The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-14
|T0 POISON CRIMINALS.
4 R. Thayer, Of St. Louis. Suggests
Toxieide in Lieu Of
Hanging.
|Prussio Acid Injected Into tho
Jugular Vein Il Highly
Z Recommended.
3arbarities Of the Guillotins, the sca1eld
and Electric Chair Would Thus
DO Relegated.

Murderer Kemmler's fate is still the tall
VI the town. and everybody says that the
hysicians do not know whether Kemmlel
,as killed at the first shook or not. The
oene of horror in the execution room will
ct be forgotten in long time. and al.
.ady new methods by which the executing
4 criminals may be made less a torture arr
eine aRitated.
MIR. r. A. Thayer, Of st. Louis, 10 at the
alt House. He has for long whiie taken
reat interest in the mode of execution, and
le thinks that electricity is failure.
'"The day of atrocities Of the gibbet il
bout over" said Mr.. Thayer to q Courier
ournal reporter. ..The only question is,
ectricity failing to prove satisfactory,
hat method Of capital punishment can
Ike its placer A better means than either
the above is toxicide. Let the condemned
Q in reclining chair while an an@sthetic is
administered. Then, with small, needle
ointed syringe, let few drops Of anhy-
:ous hydrooyanic acid-the deadliest
bison known-be inje cted into the iugular
sin Immediately below the surface Of the
eck. The poison goes directly to the
:, oIgan is paralyzsd, and death
Pe instantaneous and painless. This
~ bd has the advantage that it requires
Expensive machinery, it does not dis
Fl the body, it needs no skill other than
TIFF surgeon, and is the least revolt
meio Fhayer once went before the Ohio
to le1re to urge this plan of disposing of
hereas condemned to death, and he an
Plter. Nat as the time 10 ripe for such
me wouNhe will bring it tc the attention
q the roars again.
surveyisoing back to the old times OF
6ors, startl said DR.. L. D. Castenbine, the
here can ptpist, last night when the re-
me Norman of Mr.. Thayer's plan. "A
I'D me ne. ynsShydrous hydrocyanic acid on
place, "Heleh 1t would be a very ~ good wa, way
is everytninfpath penalty; another good
he criminal into a room sat
COL. CNloroform. Insensibility soon
Iould be horrible to some for
MAJ, che person would succumb in a
T. lie, and all would be over. But
ng7nR, when carried out right, is painless,
kthere are the most pleasant sensations,
those say who have recovered.
The acid when put on the skin produces
ensation like an insect crawling along il,
numbness sets in. It will kill in ten to
enty minutes. When the poison has
: en- taken the head is thrown back, then
ere are ten or twelve respirations, the air
Isels become relaxed, and the respira-
MS are short and the outgoing breaths
be-, these aspirations recur at long inter
10. The person, unsupported, falls to the
bund with q terrible shrek, showing that
pre- is horrible fright. Death ensues for
nt of breath. A large dose will kill in
to ten minutes, but fifteen minutes is
average time. s5s
If an an@sthetic is to be administered,
bad just ~ we'll be given to kill, and the
summarizes are the things that cause all
torture and fright. It is mistake to
that the acid goes to the heart first. It
touches the brain. For my part, I
PIX that the guillotine is the best mode
inficting the death penalty"
Cyanide of potassium is another deadly
son: Once in Baltimore a physician
scribed chlorate of potassium for sick
I'd. The child died. The physician,
show that he had confidence in the
dicine, took some of it himself, but
ore he reached the druggist Of whom
medicine was purchased, he died too.
druggist took dose of the medicine,
how that he thought it was all right and
kllled him. When the coroner investi-
Jed the case, he found that the druggist |
purchased number of bottles from |
|ther druggist, and one of them had con-
bed cyanide of potassium. He had put |
oatOIdGo VI pOVd6Slum IN Gn6C OOtGl0 |
when he filled this certain prescription |
Fcraped the sides of the bottle to which |
10 of the cyanide of potassium had
ered. This acid is one of the COM
emit parts of prussic acid, and, of course,
was as deadly as it could be. The
at it's highest strength cannot be pur-
sed ready made, but has to be manufac.
ID to order, and it will not keep its
myth over two days. When you think
that the two per cent. commercial solu-
is deadly, you can see how dangerous
acid is
i'd DR.. Gait, city health officer: ''No
bt the acid would bring about certain
instantaneous death if applied in the
ener spoken off,
What do You think OF it as a means to
ct the death penalty?" asked the repor-
"Oh, l cannot say" replied the doc
+. G. Simpson said: ut will kill, but
hrst few seconds would be horrible, as
Attendants would be trying to make
patient unconscious. Electricity is the
st plan. yet this mode Of execution has
ret been perfected"
Everything Goes Wrong
10 body mechanism when the liver gets
pf order. Constipation, dyspepsia. con-