National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-06-25
THE GALLONS AND MODERN CIpTLE.
Z4TION

OF the eleven men who were hung in
Pennsylvania on Thursday last. ten died by
strangulation and but one was fortunate
enough to have his neck broken. The
average time consumed in choking the life
out OF the ten strangled culprits was twelve
minutes, according to the time pieces u the
attending physicians. But who can tell the
duration Of twelve minutes TO the miserable
wretches who were dangling In tho air with
the rope gnawing into their flesh, and Who
were gssping desperately for that breath OF
dear life which was slowly departing from
their boIies-dcparting forever? Capital
punishnCH t is essentially necessary for The
protection Of society, and the experience of
mankind through tho long ages that have
gone before, so Atheists; but is 1t not a stigma
upon the civilization and enlightenment of
the nineteenth century that the gallows,
that heritage of barbarous and cruel
epoch in the worlds history, should still
exist among us? Is II the manner of putting
condemned murderers to death that Is relied
upon as the real antidote against capital
crimese Does the law intend to prevent
further murders by holding up as part of
the awful example the prolonged sufferings
and excrueiating agony of its victimsH II
50 there are many forms Of death much
more terrible than that Of hanging. Broil-
| ing on q stake, the favorite method of in
quisitorial Spain in medieval times; OF cut
| ting up the body, member by member, or
throwing it from an elevation 10 n to
dash the body all to pieces, or breaking the
body on . wheel, or tying the arms and legs
| to fiery horses, starting the animals in differ
ent directions, and countless other ways, be-
sides which hanging seems luxury, would
answer the purpose much more effect
lively than the rope. If cruelty is
to be q eoncomitant of capital punish
meut, then let us substitute for the gallOws
the most cruel and horrible form of death
that can be devised. Let the inventive
genius OF the nation be consulted, and lei
the person who outstrips his fellows in de-
signing the most cruel and barbarous form
OF capital punishment, such as would have
filed the heart Of NERO with delight, bt
paid royalty for each execution, and aitei
the inventors death let the royalty extend
to his children and his children's children
forever But the law expressly disclaim.
all intention OF being cruel or vindictive
On the contrary II progresses to be both hu
mane and merclul II points proudly to it,
maxins, Better that twenty guilty ones Is
cape than that one innocent suffer" al
are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
| IL Ruafus Win sutu Jcaious anu iiBiu Sai'
the rights OF all accused persons, particu
larly those charged with capital ofienscs
that 1t really discriminates in their favor, anC
many guilty persons have frequently beel
enabled to escape through mere technicalities
II proudly points to its cOnsideratc regart
for the spiritual welfare Of the most de
PRAYED and abandoned criminals after con
yietion, aflorling them ample time and OPP
portunity for repentance and preparation
II such are the laws principles why subiec
a human being to n process by which III
suffers understandable agony Tor periO'
ranging from twelve to twenty minutes be
fore the soul leaves the body when the sam
object can be accomplished in less than on
seeoHd Even in Spain, Il country so far il
the rear OF the Anglo-SaXon nations in al
most everything else, has distanced all com
petition in its mode Of infiicting capita
punishment. BY the gdTTOte' death is blood
less, painless and instantaneous, All
over IN less time than it takes to write
letter of the alphabet. There is an absenc
OF the violent scenes witnessed at some q
the executions which have taken place dur
ing the past year AS for instance in Con