Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-11-20
A NEW MODE OF EXECUTION.
The Use OF CarbonIc Acid as HUI
name Substitute for Hanging.

DIR. Samuel W. Abbott, Secretary OF
the Massachusetts, ; ate Board of
Health. contributes TO the Boston Medl-
cal and Surgical Journal an interesting
paper relative to substitute for hanging,
some better and more humane method
of Intlicting the q, ath PENALTY. In the
present state of scientific knowledge of
the nature and effects upon the human
system OF electricity, DIR. Abbott is not
prepared To accept IT as h best substi
tuts at hand, saying OF eX. eriments
which have been made: 1T would ap-
pear from the results that q ere n e
serious hiI ORANGES TO the adoption of
this subtle agent" Without con-
slderiny the main question rs 10
whether some othe= method should
take the place Of hanging, DIR.
Abbott says that IL u change l. t!csIrsi-
ble, I'm C .rb.uic oxide we pusS-sS such
an agent, which has tie pr,p,-r,y of
Destroying rapidly and rainlvs-ls when
properly admIri-tes ell. - lie refers to
the writing of DIR. B W. Richardson OF
London, who, several years ago, brought
this method 10 puJlic mott, e ( T the des-
tructiOn Of small domestic animsls,
such as dogs and cats, and especially to
Dr. Richardson's statement that T,0OJ
such animals had been DESTROYED in
London III a Few months p: eyious 10 the
doctors article ON painless Extinction
of Life. DIR. Abbott says carbonic
oxide may be made from charcoal at
small cost or it may be obtained more
cheaply still from the street
mains or any coal and water gas
company. Water gas he considers
preferable 10 coal gas since it contains
from four to five times as much car
bonic oxide and would, therefore, be
more rapid and fatal in its act on He
saws: "An atmosphere of p to 81 per
cent. of carbonic oxide. as in the case
of water gas, or still better, one of 80
per cent. or more, as may be made
t, ON charcoal would undoubtedly de-
stroy human life in less than two min
utes without pain" He has himself
used a mixture about per cent. with
air, with perfect success i'll destroying
small animals in from one to one and
one half minutes without the appear
ance Of pain.
DIR. Abbott goes to show that the
apparatus for the execution may be of
the simplest and most inexpensive kind.
and suggts SITS tight wooden box, feet
square and feet high, tightly fitting
door, an aperture for admitting gas
pipe of liberal size for applying rapid
supply of gas under ordinary pressure
from the street mains, and a smaller
apera ure TO allow of expulsion OF the AIR.
III a higher percentage of carbOnic oxide
i, desired, a small charcoal furnace
would be required for generating it and
storing It temporarily. as in the case of
DIR. Richardson's lethal chamber. OF
this method DR.. Richardson says:
compared with other methods OF extin-
gushing animal life. such as hanging,
drowning, poisoning by prusSic aci',
shooting, stunning, the lethel method
stands far ahead on every ground or
practical readiness. certainly hu-
manity." In summing up, Dr- Ao-
bott claims for carbonic oxide the ad-
vantages Of painless death, rapid ac-
ton and sSouonIy. In respect 70 t1s