St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-09-20
ELECTRICAL EXECUTIONS.


expsrasaess, A.eseas asA MeAss.. WITH
Cri0iasls In France.
These who arc in favor Of the exeov-
Nan Of murderers condemned to death
BY means Of electricity. - being the
quickest and least painful method OF
sending them out Of the world, have
been led to this conclusion by motives
Of humanity which do them the utmost
credit. Strangely enough. however. 1t
10 precisely on humanitarian consider
stions that N. Beauquesne. the Gov
ernor, and the Abbe Faure. the chaplain
Of the Roqustte Jail, are opposed to such
IN innovation. 1t Is to the R0quette
that prisoners sentenced TO death are in
variably transferred after their con-
demnation by jury sitting in the Seine
Assize Court, and none are moro compe-
tent than tho Governor and the chaplain
to pronounce an opinion ON the subject.
except, perhaps. monsieur do Paris, /"
- the chief cxecutioner IL called, and
even then his views might be regarded
~ based, in . certain measure. on mo-
tives of . personal charactec-for the
man who has gone about the country
ch0pping on heads with his guillotine
could scarcely be expected to deliver .
thoroughly impartial opinion Were he
to express . preference for the electric
system he might lay himself open 70 the
reproach that he was not quite - skill
full - he ought to be. The Abbe Faure,
who for the past i've years-with ono
single exception, that Of Schumacher,
who as . Protestant received ghostly
counsel and advice from pastewr Of his
religion--has accompanied 70 the scat.
fold all the criminals executed ON the
square in front Of the Roquette. ex-
presses the utmost horror at the idea Of
such . change. Tho worthy ecclssiastic
says that he has the utmost sympathy
for all scientific inventions, but he re-
fuses to believe that French legislators
will be so cruel IS to protract by prepar.
ations which require certain amount
Of time the suiferings Of even muir
dererA. @ '
The Abbe Faure has attended during
their last moments upward Of sixteen
criminals. and he says that scarcely two
seconds elapse from the time when.
after . farewell embrace. he gives mp
the prisoner 10 the executioner, to that
at which the head Of tho murderer rolls
on the ground. He remarks indignant
~ that he never can admit that men,
however debased they may be, ought to
b placed like common animals in
glass apparatus and struck dead with IN
electric spark. This 10 opposed to every
principal of humanity. The chaplain
Of the Roquette In. after every execu-
tion, in the habit Of writing notes Of tho
ghastly scene which he has just witness
ed, and he declares that not once during
the whole Of his experience has the con-.
demned man offered tho slightest resist
ance. This he attributes, in . great
measure. 70 his own presence ON the
scahold. and he says that II the electric
system were introduced he would Be un-
able to offer tho prisoner the consola-,
tion Of religion up to the last moment
OF Prado the Able relates that although
he was generally regarded - . brasen-
faced and hardened scoundrel, he spoke
earnestly with him during his last min
utes. and that his confidence in him Vas
30 great that he begged him to save his
body from dissection ut the School OF
Medicine. OF Geomay. the murderer Of
Nine. Roux-Couloumy. he wrote that
hc had died like soldier. Breton and
. Christian. A few minutes before he
was executed he asked the Abbe to con-
vey his last farewell to his old mother.
The Able Faure says that At the Ro-
quette every thing is done to render the
last moments Of criminals - easy ~
possible. and. like n. Besaquesne, he il
positive that, far from being merciful
Innovation, the system Of executing
prisoners through the medium Of cleo
tricity would really subject them to .
decided increase Of moral torture
London Telegraph