Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-04
ELECTRICITY Us. THE GALLONS

The gsllows, as . means OF usherlng
criminals out OF existence, Is time-non-
ored institution in Great Britain and the
United States. or late years 1t has been
used occasionally in Russia, as mark OF
special ignominy in the cases OF political
criminals, who were concerned in the as
sassinstion of the late Car and in at
tempts on the life Of his successor. With
this exception the two English speaking
people on opposite sides OF the Atlantic
are the only ones that use the moose and
scafold. France has the guillotile for
capital punishment; Spain the gerrote;
German-speeking countries the headmsn's
Ak; Orientals the bowstring and decapi-
tation, and the Latin Americans pow
der and bullet. Ssmi-civilized or
bsrbarous tribes, Of course, have
barbarous methods, where torture is the
chief feature. OF late years there has
been much discussion In this country
about the substitution OF some other
method of legal killing for hanging, and
it would seem that New York is about to
lead the way in this new departure. Last
week the Assembly, or lower house OF
the New York Legislature, passed bill
providing that hereafter electricity shall
be used In that state to execute con-
demned criminals. The msjority for the
bill was sstonishingly large (Ss to 81, and
indicates that the measure will undoubt-
edly pass the Senate, to which 1t must go
next, and then no doubt receive the Gov
ernor's approval. The New York BILL
provides that all executions by electricity
shall be priy'te, and that no details
shall be I olished in the newspa-
pers beyond bare account OF the &C.
currence, which will be furnished by the
officials of the prison when the criminal
is killed. This provision, it is commended,
will have 8 healthy effect upon public
morals, in that it will do away with the
morbidly sensational publications which
cater to deprsved taste and in vulgar
minds exalt the man who is killed to the
status of kind of hero. The apparatus
that will do the fatal work has already
been devised and experts in electricsl
science say its operations will be 50 swift
and sure as bolt OF lightning snd abso-
lutely painless. The doomed man will
never know what killed him. The srgu-
ment, of course, for this adaptation OF
science to such purpose, is that it does
away with the strangling and the dis
gushing scenes of horror and physic'
suffering that are SO often witnessed
at hapgings. It is quick and sure
and cheap. The state will own
the apparatus, which will be kept at one
Of the penal institutions, Albany, Sing
Sing or Clinton. Criminals sentenced to
death will be removed from the county
where convicted to that selected for the
execution of all and be killed there. II
the relations want the body 1t will be
given to them. This is sn advanced STEP
and II its workings meet with approval IN
New York it will gradually be adopted In
other states, for very few people will &c
found to urge the retention Of the gallows
as against q method thst is no more ex.
pensive and that is far more humane,
Criminals are executed as punishment
OF their crimes, for the protection OF SO.
ciety, End to deter the commission Of
crime by others. Society has no thought
or desire OF inficting any more physical
pain than may be absolutely necessary
upon the felon. 1t simply desires to XII
him and put him out OF the way. II thu
mode Of killing can be made absolutely
painless so much the better. and is is OF
this account that the scientific method
proposed by New York Is likely to find
general favor.