The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-08-04
ELECTRICAL EXECUTIONS.

Electrical Executions.
The New York San is now printing
twice week, till forbidden, second
column on the editorial page, next le-
ultimate reading matter Gf 1t has luck
series of horrifying statements, cal
culated to discourage the use of the
Westinghouse dynamo for electrical
executions. The present proprietors
OF that interesting machine prefer that
killing people with it should remain,
as heretofore, an avocation regulated
by Providence, rather. than that it
should become regular calling, with
special reference to malefactors. The
Satil shares this view from high moral
ground.
A man named Kemmler is likely to
be the first person Intentionally killed
by this apparatus. An electrician
called Harold P. Brown has been EN-
ployed by the State OF New York to
prepare the death engine. The Sun
regards the proposed execution with
horror for two reasons:-Because it will
be am experiment, and because it will
be conducted by educated men. 1t
prefers the old-fashioned gallows.
We pass over what the San says
about the length OF time during which
the culprit will be kept in suspense,
previous to the fatal shock, while Mr..
Brown adjusts the gear, for the rea-
son that its remarks may be due sim
ply to ignorance of the subject, AS to
the matter of an experiment, two
considerations affect us:-First, the
experiment has unfortunately been
tried with depiorable success upon
many an honest workman; and
second, the mnltitudinous expert
nents with the gallows have proven
that nobody knows what will happen
when the drop falls. The victim may
die of broken neck; he may die of
strangulation; he may pass into I'M
consciousness through the effect of a
tight string around his neck upon the
amount of blood in his brain; or he
may hang by his chin and have to be
pulled up again as was the case in
Louisville the other day. The eleetri-
cal experiment may be success; the
gallows is a demonstrated failure.
Now, as to the employment of an
intelligent man in connection with
the execution instead of a Joe Atkin-
son, who knows just enough to kill a
man and not quite enough to be
ashamed of it. The taking of human
life under the law is one of the most
Serious matters that can possibly con-
Germ State, because it is an absolute
finality. An imprisoned man may be let
out, but dead man cannot be resur-
rected. 1t is therefore fitting that so
serious business should be entrusted
to q man of discretion. The idea that
q community can escape the RESPONSE
bility of killing man by employing
some miserable dog to do it-and
this is the natural inference from the
Sua's expression of opinion-is
countenanced neither by common
sense nor by the common law. If Mr..
Brown is in favor of killing men by
electricity he is equally responsible
for such an actwhether he performs it
or willingly contributes his share to
the hire of the man who does it
Every person who believes in the
death penalty has killed his man.
The unenlightened may despise the
exeeutioner and believe that such
sentiment removes from them
the burden of responsibility; but it
doesn't. If society wishes TO engage
In the awful business of killing people,
in heavens name let it be we'll done by
the most competent persons that can
be selected, We have no fear that
Mr.. Brown is too good for his task; in
fact, we doubt if he has the requisite
qualifications. At any rate the de-
spised executioner of the dark ages
should give place to the qualified and
respected student OF deadly appli-
ances, carrying out the will OF the
people aud no more responsible for
the killing than they. Electrical exc
buttons are a step In this direction
this ridiculous scapegoat nonsense is
outgrown.