Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-10-15
japanese Executions.

Speaking about executions" said
, stranger at the courthouse yesterday,
"as far as | can see, the mere fact of
hanging, the way il is done here, does
not require a great amount of courage.
Indeed, | think man has very little
courage who could not go through with
the short ceremony necessary. After
the trap falls the victim, as we have
every reason 10 believe, becomes I'M
conscious Immediately, and does not
suffer even rs much rs the strain upon
the systems of the persons looking on.
The only agony is that borne in getting
ready. aud ceases when tho real work
commences. When it was the custom
to fix the rope in such manner that
the neck of the criminal was broken,
there was more of n contortion OF the
muscles of the body, but the present
system even lessons that. i happened
to get admitted TO the recent execution
of George Jones', and i must say l was
impressed with the extreme sickness
of the work. Every thing was done
that could lessen the suffering, and the
contortions were slight at first and only
lasted u short time. | cant help but
contrast the system here and the one
uscl in Japan, where | visited some
timo ago. Ii the people who arc OPP
posed to capital punishment onaccount
of cruelty and suffering would witness
an execution there and compare the
two they would get an idea of what q
barbarous' execution Is. While / was
in Yokohama l witnessed the public OK
ecution of n criminal. He was fine
looking japanese, in the prime of youth
and strength, and was standing under n
huge post, in the middle of u posse of
guard. The post had cross-piece.
Nearly nude he was standing erect, but
as motionless as statue, and gazed
straight before him. Presently his
iailers moved aside, and gaunt,
repulsive-looking native, the ex-
ecutioner, made his appearance,
clad from head to foot in q dress of
dngy yellow. Two assistants ac-
companled him, carrying half dozen
round bamboo rods. The assistants
dropped the rods and stretched the
criminals hands over the crossplece
of the post. The eXecutioner now dali
lied with the bamboos, and the poor
creature still looked into the shadowy
distance as though ho was dumb. 1
watched him closely and thought 1 de-
tected pallor spread over his counte-
nance. The eXecutioner now spat on
the pointed end of one of the bamboos,
and with twisting, pushing motion
thrust it easily into the flesh about
halfway between the hip and the arm
pit. The poor wretch turned and
looked at his tormentor, and his lips
slightly opened, but he did not strug-
gle. In couple of minutes, though it
seemed longer, the bloody point OF the
instrument emerged from the sufferer S
shoulders, and slight exclamation of
satisfaction escaped the crowd. Then
the exccutioner went to tho other side
with another bamboo and did the same
thing. During all this there was not
a single groan or cry for mercy from
the man. At this juncture, to my sur
prise, the cXecutioner and his assistants
picked up the remaining bamboos and
walked away. | inquired what they
meant and was told that the execution
was over. IL was customary to leave
the man that way, and he would die
in couple of hours or SO. The BAN.
boos would remain in him until he had
expired. A japanese eXecutioner is
taught to carefully avoid the vital or
gans so rs not to bring death too
quickly. ard the executioner's reputa-
ton is gagged by the length of time his
victim lives. / tell you that is the kind
of an execution that takes nerve, both
on the part of the victim and the
crowd, and the ones like the last, and
| also that of Tuesday next, are tame af-
fairs compared with my japanese eX.
perience. PdSJnrgh Leader.