The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-02-06
EXECUTIONS IN OHIO.
How Ind Where the Buckeye State Bane,
II CrininaIa

-~~' ~AN HhN'S' 'ht buckcye DJalc humf
II + Criminals.
According to correspond Mt Of the Ne
York I'ord, some years ago Ohio passed
law requiring that al persons condemned
dea bo exc utcd in the State prison &
Co'umbu. The law provides that COZ
deDned per ons shall bo removed at ono
q, or entence 10 the exeeuton-room, know
IN the pr. on as the "Annex,n and thor
ktpt un ii ,hc dav fixed for the execution
10 accommodate such gae is an l. on Gag
was 'onstru ted in one Of the man CORR
uers, about thirty feet long, twenty wild
and twenty high. This provided with
lew PLAIN arii les of furniture The occu
pants are ut all times under the wutchfu
eye OF q guard, who seat is never vacant
day or nigh The law originally provided
that tho sheriff OF the county in which The
crinc was committed should execute thf
prisoner, but after one year it was amended
making tho prison warden s1 o6lcio Statf
eZecutoner. The scaffold is in o small room
connected with the ''cage' room by q mar
row passage leading from the second story
OF the cage, and by a common doorway on
the first doorway. The first one leads out
upon tho scaffold platform.
The Ohio law provides that executions
take place between midnight and sunrise.
Tho custom is 10 Go tho hanging as soon
after midnight rs the arrangements can be
perfec ed. In order not to yurb the her
occupants Of tho cage who might be asleep.
the unfortunate man VINO is TO be hung is
taken out OF tho cage and locked in the cell
on the second tier, not dozen steps from
the scaAoid
This provision as to the hour Of execution
In TINS new law brought up serious ques-
ton when it went into effect. Under the
old liw the custom was for judges in pass.
ing tho death sentence 10 order the eXecu.
ton TO tal;c place "bctwecn the hours of
ten a. n. and two p. M" There wore two
pcron3 under such sentence whom tho law
went in;o clect Tho new law applied to
them, but The shcri1's were afraid that
hanging them ut any other time than that
spech d in the sentences would be murder.
the point was finally got around by having
the Governor respite them for few days,
when tao new law could apply without legal
difficulty
The cIocution-room proper has not more
than sixteen feet floor area. The scaffold ls
OF the simplest kind. A platform projects
out from Que of the side walls about ten
feet fom tno ground. In tho center is
single trdp-door, opening downward From
n strong iron NOOK directly over IL hangs
the moose. That is all there is TO Oho's ma
chine. The flct that there 10 only one trap
in the platform, while there is room for
three, Indicates that 1t Is not the intention
10 hang moro than one person ut tune.
When the law was new the people Of
Columbus objected strenuously TO it, They
resented the idea of "human slaughter
house" in the city, but that has all sub
sided The law limits the number Of those
present at executions TO about dozen. The
unpleasant work is done when the people
arc all asleep. There is no excitement such
A. prevail7 in tho average county seat for
days preceding an execution. There is ab- |
solute safety. Tho culprit can not get out |
nor can mob break IN. The law insures
security, certainty, decency and prompt. |
ness. 1t is a success and Is generally 70 |
recognized in the State