New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-10

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| THE INPLtCTION or CirITAL PUNISH
MENT.
| man sentenced 10 die for murder wns
slowly pirnnglcd IN lIrooklyn the other day 10
the great horror Of all who witnessed anu oil
| who lcnd Of thG execution. An almost similar
occurrence took place IN Mnrylnnd on The entnc
| day, and during the year many such laundering
executions nre recorded when they occur
there IN n spnsm of disgust aud anger, and then
the matter Ii dropped. II IL time that tho pub
| lie came 10 some sensible conclusion on the sub
jcct. II II IL desirable that the infection Of
capital punishment should be terrifying, then
there ought to be systematic arrangements To
that end In such case the old method of draw
ing and quartering might DE revived or we
might torture our criminals slowly at the stake
rs the Indians, our predecessors, used to do In
deed there are many ways by which the inilic-
ton of capital punishment could be rendered
more terrifying, if that is really the wish and
desire of the public. On the other hand, ii the
American people have ceased to believe that
mere rgor and cruelty are deterrens; if they
have come to believe that the protection Of
society is the only justification for taking
human life by legal process, and that when So
ccty deems such taking of life necessary it is
bound to perform the disagreeable duty as
swiftly and painlcssy as possible; then beyond
doubt society is under obligation to sec to
it that capital punishment is not lingering
torture.
Much might be said about the reasons of the
Anglo Saxon adherence to the gallOws. One
reason is that the punishment has degrading
associations but that reason is manIcsty dis
cordant with the temper of the century, and in
fact, like most Of the others. obsolete. The
galows, however. is certainly clumsy and
very uncertain mode of killing II cannot be
compared rs regards prOmptncSs and certainty,
with the guillotinc or the Sarrotc, for example.
The gulIotine, in fact is, save in one respect
an ideal instrument of Justice. The exception
is that it initiates the body and sheds the
blood considerations not by any means fa.ll
to its superiority, but still regarded as Oh, q
tionablc by many minds But Science stands
ready to provide Justice with a number of per-
tcc'ly expeditions, neat and notwithstanding
homicida' methods II is quite clsy 10 devise
plan 10y which the death of murderer would
be instant "a cus, and into which neither the
horrible nor the grotc,quc would enter. At
present the usage is .'... arOps. Such
revolving scenes rs that Inc execution of
Jefferson are not uncommon, and sometimes
worse things happen. \ few years ago at an
execution in California the cuprirs head was
pulled OFT Such scenes fiji the public mind
with q sense Of Indignation aoain-t tho officers
Of justice, moreover. The crime which the
capital penalty Wa 70 punish is lost sight Of.
The murderer becomes victim. And what
ever deterrent iuHuonccrmay be supposed to re-
side in capital punishment i, di--patcd.
Sach executions, Therefore, fail of all ,alptary
effect. and only produce the impression that a
judicial murder has been committed. But if
the death of the criminal were painless and
prompt: # the execution were freed from the
revolving accessories of the Gallows; if the one
thing impressed upon the public by the cere-
mony were the swift and sudden deprivation of
life under circum- tncc~ of solemn dccoum and
quiet II cannot he doubted THAT the moral
effect would be very much greater than now.
And if we accept the doctrine that society has
nothing to do with revenge, il is difficult to per
ccivc how adherence to the gallows can be ey-
cuScd or defended since it /, clear that that in
strumcnt is conspcuouSly inefficient, and that
those who die by it exposed frequently to
protractcd physical suffering. The conservatism
which cngs to a rotoriouSlv bad habit only be-
cause il is a habit, is not deserving of respect,
and in the case of the gallows this appears to be
the main explanation Of the reluctance to make
change. Such Il change, nevertheless, Is de !
mandcd in the name and interests OF clylIHa- !
;ou; and seeing that improvement in the mode !
of iuAicting capital punishment is easily ac-
ccssijc, public opinion ought to insist upon re-
form without further DELAY