Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1877-06-30
table men recommended to fill their
The GallOWs and the MOllie. Ma
guires
guires

Pennsylvania OH the 14tll inst, ten
Of whom died by strangulation. The
average time in choking the breath
out ofthc wrctcllcd culprits the mails
tell us was twelve minutes, according
to tho timc-picccs of The attending
physicians. But who can tell the
duration Of twelve minutes to the
miserable creatures who we're dang
ling i'll the air with the rope gnawing
into their flcsh, and who we're gasp
ing desperately for that breath Of
dear life which was slowly departing
from their bodies-,lcparting forever {?
Capital punishment is essentially ne
ccssary for the protection Of society
and The experience Of mankind,
through long ages, so nttcsis; but is
it not stigma upon The civiliza-
nation and enlightenment of the
nintccnth century that the galows,
that heritage Of q barbarous and
cruel epoch in the worlds history,
should still exist among lis f? IS it the
manner Of putting condemned muir
tlcrcrs to death that il relied upon as
the antidotc against capital crimes {?
Does The law intend to prevent fur
thcr murders by holding up rs Il part
Of the awful example the prolonged
sulicrings and c2cruciatin.s agony Of
its victims? If so there are many
more forms Of death much more ter
rible than that Of hanging. Broling
Oh the stake, or cutting up the body,
mem bcr by member, or throwing it
from an elevation so rs to dash it
to pieces, or breaking the
body on IL wheel, or tying the arms
and legs to fiery horses, starting the
animals i'll diff rent directions, and
countless other ways, beside which
hanging seems Il luxury, would ans.
wcr the purpose much more effective
ly than The rope. IF cruelty is to be
a conccnitant o. capital punishment !.
then let lis 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 let the person who ont.
strips his fellows in designing the
most cruel and barburons form Of
capital punishment, such as would
have filled the heart Of Nero with dc.
light, be paid Il royalty for each cxccu-
ton, and after The inventors death
let the royalty extend to his children
and his childrclis children forever
But the law expressly ,lisclaims all
intention Of being cruel or vin!ictivc.
On the contrary, i. profcsscs to he
both humane and mcrciful. / points
proudly to lis maxims, "Bcttcr that
twenty guilty ones escape than that
one innocent suffer" GAIL arc pre-
sumcd innocent until proven guilty"
guards with such jealous and rigid
care the rights Of all accused persons,
particularly those charged with capi-
tai oiitnscs, that it really discrimi-
mates i'll their favor, and many gully
persons Lave frequently been enabled
TO escape through mere tcchnicalties.
1t proudly points to its consideratc
regard for the spiritual welfare OF The
most dcpravcd and abandoned crimi-
nails after conviction, allor,ling them
ample time and opportunity for re.
pentancc and preparation. If such
arc the laws principles why subject
human being to Il process by which
he suffers indcscribablc agony for 4
period ranging from twelve to twenty