The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-07
JUDICIAL KILLINGS.
rnirty-five Other Ways by Which
Crimes Have Eeen Expiated.

rhirtv-five Other Ways by Which
Crimes Have Eeen Expiated.
The wretch who died in Auburn prison
TODAY was pioneer. His death inaugu-
rated new method of judicial killing.
Since history began men are known to have
been killed under the law, by thirty-fve
methods-that first employed to-day being
the last. The list of offenses which were
punishable by death has grown smaller
since the time Of Moses, when thirty-three
acts of crime and indiscretion were capital
offenses, and the ways of netting out
death have diminished until, In sub
stance, executions at the present day
are either by the guiliotine, as In
France, Bavaria, Hanover, Belgium and
Ssxony; by the garrote, as in Spain; by
decapitation or hanging, as in Russia; by
strangulation or decapltation, as in China i;
by beheading, as in Switzerland and Den
mark; by shooting, as In the ordinary cases
of military law and in some portions of
Germany and South America; by decapi-
tation, as in Prussia, and in other countrie'
and particularly in the United States, uni
versaly by hanging, that being the old
common law method of execution inher-
ted by the colonies from Great Britain.
Time was, 'away back in the years when
human blood was held literally so cheap
that a murderer might buy back his life, as
in China, where dread of death was SO
slight and life s. worthless, that there are
recorded instances in which substitutes
were bought by bonus to their families, to
undergo the penalty Of death instead of the
murderer.
In England, down to 1882, housebreaking
and horse stealing were capital crimes, and
not until so late as 1861 was the gamut of
capital crime narrowed to two offenses,
murder and treason. In Massachusetts, in
165O. seventeen offenses were punished with
death; $40 years later there we're only seven
capital otfenses, Of which were only four of
the original seventeen; and to-day the old
state stands with her fellows in the list of
extreme SINS
In the time while Massachusetts, was
killing obstinate children and persons who
Swore, William Penn was founding the
state Of Pennsylvania. At that time the
earth knew of 200 capital offenses, but Penn
cut down the list when making the laws of
the now Keystone state TO one-murder.
And here are the means employed under
the law since history began of killing state
criminals
l. Auto dG .fe, meaning "act of faith, ="
used at the public executions of persons
condemned to death upon trial and sentence
oy the Spanish inquisition. "a designation
rather than model
T. BEATING WITH CLUBS.-In very early
Times South African tribes, particularly
The Hottentots, who had no written laws
only the laws of usage-put their con-
uemned to death with clubs, the chief Of
the kraal or village striking the first blow.
ana the populace ending the execution.
Greek slaves were also beaten to death
a. BEHEADING, DECAPITATIoN, - The
Greeks and Romans cut the heads off their
capital offenders. John Baptist died thus.
Gari Waltheof, beheaded by William the
oonqueror IN 1915, was the first English
man 10 die by beheading, which was deemed
the most honorable way of receiving capital
punishment. The rebel lords of 1745 were
Iae last TO die thus in England. China and
Japan employed this method of capital
punishment, and do now. Swords and axes.
as distinguished from the guiIlotine. were
used in olden DAYS
Z BLOWING FROM CANNoN.-Death thus
caine 10 criminals bound before the can
mons mouth OF thrust into the bore and
AIea out as part of the load.-India.
%. D; BoILING.-The Bishop of Rochester in
40 a1SI " as poisoned by his cook, John Roose.
auu moose was boiled to death Severei
IIIAeCuVlDnS took place by boiling under
aienry VII. water being usually the fluid
aiSo melted lead and sulphur.
D BREAKING ON THE WHEEL.-Ger-
b laahy cohtrlyed this mode of death away
ev ron Al the tenth century. 1t was, how
dsoti only special form of beating to
peri tli nne prisoner was bound upon the
Re- pe 'pner y, or upon the cross bars or smokes
cr,,1t wheel, and arms and limbs were
tba oy blows of bludgeons or iron rods.
4 was siC'.' Oelng untouched. Thus death
4 tba STOW; France and England also used
wheel In the sixteenth century.
bnr,niS hNING.-The faggots of death first
goveru,r ~ Ine name OF religion, though civil
cntiorn uionCs nave employed flames as exc
NJ a.sl.ers-lnstance the Romans and Jews
;aucelt times. The old Britons nunisbad
wicI,oa crimes by burning the Offenders in
snFn baskets. This form of death was
trv 6d IN the colonial times of this coun-
his Gnlnese Emperor Tcheon, insigated by
evil nddsorlte concubine, adopted a brass
and I r upon which criminals were bound
Se8 IT "' S by tires within the cylinder.
m. IL Shah of Persia, stretched Victims
tbajI slab, bored innumerable holes in
Inserted in fluid oil AAs n'eu 'aperS were
crjni %ailc ana British method was to burn
form 10 IN cages of wicker work in the
B Gi some well known idol.
and DoNiING ALIvE.-Barbarous tribes
crirnir Nv i!lzed countries have buried
shouders " Ihe hips or to the necks and
lelt to starve 0H y" oea0n
cross n OCIFIxIoN.-The exact origin of the
with ito rs In doubt. semiramis is credited
been INVENTION. 1t is held, also. to have
tribes gradual growth among barharons
reeords cruelty of war. Nearly ali
very w. ool say It's use was very ancient And
ties hSs eue' al among almost all oommnni~
ished ~ 60 sue Jews. Crucifixion was ahol.
M peror O. carr CHRISTIAN countries by the EN-
its use i,sooastasntine, and at the present day
punisbmenUtr nned to the Mohammedans. A
b once practtou analogous TO crucifixion was
N The oTo1I slced In the West India islands
hgO oaender was suspended upon noat hs
under b GoQk inserted under his sbouIdsr ~
blenders aAIios- Visited upon military
regment uosabiy mutineers. A whoia
a. would ~ hisht be involved, and death b
M cra Of q - ave ueen slaughfar Thn r.,s-. -