Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-15
EXECUTION BY ELECTRICITY.
Its Horrors Condemned by High Medi-
cal Authority.
From the Medical Record

From the Medical Record.
Men Of science have lent their best efforts 20
humor the whims OF few crauks and world
oetterers." who imagined they could make
legal murder fine art and enforce into il an
element Of sentimentality which might rob IL
of Its atrocity.
While we allow that electricity has been q
success as far as the killing is concerned, We
must also admit that we have gained little, II
anything, over the ordinary method OF erecu-
hon by hanging. The preliminaries Of cleo
uothanasia are far from pleasant 20 contem-
plate. Alongside of those for hanging thew are
pretentously horrible. There is something
more than weird in the preparation of the
machine, the deliberate txation OF the
victim, the adjustment Of the electrode.
aud the thousand deaths in contemplating
one,' which more than offsets the quick
though damnable taking Of" The horrors.
though hidden, are nevertheless felt There
Is something else TO be thought of than thu
mere quickness Of death. While the latter
might have been triumphantly done. the agony
of the criminal during the preparations must
be terrible as compared with that of hang
ng 1t becomes serious question IL hu-
mainly Is not paving too dear price
| Tor instantaneous demolition. The awe and
mystery Of death are intensified a thousand
fold IN anticipation OF what tins instrumentl Of
subtle power may do rs compared with either
the moose or the rope, the grip Of the garroter,
| the smart of the knot. the bore Of the bullet
or the chop Of the And vet TO harness
the lightning and bolt il through a human
body is thought to be one of the advances OF
\ the nineteenth century
| The experiences IN the Kemmler case, in
spite OF all the precautions taken, have shown
1 many difficulties IN the way of a general adop-
ton of the method. Ii is far from simple IN ia
| application. Ii requires elaborate and careful
/ preparation; 1t muluphes machinery, which,
| without expert manipulation. is liable 10 fail in
its working and bring about dis
| astrous results: II NAV be source
| of danger 10 the eNecutioners and spee-
| tators; 1t increases the expense OF executions,
| but, worse than all, in the necessary prepAra-
| uon or the victim there is crowded upon him
| IN n Few seconds an amount of horror and sus-
| pense which has no comparison with any other
| form OF demolition, save those of being thrust
| into the muzzle of loaded cannon or tied TO a
dynamite bomb.
When il is assumed that the ends ~ ,ns.;..
! and humanity are reached by the contrivapce
| IN question, and when IL must be admitted
that even this method cannot be Invested either
| OF cruelty or barbarIty, the way seems 20 be
open Tor the abolition of capital punishment
| altogether.
From physical. humanitarian and iudiciaI
| standpoints the time Is ripe for it's considera-
lon We venture 10 predict that public opin-
| ion will soon Danish the death chair, as IL has
done the rope and that imprisonment for life
Will be the only proper punishment melted to
a murderer. This is indeed. the only rational
method which science. justice and religion can
| consistently recommend. The death chair will
| yet be tue altar from which this doctrine wall
be preached.