Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-08-07
DR.. sHRADY'S VIEWS.

Tho spectacle Presented was BY No
Means. EdiFvIng.
AUBURN, N. Y. Aug. THE follow
ing is a copy of an editorial which DR..
George F. Shrady, editor of the Medical
Record, of New York, teleg-aphed last
night to that journal:
1.-THE lengthened agony of suspense
regarding the efficiency of electricity
as q means of executing criminals has
finally terminated in the legal killing
of Kemmler. AS was reasonably an,
ticipated death was instantaneous and
30 far as can be judged the unfortunate
subject of the experiment died with
ont pain. The spectacle presented was,
however, by no means e6ifying to such
as hope for improvements of the old
methods.
:cience and Humanity.
although science has triumphed,
the question of the humanity of the
act is still an open one. But shall we
call it a triumph when the object oh.
tanned was J. the killing of fellow.
being? Heretofore the proudest claim
of science has been to save or at least
20 prolong human life and insure for
its posssssor the greatest enjoyment OF
its many bounties. In this INSTANCE il
has been plainly diverted from its
course under paradoxical plea of high
humanity. And yet men of science
have lent their best efforts in this di.
rection to humor the whims of few
craHks and world betterers,' who
imagined they could make legal muir.
der ~ fine art and enforce into it ar
element of sentimentality which might
rob it of its atrocity.
More HOrrIbIs Than Hanging.
"While we allow that electricity ha.
been a success as far al the killing is
concerned we must also admit that we
have little if nythinR over the ordi.
nary method OF execution by hanging.
The preliminaries of electro-thanasia
are far from pleasant to contemplate,
Alongside of those for hanging they
are precautionary horrible. There is
something more than weird in the
preparation of the machine, the DELHI
crate fixation of the victim, and the
adjustment of the electrode and the
thousand deaths in contemplating one,
which more than offsets the quick
though damnable taking off, The
felt. There is something else to be
thought of than the 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 hanging.
The Awe and DIyGtery of Death.
ut becomes q serious question If
humanity is not paying too dear price
for instantaneous demolition. The
awe and mystery of death are intensi-
fed q thousand fold in anticipation of
what this instrument of subtle power
may do as compared with either the
moose of rope, the grip of the garroter,
the smart of the knout, the bore of the
bullet, or the chop of the axe. And
yet to harness the lightning and bolt
it through human body is thought to
DO one of the advances of the nine
teenth century.
Many Difficulties In the Way.
"The experiences in the KemmleI
case in spite of all the precautions
taken have shown many difficulties In
the way of general adoption of the
method. 1t 10 far from simple in it's
application. 1t requires elaborate and
careful preparation; it multiplies ma
chinery, which, without expert manipu-
iation, Is liable to fail In its working
and bring about disastrous results; it
may be a source of danger to the exc
cutioners and spectators; it increases
the expense of executions; but worse
than all in the necessary preparation of
the victim there is crowded upon him
in a few seconds an amount of horror
and suspense which holds no COM
parison with any other form of rapid
demolition, save those of being thrust