Charles Rodman Campbell
1954—1994
Charles Rodman Campbell
1954—1994
Retired for budgetary reasons.
Sometimes accommodations fall through.
EXT. PRISON YARD—DAWN
Overcast. Industrial. The gallows tower over the yard like it runs the place.
CHARLES RODMAN CAMPBELL is strapped into a squeaky, government-issued wheelchair and carted out, pissed off, and all too familiar with the stench of bureaucracy.
Two EXECUTIONERS flank him, keeping their moral distance. They stop at the base of
the stairs.
⸻
CAMPBELL (dry)
How the fuck am I getting up there?
They shrug. It wasn’t in the budget.
⸻
LOUDSPEAKER
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LIFT INMATE #629817
Seven men step forward.
Two drop him.
One twists his ankle.
The chaplain offers moral support.
Eventually, they hoist him to the top,
majestic in its total lack of dignity.
⸻
ON THE PLATFORM
The HANGMAN squints at the setup.
HANGMAN
Uh… the rope’s too short.
It dangles politely, brushing Charles’s hair like a soft insult. A teenage intern is handed $20 and sent sprinting to Home Depot.
⸻
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
New rope acquired. No receipt. They tie the knot. Double-check the Bible. Pull the lever.
⸻
NOTHING.
The wheelchair jams in the trapdoor.
It rocks. It squeaks.
Square peg. Round hole.
It does not fall.
Second lever. Nope.
Someone kicks it from underneath.
NOTHING.
⸻
CAMPBELL (looking down)
Motherfucker.
⸻
FINAL SHOT
In the prison reception office, a vending machine hums. A bag of Fritos finally falls.
Empty calories.
⸻
EPILOGUE—VOICEOVER
Charles Rodman Campbell was the last man hanged in Washington State. Walla Walla decommissioned the gallows. The lethal injection room opened six months later. Second floor.
Charles Rodman Campbell
1954—1994
Retired for budgetary reasons.
Sometimes accommodations fall through.
EXT. PRISON YARD—DAWN
Overcast. Industrial. The gallows tower over the yard like it runs the place.
CHARLES RODMAN CAMPBELL is strapped into a squeaky, government-issued wheelchair and carted out, pissed off, and all too familiar with the stench of bureaucracy.
Two EXECUTIONERS flank him, keeping their moral distance. They stop at the base of
the stairs.
⸻
CAMPBELL (dry)
How the fuck am I getting up there?
They shrug. It wasn’t in the budget.
⸻
LOUDSPEAKER
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LIFT INMATE #629817
Seven men step forward.
Two drop him.
One twists his ankle.
The chaplain offers moral support.
Eventually, they hoist him to the top,
majestic in its total lack of dignity.
⸻
ON THE PLATFORM
The HANGMAN squints at the setup.
HANGMAN
Uh… the rope’s too short.
It dangles politely, brushing Charles’s hair like a soft insult. A teenage intern is handed $20 and sent sprinting to Home Depot.
⸻
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
New rope acquired. No receipt. They tie the knot. Double-check the Bible. Pull the lever.
⸻
NOTHING.
The wheelchair jams in the trapdoor.
It rocks. It squeaks.
Square peg. Round hole.
It does not fall.
Second lever. Nope.
Someone kicks it from underneath.
NOTHING.
⸻
CAMPBELL (looking down)
Motherfucker.
⸻
FINAL SHOT
In the prison reception office, a vending machine hums. A bag of Fritos finally falls.
Empty calories.
⸻
EPILOGUE—VOICEOVER
Charles Rodman Campbell was the last man hanged in Washington State. Walla Walla decommissioned the gallows. The lethal injection room opened six months later. Second floor.
Charles Rodman Campbell
1954—1994
Retired for budgetary reasons.
Sometimes accommodations fall through.
EXT. PRISON YARD—DAWN
Overcast. Industrial. The gallows tower over the yard like it runs the place.
CHARLES RODMAN CAMPBELL is strapped into a squeaky, government-issued wheelchair and carted out, pissed off, and all too familiar with the stench of bureaucracy.
Two EXECUTIONERS flank him, keeping their moral distance. They stop at the base of
the stairs.
⸻
CAMPBELL (dry)
How the fuck am I getting up there?
They shrug. It wasn’t in the budget.
⸻
LOUDSPEAKER
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LIFT INMATE #629817
Seven men step forward.
Two drop him.
One twists his ankle.
The chaplain offers moral support.
Eventually, they hoist him to the top,
majestic in its total lack of dignity.
⸻
ON THE PLATFORM
The HANGMAN squints at the setup.
HANGMAN
Uh… the rope’s too short.
It dangles politely, brushing Charles’s hair like a soft insult. A teenage intern is handed $20 and sent sprinting to Home Depot.
⸻
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
New rope acquired. No receipt. They tie the knot. Double-check the Bible. Pull the lever.
⸻
NOTHING.
The wheelchair jams in the trapdoor.
It rocks. It squeaks.
Square peg. Round hole.
It does not fall.
Second lever. Nope.
Someone kicks it from underneath.
NOTHING.
⸻
CAMPBELL (looking down)
Motherfucker.
⸻
FINAL SHOT
In the prison reception office, a vending machine hums. A bag of Fritos finally falls.
Empty calories.
⸻
EPILOGUE—VOICEOVER
Charles Rodman Campbell was the last man hanged in Washington State. Walla Walla decommissioned the gallows. The lethal injection room opened six months later. Second floor.
Accessibility is the
innovation engine.
Build for edge cases first; the mainstream will follow.
Meet my partners who are part of making the future inclusive.
Accessibility is the
innovation engine.
Build for edge cases first; the mainstream will follow.
Meet my partners who are part of making the future inclusive.
Accessibility is the
innovation engine.
Build for edge cases first;
the mainstream will follow.
Meet my partners who are part of making the future inclusive.
