The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-23

Vision OF n GaIlows ana Tive Swinging
Figures on n Rainy Day.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Str: 1t
is quite useless, Of course In the existing state
Of public sentiment, to lift up ones feeble voice
against the execution Of the death penalty by
hanging; and should not trouble myself, as to
the Dolan affair reported In your columns this
morning, to enter an unavailng protest, were 1t
not that, from experiences Of my own, am
firmly convinced of tho morbid nervous tenden-
clcs attendant upon witnessing executions, and
even upon pcrusa Of their details as pictured by
the graphic hand OF the practlced reporter.
have met persons on whom such spectaclcs ope-
rated as n morbid nervous stimulant, and who
would walk leagues rather than miss being
present at the execution OF murderer Just as
| have met old ladies' who would regard II as a
real deprivation to miss a funeral for leagues
about, and have been heard To complain dole
fully when two funerals happened on the same
For myself. have reported. a number in tho
course OF a long service as daily journalist and
| verify believe that executions are sclf-perpetu-
ating -self-perpetuating because murders, by
some strange psychological law, can often DO
traced TO the morbid lhctntlOn euu the almost
uncomfortable nervous sympathy that such
spcctacles engcndcr. was present at the exc
cution Of Gonzales and pclicer in the Raymond
street iail-yard, brooklyn. IL was still,
semi-daiikcned, rainy afternoon, or, rather,
1t drzllcd and mlsted Ia place OF rain
ING ns III sourhow the weather was holding
iis bTsaih and waiting for the AFFAIR 10 10 over
before proceeding to business and, to
strengthen the fancy that such was the case,
/
contained the Dennis Of the event had subsidized,
II came down in earnest Tor few minutes, and
dripped drcarily from the Ilack crOss-beam, and
from the black figures with clowns caps on
their heads though the caps were as black as
the rest. And as the drops gathered into larger
drops and fell steadily upon the platform. ncry-
Gus as / was. and sick nj heart. their deyilsh
tattoo worked Its way into my brain In such a
manner that | have lost since then one Of the
Ilca-autcst things In lifc-that Of listening to
raindrups. ] saw them hanging there. aid broke
! into a raruXy-m of nervous laughter that
In low tones, and the bullet-headed eNecutioner,
and made the latter look calculatil-y at my
neck since then q bubble Of happy laughter
| has an inhibtlng Influence on the optic nerve
! ! dread to laugh or hear the sweetest laughter
for see myself sitting In Jail yard in the rain,
me with their feet. and deputies wondering why
! a man should laugh when lac wasn't tckled.
| Iut that is not the worst Of IL. No matter
! where am, or In what agreeable society, with
! any sodden dnrkening Of the atmosphere. as OF
| the sun passing behind cloud, see two blac,
| figures swinging under black crOss-bcam "a few
! feet from my eyes. 1t Is not a mere recollection
| Of the thing, with lis attendant mental spectre
| but a vivid reproduction external to myself
such that the gallows and the figures swinging
! To and fro in the rain are actually before me a-
they were that day, an, and that night, too foI
what terrible dreams had, with thick set
! clean-sha,en man, Nearing sun rOund-crown-
! cd hat. hitting ia and out Of box, and taking a
| specially demOmiac delight in making "A Clatter
| And after each claitcr came black cruss-bcam
| Of terrible dimensions and two limp but gigdn.
| tic figures suspended from II 10y cords ridcL
! lousy too small 90 AauS giants with. y thou
sand things operate ~ reminders. sometimes
| when am partlcu larly nervous, a trausou over
the door. or long black sigu-Ooard. or the sight
OF man very thicA,necked and Dullei-headed
or a round-crowucd hat exposed In "A halter
| window brings on the horn hle vision, and II
shut my eyes see IL all the more.
| The result Is. sir, that / am haunted man
and alNay. expect to bc so as luug Is ! live and
| ! am firmly convinced that there are others VIII,
are similarly haunted BY nervous pictures of the
same kind. Why not execute with hemloch
lcNtIact of clll4u as the Greeks did. ia place VI
] n % u. b
| logical application OF anpsthesiaY Why not LET
/ condemned imam pas. into awful and uenaclnl
J ,l4cLcc rDm tile m linent 81 sentence con-
/ tcuc. cir. That Ath-ing IS picturesque terri j.,
/ picture i.e-sata-Cly so. | sea two black liz
I ufc- swing ng ia the rain at this moment, and
/ shall see them all night long and yuu can read
! ily imagine how, ln many Compartments, 4 NOR
+ bad impression Il this Kind may pass into a NOR
bad impulse and impc! irrcs study to the tragedy
/ by which IL was cU-eudcrcl.
/ FRANCIS GERRY FAIRFIELD.
NEW York, April -. 1873.