From 1573 to 1617, Master Franz Schmidt was the executioner for the towns of Bamberg and Nuremberg. During that span, he personally executed more than 350 peopl

James Berry's book, 'My Experiences as an Executioner,' delves into the dark and morbid world of capital punishment through the eyes of a seasoned executioner.

Meet Frantz Schmidt: executioner, torturer and, most unusually for his times, diarist. Following in his father’s footsteps, Frantz entered the executioner’s