The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-11
MORBID HORROR HUNTERS.
'e Thousands of Persons Who Want
 to See Hangings.
New York Sun.

t4&C tO eftACtlA AlONC fCAlltllS t1 N4t-
 ess the hanging of Augustus D. Leigh
 pn- One of those applications was made
 N person who looked like gentleman.
 nd said that he desired the peFm.ssian
 pr lady. In the country. on a few ocea-
 aons. women friends of sheriff or J.aii-
 rs family have been smuggled into a
 prison to witness an execution from be-
 bind partly blinded windows: but that d
 Homan should want to enter lail-yard
 lmong a throng of men to see d man
 banged was regarded as yeD unusual
 he popular desire eyinecd to see Sindram
 banged was 50 per cent. greater than that
 roked by the hanging of Leighton. and
 here was also rush for tickets when
 Pietro Balbo ~as hanged.
 The law relieves the sheriff of much ot
 he disagrccable necessity of saying na tu
 possible voters who come to make requests
 or such favors. as II restricts to certain
 barrow limits his right of admission. He can admit only two doctors. Two clergy
 men. dozen citizens 10 attest tim, the hanged man Is dead. and such number .i dcputy sheriffs as he deems necessary fos the occasion. There Is no provision ior reporters, and they have to be admitted. !; admitted at all. bs the sheriff favor. So II is very easy for him or his representa- live 10 tell applicants that hls list oi depu- ties IS already full. But even after beng bold this, applicants continue to plead. and Zgivc reasons why they wan, Io see the Banging. and why exceptions should tc ltnade in their Case. There k na prepan- deranee of any especial class CT nat.nn- kality among these applicants. nor are any aanFeprc>ented among them. .All surts of 4peoplc seem to have the same morbid ou-= riosity distributed about equally III their eompesiilen. and s-4 strangely powerful tine fascination Of this feeling that thau- sss7sSsS swnrs.aiv ateoic set iii i,, si;.4s,- Tan execution @iil lTHger lbou; prison ou 2 the outside stauaS !, IL walls whiic a man | xis being hanged inside They have n"l kthe remoiest hope ai scCITg aTly ;ftifs. .s. Fall unusual. or of hearing auy tilus, "; = they viii stand for hours III sunshine VI =t,.. ! storm. apparently finding centen, iu merely being in the noishbaFhaod of where human beng k Nlolentl, done io death
 Under the pre>en, Nea Ierse. la,> | number of persons permitted L. be pFcscfs a; an execution l. yer, limited. and where
 1t IS strictly enforced no reporters ale al- lowed to enter except these resident n the county where the hanging takes plaee. land who may consequently hc legal.y IT. 5pointed deputy sheuris. In many place. Fin the south executions are still either al- &together public. or practically sa. by ie..- %son of the great numbers allowed te he 8preseu,. even where there is such < ,hns s as nominal legal restriction: and n ,hs west. too. there is an underlying stratum
 of popular feeling that Il savars s4tncw Id, *of injustice io Feb the multitude af q >pc 3tacle. the ces-of which must be borne h
 the whole community. But III the east the line of exclusion IS gradually drawing closer. Twenty wears ago the number II persons fct mo the Iainbs io asihe >s aa zeNecutlon XaS twice ar three lmce1@.ts great as now. and ore sheriff after anoN}CT
 has shown 4 desire to reduce he pFapdA@s \ tions of the throng of spectators. uEul d { *comparatively reasonable .imt h4s been
 reached. There Mere noi qnlie one hun.
 dred and fifty people. all told. IL the pf#, T yard when Leighton vas hanged and among them were old reporicrs wha re- 4 membered having seen nearh. Il nat quite. three times iha, number there up9n previous occasions.
 A gentleman who has glVen cee;assricr7t- ble attention to ,he subject of penologv. speaking the other day upon this matter of semi-public executions. sad: This l morbid taste for the horrors of judicial killing will maintain and increase and inevitably breed disregard for the sanelie of human lie. and ID the lower classes d spirit of emulation O. the assassin ,, brayado so long a> .a hero is made ot every scoundrci who wins his deser,s upon the gallows. Of course the press wlil continue to print accounts of hangings 90 long as il Is enabled to graiiiy the existing popular demand fe5 ,ha; soTt q. reading msa;tef. If one paper does not do II. another wIll and So all must do II. The only way 10 pu, stop 10 II Is by sealing up the foun- tain of such news. l an not friend of she abolition of capital punishment. for l dc not believe in any wretch having II in his power. by the perpetration of ! hcinous crime. to make himself burden upon the community for the rest of his natural life. But even life imprisonment oi murdereTs
 would bc better ln it's moral effect, al lcas;
 than this existing system of hanging them
 have vaguely outlined in my mlnd but
 not yet reduced to form for urging upon
 the attention of our legislators. what be-
 iie,e would be a grea, reform. In brict
 Ii is this: From the time person supposed
 to be the perpetra;or Of murder i> ar
 rested until his trial is concluded le, hum
 be kept in solitary confinement. e>cep,
 when his presence Is actually required in
 court. and ngidly secluded from all visitors
 except his counsel Lei t further be made
 a grave misderneanor for any depui,
 sheriff or prison otficial to make know n
 to any reporter or other person anl thing
 whatever of the prisoners health. habits.
 conversation. ar aught else concerning
 him, except when required for purposes
 cf justice, by order of the coun having
 jurisdiction in the case: and any official
 violating that instruction to be punished.
 not only by fine and imprisonment but by
 expulsion from office and disqualification
 for return to t. Then. Il the man IS con-
 tiemned to death let his ss-n.r..ce rt.n