Horror, Sleaze and Trash.

The Executioner with a Conscience 

 Between 1913 and 1926, John Hulbert was New York State’s executioner. He was responsible for ending 142 lives in the electric chair. During his time there, he received several threats against his life and as a result, would frequently carry a gun. When he went out to eat, he would always eat at the same restaurant and always request the same waiter out of fear that somebody was going to poison him. Hulbert became increasingly depressed while working as an executioner but couldn’t leave because of the decent salary of $150 per execution.
He became known as “the man who walks alone” due to his hermit-like existence. The stress of the job finally had a toll on Hulbert who had a mental breakdown in 1926 and eventually left his grim career behind. “I got tired of killing people,” he said. Unable to accept his past, he fell into a deep depression. When his wife passed away in 1929, he was inconsolable.
On the 22nd of February, 1929, Hulbert went into the cellar of his home and committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.