The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-08-12

lDs. kseAarfso1 tn Ascieyiac
While executions still continue. there
- nothing ia the present ard sonz-es-
tabii shed plan Of carrying them oas
which needs be changed. II the pro-
cess be considered brutal. It i no.
more brutal than the spirit 81 the act
sfsesf. al attempts 70 refine which can
not add % lis efficacy a. . deterrent
Of crime The process Of hanging locks
brutal without beng actually 10.
since the age OF Aorzsgni the question
now nnder dl.csssSs0n has teen con-
riierea. and the opinion Of the b~~s
informed pAysioisgists then and sir,re
then has zixays been that death by
sfrAnxzl4tion, or by Suspension. +
practically painless mode OF death
Persons who have recovered from the
uneonsciou ness produced by stranvv.-
iation have testified completely on this
point. and that the old and LEGAL
method OF death b. Suspension. &C.
cordiBg 70 the terms of the ius!irisl
sentence. sho1ld. a. the Instance of
any ignorant or common officer who
mag carry out the sentence. have ever
beea changed for tae long drop. or
death By an excrue iating and cruel
the house of commons ought 10 put e,
the secretary Of state for the home
department, who IS charged with the
duty Of directing that the Iax. be il
good OF bad, why the gentle, though
Il may seem prolonged, extinction Of
he b. hanging sholIsl not be restored
While death il the national punish
Enent for murder, this national mode
OF vindicatIng the Law Is also the most
rational. Making the method OF
execution more scientific, If il he right
% degrade science by 20 connecting
her risi izing powers with such dearad-
ing and ignorant work, is simply to
pus Ie1iiHfn on crime itself.
since ! set up lethai chamber for
the painless extinction 81 the lives oil
the lower animals have more than
once met persons. not strictly insane,
but In morbid states OF mind, who have
looked on the iethal easy death as a
prospect OF reiease from life so inyit-
ingiy pleasant that IL such mode of
death we're TO he adopted as the ma
tionai plan OF capital murder they
would not hesitate IN some of their
worst moods u kill, that they might
be killed. since the seyerest fate that
could happen would be a death
brought TO the painiessness OF pleasure.
Death by the electric shock would con-
vey 10 minds Of this stamp the same
anticipation, bat would not necessarily
produce the same certain result. In
some rese sTehes on the application OF
the electric discharge for the painless
extinction Of the Ewes Of animals to be
used as food, the details OF which | re-
corded IN the Medical TTaes aud Gasstts
for the year lsfD, this mode of death
was anything but certain in its effects.
sheep stricken apparently into in
slant and irrevocable death by cleo
tricity, after a few minutes showed
signs of life. and If they had not been
Ill patched in the ordinary way BIZ the
knife would have been restored to con-
scioasness. The same fact has been
seen in attempts - kill dogs by electric
shock. and there was once published
an instance in which a large dog.
struck into perfect unconseious ness
By the stroke OF powerful hatfery.
was submitted % surgical operation
while lying, to all Appearance, dead,
and was as yet SO little affected as 10
make an easy and sound recovery. 1t
need no, ha inferred from such fact
a. these tia. he si@...' ''- s.Iock will not
kill at one discharge most eases it
viii kill-but, exceptionally. instead of
killing outright, it viii simply stun.
and may induce the semblance OF
death instead OF the real death.