debates though, just my two cents...
You didn't just snap off photographs in 1880. It was a process and you had to hold perfectly still for upwards of a minute. This is why no one ever smiles in "old tyme" photographs. If this were taken "in situ" as the hanging actually happened - There would be a lot of blurred faces and double exposures. As it is - everyone can be made out quite clearly. I think this is a staged picture taken at a much later date given the clarity of the image. Even if those guys were trying to stay perfectly still - hoisting up the weight of an adult male, holding still and getting this kind of clarity without blurring would have been pretty amazing for an 1880s era photography. This picture would seem to indicate a much faster shutter speed and having been shot onto film rather than developed onto a tin or metal plate. Camera film had only recently been developed by Kodak in 1880, was experimental and would have been very expensive. Most photographers would still have been doing photography with plate development. Just my two cents.
To your point - not only do we not know the year the picture was taken- we don't know the model of camera the picture was taken with or medium it was shot on - so your theories that it was a 20 second shutter speed or utilized gelatin plates is - well - sure - maybe. Or maybe not. My point was that you didn't whip out your cell phone or a handy cam and just snap a crystal clear picture. I was speaking generally and from experience having worked with a photographer who utilizes period authentic, late 1800s photography gear. I think we're both in agreement that it would have been difficult to pull off such a clear shot if this were taken candidly. I also agree with you that the posture of the body is weird and it almost looks like the rope is being run up the back of the shirt but that's just speculation on my part.
Yea the more I look at it, the more I feel (just as I typed earlier) that the rope is under his shirt and up under his armpits. However that doesnt mean he is alive. I agree with the re-enactment theory.. EDIT: I just realized tpmetal first mentioned about the rope under his shirt.
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