The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1879-12-06

Russia in q diplomatic capacity,
and have had some opportunities
of talking with Russian people.
They have by q fiction, abolished
capital punishment in Russia; that
is they pretend to have done sn.
But they have what they call the
knout. The prisoner is whipped |
to death, not with the. he.undefstand- |
ing that hc is whipped 10 death, |
but he is so whipped that all the
world knows he is not going to re-
cover 1t is horrible-simply bar
barous.''
ado you think that public exc
|cutions have amy influence in de-
terring others from crimey"
1T appears to me that the State
might dispose otits criminals in
some less ostcntatious manner.
What is the purpose of public
exhibition? it is merely to satisfy
the people that the man Is really
dead? That object might be ac-
complishcd just as well by the cer-
tiilcation Of proper officers. The
whole history OF crime shows that
such things have no dcterring
effect at all. The. more blood you
shed the more blood is shed after
ward. We have not yet recovered
from the effects OF our war, aud
we shall feel them yet for half q
century--the contempt Of life en-
gcndered by the Wholesale destruc-
tion Of human beings by cannons
swords and the mutilating Of
their limbs. Such sights never
act as detcrrents. Set up the gull
lo,ine in Union square aud destroy
ten men a day there aud you would
find murder will increase all over
the State. It familliarizes the
public mind with the destruction
Of human life, and hence crime
loses its apparent enormity."
"Wha, agents would be useful
in securing a quick, painless and
private death
"Chlorofcrm nr some powerful
poison like curaro would cause
death without pain, at least sc
physiulugiSts claim. Whe,hc
suffering is absolutely absent o
not think Is a question. Atan.
:, rate such n method seems best o
all those now used. 1t Is bette
: to give man chIoroforn AMI lc
him die. lie seemingly goes I
: sleep, and those who have awaken
:. cd from its effects declare sha
:. they have not been conscious
! any pain Now, give strongc
j dose and they die peaceful dealt!
i That certainly Is better than thos
frightful exhibitions on tho seal
"A fold iu this country--somo buns
;. ers botch q hanging and the pot
l. man falls from the scofEold, pc
!; haps two or three times faniilia
i, izing the community with the d
! struc.ion Of human life. A chill
"a in Boston, who was IN the habit
a attending slaughter houses, toe
!. such fancy to such sights that
h. went homo and slaughtered h
i, little sister in the way he had se'
~ All executions should be just
quiet aud secret as the certain
surance that the law has bcen G
forced requires. That Is oil II
is necessary. Besides clilorofol
- ~ or poison, electricity, L shou
-. ~. think, might be used, or hydrog
'.o gas might be employed"
10 "Why not use the explosive b
or 81, lot which you employ In kill
'N0 animals instantaneously ~
no "That is open to the same obi
his tion as hanging. 1t is somethl
nat manual-man killing man. 1t d
ui- not seem to be SO when life is tai
'el- away by vapor. Gould moi
I'm man be put, for instance, into
ION air tight cell aud some destruct
his uas let in while he is asleep? !
sed faucet is turned on aud the
bic enters and he never knows a
thing about it. There would
or no scene; he would 90 to bed
plight and before morning wo
is be dead. The Greeks of old v
ling allowed to rctire and take the
Tho hcmlock. This city browns
aud dogs, and death by drowning
h a painful one. Suppose the cl
half inal were put into watcrt
pine cell and there 10 left drown.
the would certainly not bo as bat
,jcc. these hangings.
the Il was once nearly drow
Q, Is myself when I was o boy. l
,oln- off the docks and had sunk t
,and when meddlesomc fellow p'
ling. me out. Ioften havc though
It ii he had Just minded bis own
very ness and let me 20 down wh
orld. world Of annoyance and trou
A of would been spared. My sensa
who were not painful. / have on
rally add that my method is better
ards. public executions and I think
have we have in this country the =