News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-17
HOW THEY KILL.
THE MODES OF EXECUTION IN
VARIOUS LANDS.
Slashing Off Criminals Heads in
Japan-The Terrible Work of the
Garrotc-HOw it Feels to be
Hanged.

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of the New York Legislature, by which
the execution of criminals by hanging
is abolished and electricity employed
instead, suggests some notice of the
various modes employed to put men to
death IN obedience to the law.
Ihe guillOtine has been the favorite
instrument in use in France for the past
century. 1t derives its name from
Josephe Ignace GuillOtine, Ere ch
physician, who fiourished in the days of
the French Revolution, who suggested
the use of the instrument rs a speedy
method of getting rid of criminals, but
who was not the inventor of the
machine. 1t is composed of two up
right posts, grooved on the inside, and
connected at the top by a cross beam.
In these grooves a sharp iron or steel
blade, placed obliquely, descends by its
own weight on the neck of the victim,
who1s bound to q board laid beneath.
The machine possesses the virtues
Of speed and certainty, and thus has a
superiority over the sword and AK.
1t is curious and not generally
known fact that the first guillotine was
constructed after designs of q recorder
at Strasburg, Tobias Schmitz, manu-
facturer of what is often another instru-
VI WI PIIIIOs CuUil 1OiA IDS
guillOtine had not been improved. 1t
resembled the scaffold used in America.
flight of steps led up to a platform,
which was surrounded by O. railing.
The object was to let everybody see.
The criminals called it the A66aye de
Monte-0-Regret. That is an abbey which
separated them from the rest of the
world, on the steps of which they
mounted with regret.
Heindereich, who was the headsman
in 1872, greatly improved the instru-
ment. Instead Of a monster machine
which it took three or four hours to put
together, he reduced it to its simplest
expression. And such it is to-day.
Two upright iron beams containing two
grooves on each inner side, one for the
g lunette, or socken, and the other for
the trapeziform knife perpendicular
swinging plank, rising to the level of
the culprit's breast, against which he is
thrown forward between the two beams;
at the right of this plank and leaning on
willow basket painted black and partly
filled with bran is n board, over which
they slide the body after decapitation
to the left two pals of carbonated water
IN front sort of zinc tub, into which /
the head falls. The guiIlotine was for
merl y painted red, and the knife so ex-
posed that it was the first object seen
by the condemned man on leaving the |
prison gate. Now it is of pale yellow |
color, and the knife is concealed.
Criminals in Spain suffer the death !
penalty by the garrOte. The felon sits
in chair, behind him is a stout post to
which are affixed two clasps of iron
which, when joined, encircle his neck /
Through the post and back of the collar
runs screw. When this screw is turned
the collar is tightened and an iron wedge
enters the neck at the base of the brain,
which dislocates the axis, pierces the
spinal cord, and produces instant death. !
The criminal does not wear O cap or
mask, and the snap of the bones, and /
CHASTITY look of the last moment can be |
heard and seen by the lookers-on. As
soon as the execution is over one of the !
police rushes forward and seiZes the ex-
ecutioner, who is arrested and taken to |
prison where the JurgadO is still assem-
bled. The eXecutioner is placed in the !
midst, accused of having killed man,
and denounced as a murderer. The |
Judge asks him what he has to say in |
answer to such a charge and he replies
''It is true that I killed the prisoner,
but [ deny being the murderer, for, al !
though l committed the act charged |
displaying his arms with the badge9, I |
did it in the cause of justice and in pur-
suance of the law, all of which l was
compelled to do by virtue of my office"
"The accused is innocent and is dis !
charged" answers the court, and then |
the formula of the Spanish law is salts
fed.
Beheading by the sword has been a !
fayorite method of executing criminals |
in Japan and other countries of the
East. The victim kneels and bows his |
head. The executioner draws two
edged sword, a long and glittering
weapon, keen as razor. He wipes it |
with piece of highly colored silk, and
taking his stand raises the sword and !
with quick, firm movement drawing /
stroke sewers the head from the body, |
giving loud kissing noise. The exc
cutioner then removes the stains on the |
sword with piece of paper, sheaths it !
and walks hurriedly away, followed by |
envious eyes. In India people are fire.
quently executed by the sword while |
petty offenders are thrown into dens of
poisonous cobras which sting them to
death, and they die in horrid agonies. |
Some of the anclents put their criminals |
to deaths by poison. Socrates took the
fatal hemlock, and the Persians used q
species of the upas, while the Egyptians |
employed ground glass that was mixed |
with the food of the victim. The Ro- |
mans had various forms of capital pun
ishment Roman citizens could only |
die by the sword. Hence it was that
st. Paul, who was Roman, was be- |
headed, while st. Peter, who was an
alien, was crucified The Romans also |
hurled their criminals from the Tarpe-
ian rocks, and the vestal virgins who |
were untrue to their VOWS were stoned |
to death; although afterward this was
changed to the more horrible death of
being buried alive.
How it feels to be hanged has been de-
scribed by criminals who, after hours of
suspended animation, have been brought |
to life. On Christmas night few years
ago Theodore Baker was hanged in
Springer, New Mexico. He quarreled .
with neighboring ranchman about n
boundary line, and, giving himself up, |
was locked in Jail, but taken out by u
masked mob and hanged. He said that
he went with the men, and at the Jail
door began to curse them, when one of
them put the muzzle of a pistol to his
ear and said, "Keep still, or I'll put q
bullet through you. "a little further on
we came to a telegraph pole From tho |
cross bar swung a new rope; on one end |
was big slip-noose. They led me under .
the rope, l tried to stoop down and pull
my boots off, as had promised my folks
that would not die with my boots on,
but before [ could do it the moose was /
over my head, and l was ierked off my
feet. My senses left me in a moment, |
and then [ walked up in what seemed to !
be another world. AS l recollect now !
the sensation was that every thing about |
me had been multiplied II great many |
times. 1t seemed that my five eXecu- |
tioners had grown in numbers until
there were thousands of them. [ saw |
what seemed to be multitudes of animals |
of all shapes and sizes. Then things
changed, and I was in great pain. be- |
came conscious that | was hanging by .
the neck, and that the knot of rope had |
slipped under my chin. My hands were |
loosely tied, and jerked them free and /
tried to clutch the rope above me. Some |
body caught me by the feet and gave
me jerk. 1t seemed like bright flash |
of lightning passed before my eyes. Then
followed terrible pain up and down my
back, and recollect no more until clev-
en- o'clock the next morning."
Baker was hung fully fifteen minutes, |