The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-05
A HIDEOUs SPECTACLE.

Every now and then the world is shocked
by some awful occurrence at the execution OF
criminal by the old and barbarous custom
Of hanging. 1t is safe to assume, however,
that never before since men were legally
strangled to death by a rope has 80 utterly
revolving and hideous spectacle been wit
messed as greeted those who Friday last saw
the execution of the colored murderer Stone
at Washington, DC.
The accounts In the regular dispatches were
bad enough. but the following extract from
the Washington special in the New Orleans
Times Is especially horrible:
A most ghastly scene occurred at the jail.
when Stone was executed to- day for murder.
At the fall of the drop Stone was decapira rated i.
his head being entire,y severed from the body
and dropped out OF the q oose about minute
after the body fell: As the head fell the black
| cap came of and the sight OF the head with n
gaping mouth and open eyes and five or six
feet away from the body writhina, is one the
spectators will never forget or think Of without
Blood from the severed jugnlar vein gushed
forth as II impelled from small fire engine.
and spattered over the spectators twenty feet
on. The whole scene was horrible.
This scene, 1t seems to u.s. ought to give the
most ardent advocates Of the barbarous sys-
tenn OF hanging pause; and should direct the
attention OF the public generally to the neces-
sity of changing the manner OF capital pun
ishment. Gov. Wiltz In his inaugural mes
sage wisely directed the attention of the Gen.
eral Assembly to the cruel manner In which
the death penalty Is now inflicted. He de-
clared that, when a criminal forfeits his life
under the law as penalty for atrocious
crime, the law ought to be satisfied
fully with the taking of the life.
All needless pains and horrors In taking the
life OF the laws victim should be avoided
The torture of execution Is no part Of the PEN
atty, and to that extent 1t Is unnecessary
illegal and inhumane From the moment
capital sentence Is passed upon a criminal to
the moment his life Is taken, all inf1iction of
suffering upon him Is unwarranted cruelty.
Many ways are known to modern science by
which instantaneous and certain death to
capital felon may be caused by means In
reach of every executive officer of the law.
For the sake of humanity and decency an en-
lightened code should prescribe some other
and less barbariou method of execution than
that OF stranglng the culprit to death with a
rope. method often attended with prolonged
and intense suffering to the victim. Forfeit
aAC VI AllC pdGioICS Ill lull tl5 dWLul
demanded by the law; previous and In addi-
tion to this all infiction OF pain Is unjust and
inhumane"
These words are peculiarly appropriate on
this occasion, and we believe voice the senti-
ment OF a large majority of those who have
given the subject any reflection. We re-
produce them now In order that our legis-
lators may give them such consideration as
ther wisdom deserves, and. II possible, devise
some more decent and humane method Of
disposing Of such criminals as forfeit their
life to the State. We do not believe that
capital punishment should be abolished,
but we do believe that 1t is time the old and
hideous method of hanging should give way
to some system less abhorent to mankind
Almost anything would be better than pro-
cess which renders possible such hideous
scene as was witnessed In Washington on
Friday. The garrote, the guillotine, the
military execution; any and all of them are
preferable to the old and shocking custom Of
hanging. The main thing is certainty of pun
ishment. Let the criminal know that he must
and will inevitably suffer the extreme penalty
of the law, that he must give "a life for a
life, and the particular manner of his taking
off will not matter SO much. Science can
readily point out some certain and inexpensive