The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-03-21
/, Torture an. Essential Part of the Death
Penalty?

empire State, that the extreme penalty of the
law will be enforced. From to-day until the
terror OF the law has made murder unfash-
lonable, or reaction against the death PEN
atty has set in once more, the gallows is like
~ to be kept busily employed. Nor is it
probable that the present tendency toward
unrelenting severity will be confined to the
State of New York. The peculiar atrocity OF
The Isle Of Shoals murder affords an oppor-
tunity for the revival of the agitation OF the
capital punishment question which It's adVo-
Gates are not likely to neglect Ihougn tne
monstrous deed was committed by IoreIgh-
er, and the jurisdiction of this state is hKeiy
to be matter of dispute, yet it will be argued
that the wonderful recklsssness OF that MUIR
der was the direct result OF the compromise
policy, with respect to the punishment of
murder which prevails at present in Maine.
1t would not be at all surprising, were the
present executive of Maine gentleman less
distinguished for humanity, to see the gal
lows once more e.ected here. If the people
of contiguous States conclude that their only
safety is in resort to the gbbet, it will 20
hard, but some among us will insist on having
few, at least, of these great moral spectacles
in Maine.
If capital punishment is to be restored
here, a. it may be without any further legis-
lation, it is worth while to consider whether
hanging by the neck until the criminal is
thrice dead is not an unnecessarily barbarous
method OF making away with bad men. 1t is
matter of common knowledge that, in nine
cases out of ten, where an attempt is made to
braek mans neck by letting him fall with
his weight on rope attached to that part of
the pe.son the merciful intent of the execu-
tioner is defeated by the slipping of the
knot, and that there ensues a death by tor
ture, to wit, by strangulation. Now while
breaking the neck by single jerk, as the law
intends, is one of the least inhuman methods
of taking life, strangulation is one ofthe most
dreadful sources of Oriental cruelty and re-
venge. To stop the breath without at the
same time depriving the victim of conscious
ness, is to infct protracted torment beyond
the power of the Imagination to realize. 1t
may be doubted whether all of Torquemada's
refined cruelties did, on the whole, succeed in
inficting more exquisite suffering than that
which accompanies death by strangulation.
Hanging, therefore, instead of being such a
punishment as civilized nation would nat
urally adopt for its worst criminals is really
more barbarous one than those in use among
the most brutal savages.
It will, we think, be universally admitted
that tho laws of this ata do =, 4 oon+o,o,Io4o
torture as any essential part of a capital SEN
tence, Deprivation of life is regarded as an
adequate penalty for any offense, and man
who is compelled, at the laws behest, 10 pass
into another state of existence is presumed to
have satisfied the last requi; ements of the
outraged laws. All the circumstances of ter
ror and pain attending an execution are
merely incidental, and might, so far as posi-
BIZ, be removed without at all changing the
essential character of the punt ;hm ent. There
are many of us who contend that death itself,
without the added cruelty of torture, is PEN
atty society has no right, under ordinary cir
cumstances, to enforce; and however much
difference of opinion there may be on this
point, there can be few to dispute the propo-
sition thai no suffering not necessarily at
tending the infection of the ext.eme penalty
of the law, should be inflicted. That there are
n score of less cruel methods of taking life
than strangulation will not be disputed. The
guillotine, the use of an@stIetic poisons and
shooting each affords a less barbarous way of
Kidding society of its dangerous members.
Even the terrible Spanish garrote, which also
kills by strangulation, affords quicker and
hence more melciful release from torture
than the gallows. Undoubtedly there
was once theory that the public
exhibition of the writings, muscular
contractions and grinaces of man undergo
ing strangulation was calculated to exert a
salutary influence by striking terror TO the
hearts of the large number of interested spec
tators assembled to witness it. But the har-
dening and brutalizing effect of the scene was
at length found to be so marked and unmis-
taxable, that the false theory has long since
been abandoned. By express command of the
law only twelve persons are now admitted to
witness an execution as spectators, and they
must not be persons who are supposed to need
the influence of such scene to deter them
from the commission of crime.
OUR readers are already apprised of the
fact that the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers in Missouri have organized strike,
stopped work and gone about tearing up the
track of the st. Louis, Kansas City and
Northern Railway By the way of diversion
they have thrown several trains and many
engines into the bitches by placing obstruc-
tons on the road, thus making themselves
criminals of the darkest character. And
what is all this anarchy about? Simply this
and nothing more: The officers of the rail-
road employed an engineer who was not rec
ognized as member of the Brotherhood,
and proving good engine driver, they could
not discharge him at the demand of the Or
ganization. There was no question of wages,
no charge of any lack of SKILL no personal
objection to the man. 1t was simply be-
cause he was not a member of the Brother
hood. To the honor of the organization,
the Chief of the Brotherhood states that the
strike and consequent riotous proceedings is
the work of subordinate division, in viola
ton of its rules and not sanctioned by the
officers of the national organization.
THE full vote of New Hampshire for Gov
ernor, foots up as follows: Straw (Rep.)
34,023; Weston (Dem.) 32,022: Blackmer
tProhib.) 1869; Mason Lib. Rep,) 69S-
leaving Governor Straw clear majority over
all Of PA.
After the vacancies are filled by the Legis-
iatare the Republicans will have of the
councillors, of the ~ Senators and about
~ majority in the House. In the first Con-
soo '' r,,, District, Small (Rep.) has some
p;Sa p' Ipa for Congress; in the Second,
Thisa N pp, has 10 plurality, and in the
400 plurality. eiec'ed by ABOUT
SENIOR CASTELAR,, in his c;ro--,
nations on the establisbro uiar W other