The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-10-06
Capital Punishment.


The n Y. Commercial praises the report
Of Mr. Sanford late Consul to Paris, on
the condition of penal law in continental
Europe, with analysis of the codes of some
Of its principal States.
the crimes punishable with death in
France under the existing code are--lst,
High treason; I'd, Exciting to civil war ;I
81, Se'lacing the troops from their duty 81
4th, Csurpation of any of the rights Of the
executive; 9Th, Conspiracy of public func-
tionarics against the internal safety of the
State: 9th, Blows or wounds inflicted OH a
public agent with intent to kiD when he
is in the performance of his duties It'll,
Murder; Sth Parricide 9th Infanticide :;
10th. Scquestration Of any person, accom-
panied by physical torture 18th, Perjury
or bribery of witnesses, when it results in
sentence of death !; 18th, Arson, when it
consists in burning an inhabited or habi-
table building.
The code of 1852 diminished the liability
to capital punishment for these offences by
extending to the jury the right of declaring
the existence of eXtenuatiny circumstances
in which case the punishment was commu-
ted The mode Of capital punishment, FAC
cording to article IL, is decaptation. In
cases of parricide the punishment is aggra-
waited by the criminal being compelled to
walk barefooted to the scaffold clothed only
in shirt, with black veil over his head,
and being exposed on the scaffold while the
sentence of condemnation is read. The en-
ccution of capital punishment is public, and
takes place m one of the public squares
which is designated in the sentence. In case
OF pregnancy, the execution of woman
must be postponed till after her delivery
In Russia, capital punishments are death,
hard labor, "cOlOnizing" in Siberia, and col
onizing beyond the Caucasus. When the
person condemned to death is noble, the
sentence can only be executed when con-
tirmed by the Senate the council of State,
and the Emperor The procedure is docu-
mentary, the right of defence not recog-
nized, but the accused can present petition
to the court through a sort of agent, who
has not the consideration or position of
counsel
In Austria, the punishment Of death is
executed by hanging. High treason, muir
der, &c, are capital offences 1t is a pc
culiarity of the penal system of this empire,
that when an Austrian commits crime in
foreign land he is nevertheless punished
according to the prescriptions of the Aus
trian code and when he has been already
punished where the crime was committed,
he receives, if that punishment was less than
laid down in the laws of Austria, the addi-
tional punishment, On his return.
In Spain, capital punishment is executed
in public, on day which is neither feast
day of the church nor of the nation. The
criminal is clad in black mantle and drawn
in cart to the place of execution, accom-
panied by a public crier, who repeats the
sentence in loud voice the manner of ex-
ecution is by the garotte, or strangulation
by means Of the Tightening of an iron band
which passes round the neck it is aggra-
waited for the parricide and for the regicide.
In the last case the criminal is mounted on
an ass and led to the place Of execution; he
is clad in yellow mantle and cloak, both
spotted with red The execution of the
regicide takes place the same hour of the
day as the commission of the crime.
In Prussia, High treason, murder, and
all crimes resulting in death are punished
capitaly The mode of execution is by de-
capitation, in private, in an enclosed space.