Ghost of the Hangmans Noose

Ghost of the Hangman's Noose
Ben Ellis: Executioner at Adelaide Gaol

Most people take pride in their work, but Ben Ellis — hangman for the Adelaide Gaol from around 1860 until the mid‑1870s, and also executioner at Mount Gambier Gaol — took an exceptional pride in performing his grim duties with precision. In an era when the hangman was the most despised man in the colony, Ellis approached his role with a meticulousness that set him apart.

The Adelaide Gaol hangman lived on‑site, partly as payment and partly for protection. His position made him deeply unpopular, and living within the walls of the gaol kept him safe from the public — and from former prisoners who might have vowed revenge on behalf of the condemned.

Ellis’s quarters were in a small apartment beneath the women’s dormitory. A newspaper report from the late 1860s described his living space as filthy, noting that small fires frequently broke out inside or near his room. Despite this, Ellis remained committed to his work.

Ellis’s record was marred by only one botched execution: that of Charles Streitman in 1877. On this occasion, Ellis was hasty and failed to follow his usual careful preparations. When the trapdoor fell, Streitman rebounded and became caught on the platform. It took 22 agonising minutes before death finally claimed him — a horrific end that haunted Ellis’s reputation.

One newspaper described Ellis as:

“a hulk of a man with alcohol blemishes on his nose, a wisp of grey hair and a shabby beard — a grumpy‑looking fellow who lived in squalid conditions.”



Ellis carried out his duties without complaint until 1873, when he was ordered to execute Elizabeth Woolcock — the first woman hanged in South Australia. Ellis protested the execution, and from that moment began questioning his role as hangman.

His discomfort grew, and before long he found himself unemployed — and unemployable. His solicitor later told the District Court that Ellis could not secure work anywhere in Adelaide due to the stigma of his former occupation. He had become a social outcast, living on the streets.

Ben Ellis eventually died a vagrant and was buried in a pauper’s grave at West Terrace Cemetery. His life, once defined by grim duty, ended in poverty and obscurity.


  Today, it is alleged that Ellis haunts the Adelaide Gaol. A spirit matching his description is often seen near the old bakery and in the tunnel connecting the main gaol to the New Building yard. Whether this is truly the ghost of Ben Ellis or simply a lingering echo of the gaol’s dark past, the sightings continue to add to the building’s long and unsettling history.

© 2015 - Allen Tiller