Rasinis and Holloway Prison

Post date: 12-Oct-2009 23:33:21

Rasinis and Holloway Prison

Philip Howe writes

Thank you Paul.

I was close with the Rasinis. They were really kind people.

There was a macabre element to our friendship - they lived in a big 3 or 4 storey Victorian house. Peter or Martin had their bedroom at the front rather than overlooking the big garden at the back. You could look across the street to the Holloway Women’s Prison and they told me that they could the gallows!

I thought they were pulling my leg but when the day arrived for what I think was the last execution there, they had dared me to come and watch.

I did. It was creepy but the only part visible was the walk TO the gallows and sure enough I saw her being led, struggling, across the yard.

It was horrible.

Anyway, I lost touch with both of them so when I heard that Pete had been shot it really saddened me.

Martin was erudite, thoughtful and eventually very knowledgable but Pete seemed to just remain the funny young man.

Philip x

PS Ruth Ellis was the woman struggling.

Tony Barnett responds

Ah Yes, Ruth Ellis,

Hung by Albert Pierrepoint the High Executioner of England at 9.00 am on Wednesay 13th July 1955 in Holloway prison.

" and may God have mercy on her soul".

Tx

Paul Ernest writes

She shot her lover outside the Magdela Pub, Hampstead. 6 shots. Then surrendered herself, leaving 2 children. The trial and execution were rather rushed through. The murder was on 10 April 1955

Written about her:

“Who would want to stand up and willingly be condemned to death. It’s extremely difficult for us to comprehend,” remarks Reilhill. “And it’s deeper than that. She’s a woman who’s dared to express that level of darkness to the end. She stood in front of Albert [Pierrepoint, her executioner] and grinned at him. He wrote about this until he died; he was haunted by her smile. He said he hanged 430 people, 15 of which were women, and she matched the bravest that stood in front of him.

"I believe she felt a lot of fear. There were moments where she cried in the cell, like when she saw David’s autopsy photographs and when [an MP] was trying to make her stay alive for her children. But she could have only sustained that false pride of not letting anyone see her scared of dying’ for so long, and she was three weeks in cell.”

From https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/ruth-ellis-the-model-who-smiled-at-her-executioner-1.3690704

Ruth Ellis