The New York herald., 1879-12-01
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
MODES OF EXECUTION DISCUSSED AND PoPu-
LAR FALLAcIEs ExPLoDED--rHE ADMINIsrRA-
TIoN OF CHLoRoroRM SUGGESTED

LAR FALLAcIEs ExpLoDED--THE ADMINIsrRA-
TIoN OF cHLoRoroRM SUGGESTED.
No. TX FRANKLIN STREET.
BALTIMORE. Nov. "a. 1875
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
long and intimate acquaintance with death as It
is met with in hospital life led few years since
to institute careful comparative study of the rela
tive time and mode of death in the different forms
of execution to-day sanctioned and practised by CIV
ilized nations. These studies. carried on at home
and abroad and pursued where occasion offered
beyond the scafold. have led to the detection
of certain errors. hitherto universally accepted
truths. in regard to each of tho common
methods of executing criminals The origin
of capital punishment. though. not like crime as
old as humanity is probably coeval with society.
The early methods of putting criminals to death
Infinite in their variety the varying habits
and tastes OF the different communities among
whom tha death penalty was enforced. But how
ever dissimilar in other respects the ancient forms
OF capital punishment possessed one striking stmi
larity IN common-the universal practice Of subject.
ing the criminal to as much preliminary torture
the human frame was thought capable of bearing
All the museums of Europe bear witness to this
universal barbarism. which died natural death at
no remote period of history. To-day there ara
practically but three forms of execution in use
hanging. decaptation teither manual or mechan.
call and shooting. Shooting. which In almost
entirely confined to military organizations. ]
shall not consider minutey. because the objections
which can be urged against hanging and dacapita.
ton apply with tentod iorce against shooting. on
account Of the uncertainty of its application. and
because the modification urge is equally applca-
BILE to all forms of execution. not excepting CARROT
ing pracised in Spain. Tho term capital punish
ment indicates in it's derivation that it is the head
cndeavor to attack. from the generally accepted
idea that the head. containing the brain. 10
the most vulnerable part of the body; but .
little reflection will show that the brain is not
directly and Immediately affected either in hanging
decapitation. First let US minutely study tho
modus operandi Of hanging. What is the time and
manner of death? The time Is variable the mode ID
uniformly strangulation more less rapid.
as moro less oxygenated blood reaches
and traverses the brain. The interruption of the
respiration is only mediate in its effects upon life
We could comfortably dispense with its function
altogether If we could be supplied with oxygen and
eliminate carbonic acid gas by some other means.
Indeed for this of existence such is really
the case In all of stranguation. therefore.
whether tho neck be broken or not. we die not be-
cause VIC cannot get air, but because poisoned
by the non-elimination and storing up in the brain
OF carbonic acid gas. The duration of consciousness
in this form death is in direct proportion to the
rapity of the action Of the poison while the acute.
ness Of pain in the inverse ratio to both. That
to say. slow strangulaton Is not altogether un-
pleasant form of death. Drowning is probably the
slowest mode OF strangulation aud yet persons who
have been rescued from imminent drowning uni
formly testify that after certain point their
t:ons altogether pleasant Again. many sucileu
have been found in positions which they could not
have maintained had their deaths been painful.
PAINLESS sTRANGULATIoN.
Men have been found tied to the door knob, with
their knees upon the floor and other men have hung
for supposed murders. simply Oh account Of this
strang gulation. Any one can demonstrate the truth
OF this assertion no Will lean his neck upon cord
or rope IN such ana Way az v =, ssny me
impending the circulation of the blood through the
brain. Such an experiment. il thoroughly tried.
will almost inevitably lead to unintentonal suicide.
Within u week OF q recent hanging in London four
boys have killed themselves by playing at hanging.
l do not for u moment hold that the entire pro-
cess is a pleasant one-far from it, 1t is
only when the action of the poison begins
that conscious % pain tn ana %nsn en-. the the
boundary line Is easily passed. 1t has always been
the endoavor Of hangmen to break the neck OF tho
Grimm Il from this same mistaken idea. While the
attempt is laudabe, death undoubtedly does take
place litto more rapidly yet it cannot be proved
than he would have dono had mis- neck not been
broken. There is. Of course. no sensation Of any
body body to which are distributed the nerves emerging
the spine below the point Of fracture or dslo.
cation. Il is this entire ire, absence OF % volun-
tins form Of hanging apparently so much
easier than the other. The sensations Of the
criminal alike in both and the duration Of
Consciousness identical in each. In accidental frac-
turo OF the spine when often happens. the break
age occurs below the insertion of the nerves which
control the respiration aud circulation, have
| remained conscious variable length Of time. ex-
tending often over weeks. and sometimes even have
soutely instantaneous, and that the slower form IL
not necessarily the more painful I believe have
Ao,, ataA I'm io 1snlA
gard to decaptaton. Leaving out Of considers
ton the old clumsy and more or less un-
1 DENY that death by the guillottne is in.
stant.n The severance Of the head from the
der essentially Mt all from that form Of hanging in which
the neck is broken; but as regards the head and
brain. what takes place? The man dies when the
brain is drained OF the blood contained at the
ment the head is severed. do not hold that he Is
conscious until the last drop OF blood has left tho
brain. tor the Wis tergo the propusive power Of
the leart absent. OF the blood will stagnate
and remain; but there is no proof that he Is not
%ooq0 ppoof that ' he is. This can be easily shown
with chicken. 1t we separate the head and watch
it closely we will always be able to detect move.
ment OF the eyelids contraction and dlatation Of
the IRIS and even an opening and closing OF the
mouth. What is curious, have found that when
continue q perceptibly longer time than when
sever 1t quickly with q knife or The explains
ton OF this is smple-a torn or twisted artery beeds
slowly. IL at all.
1t will be urged that this theory OF death by de-
capitation completely ignores the theory Of reflex
acton-and admit that with no better illustrations
than these cannot hope to prove these apparently
sentient movements to be due to anything moro than
simple reflex action But there many recorded and
some authenticated cases of these Same motions
perceived in human heads, after separation from
the body. We are generally inclined to look upon
all such tales idle legends, but they not
sarly and there Is no sufficient reason to doubt
the possibility of the heads instantaneously
articulating when the line of severance has been
below the nerves and muscles Of articulation. We
have all read the story OF the execution OF Sir
Kenelm Digby-how, when the exccutioner. ~ was
the custom In those days. held tho head In the air
before the assembled multitude and said, This 10
the head Of a traitor" tho lips answered. You
lic." Such q scene, while improbable. IL
not impossible. for strong will. know
ing what to occur, might nave ar
ticulated the words in the instant OF con-
sciousness left TO him. Again the check of Marie
Antoinete reddened with anger when slapped BY tho
executioncr These sentient movements cannot be
explained by the theory Of reflex action. A good
illustration Of purely reflex action was seen in Paris