Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-01-20

CHLoRoFoRa IN HANGINGs.-Chlorofor OF
'.ether is used to relieve pain in almost every
operation where it can be of service, not alone
in surgery, dentistry. but even in burglary
where the application of a sponge to the nose
spares the victim the unavailing anguish OF
witnessing the loss of his property. But one
OF the most sensible applications of anestbetic
agents, and one which would save the commu.
nifty from such terrible exhibitions of the fear
OF death as characterized the execution OF
Donnelly, IS here suggested in the Musical
World, paper edited by r. S. Willis:
All the music we can hear will not Danish
from our minds the horrible consciousness that
the hangman's work is busily going on Just
now-it will not stiAe in our ear the death
rattle OF strangled men who are perishing on
the scafold: The day appointed for the exc
cution of human being is always bitter one
TO us-chiefy, perhaps, because the execution
seems so very coldblooded Of course, execu-
tlons must be. We cannot all be garroted and
shot and mangled in the public streets. But
our mind, while admitting the necessity of
blood for blood, and deeming it fortunate,
withal, for the public veal, that the Governor 5
pardoning power is not invested in ourselves.
cherishes kind of fixed idea as to possible
mitigation OF physical suffering, which Shall be
quite compatible with the strictest exactions of
justice.
=, "hat the community requires is the life of
the culprit-is it not? 1t does not demand a
certain amount of accompanying agony and
torment. We are not Spanish in1uisitors, nor
SePoys- We wish simply to put poor wretch
astds; in order that for this world, and to the
view, and to the detriment Of his fellow-crea-
lures, he may be-nO more.
"Bat-xky nat do This rurrrffykfu9 -Wbv
couple with the taking of life an amount of tor
inent In the life-taking not necessarily involved
IN the sentence nor required for the ends of
justice, Modern science has discovered n
blessed opiate for physical suffering-even for
that prolonged strangling when the knot ,un-
fortunately slips around to the back of the
neck, or the cord catches the wretch above in
stead OF below the Adams apple
. For all such contingencies as for any con-
tingency, chlOroform and ether are at hand.
Let the black cap be an ether cap Torment
not the poor wretch even with q sight of his
scatold. Let him, in the decent privacy of his
cell, murmur his last prayer and bid a final
adieu to the light Of this wOrld-let him there
receive the consultations Of absolution, or hear
the last word of prayed-fo forgiveness. Then.
on his couch let this image of his Maker find
shelter from impending suffering i'm the fore
shadowed darkness of death. and let his first
consciousness, after the black cap is drawn
over him, be in that dread Hereafter, into
which he has been painlessly ushered
But if not in his cell, and if dying speeches
always mua be made, and the bitter cold of
winter, which vividly anticipates to the wretch
his deathchill, must often be endured-at least
when " time il up, let chair support him,
while the black cap brings to him that blessed
oblivion, which will last him through the dark
passage.
No longer then, let US, Shylock like, prac-
tlcally insist upon the blood and the proud
o. mesh, both-let US be content with the for
fcited life, and mcrcifully remit the agony