Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-10
MUCH FEELING AGAINST THE Law,
Although Gladstone Still Thinks Electric
ity is the Best Method if
Properly Applied.
1yTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL MANNING
bpinisnI Of Other Prominent Individuals in Both
England and France.
rsY DuxLAr,s CABLE coxrAxr.I j

the Duchess of Fife and the mutinv al
Chatham have paled into insignifcance be-
side the aIl-absorbing Eemmler electrocu.
tion. For once the English press arose to
the occasion, and all the stately Journals o.
Great Britain fairly bristled on Thursday
morning with the sensational details of the
execution.
Since then in the clubs, at the hotels and
even on the street corners it has been
Kemmler, Kemmler and nothing but
KemInler. Public sentiment is against the
execution upon general principles. Your
correspondent however, managed to gather
some interesting personal opinions upon the
subject
GLADsroSE's OPINION.
Mt. Gladstone, who was followed down to
Hswardeu, did not hesitate to speak freely
upon the subject
81 have read the details Of the execution
in the morning papers," he said, ''and
should judge that the possible recurrence of
% painful spectacle may induce the State
Legislature OF New York to reconsider the
Law. That the law was passed in the in
terests of humanity have no doubt, and
the only fault that I can find with it, as one
inexperienced in such matters, is in the
method OF its recent application. 1tappears
to me that so serious a matter as the taking
of human life under such circumstances
should be in the hands of experts only"
"Do you think that electroeution will
ever be introduced into England?"
In the present frame of mind of the peo-
pie should say decidedly not still
think, however, that electricity properly
and frfI llv ad he
ful and PAINLESS method of executing GRIM
Snsls."
AMERICANS AGAINST IT.
Application at the Office of Consul Gen.
eral John G. New, at St. Helen's Place,
developed the fact that Mr.. New was in
Paris enjoying himself The people in the
Office, however, said that the opinion among
all the Americans who had visited the con-
sulate since the execution was strongly
against another attempt to take life by such
means.
George Lewis, the famous criminal law
yer, who stands in London upon the same
footing as your amiable Abe Hummel does
in New York, was found in his Office at Eli
Place. Mr.. Lewis expressed himself as un-
able to give any opinion upon the suject.
He said the details were very dreadful, but
that be must decline to be interviewed upon
the subject. He did not however, think
that electric execution would be likely to
& be introduced into England just yet.
Up in the second-foor Office of a semi
circular building at Temple Bar, with win
dows looking clear down Fleet street to
Blackfriars' bridge, sat Michael Davitt. He
is recovering from serious illness and is
figuring out the intricate problem of how
70 get his new labor paper upon the market.
HIS BLOOD RUNS COLD.
"I have read the accounts of the execu-
tion," he said, sand they made my blood
run cold. 1 am not expert enough to
venture an opinion as to whether the new
mode of execution is merciful one or not,
but it has ten times the attendant horrors of
a common place hanging"
'Do you think the method Will ever be
introduced into England?"
81 can't tell, but you may be sure that we
won't have it in Ireland if We can help it,
] don't approve OF any form of capital pun
ishment but If it must be had, well con-
Quoted hanging where the rope is properly
adjusted and the subjects neck scientifically
broken, beats any other method on earth. "
At all the newspaper Offices the tone OF
general opinion remains the same, and this
finds voice in the various long-winded edi-
torials which so gladden. the Englishman's
heart At the American legation no opin-
ion could be obtained from Minister Lin
coin, who was ont of town, but Secretary
Mccormick did not hesitate to say that the
details of the execution had upset him.
81 know nothing about executions" he
said, excepting what read in the news
papers, but the details of this one were
peculiarly revolving, and have never read
an account Of one that gave me such a
shock. I am not in position to offer any
opinion as to the probability of electrocu-
ton ever being introduced into England. 1t
strikes me as highly improbable, however,
after reading the details OF Kemmler's
death"
ATALK WITH A CARDINAL.
His Eminence, Cardinal Manning, said:
"The execution of Kemmler will no doubt
be used as great argument by the oppo-
nents Of capital punishment The old
Hebrsic idea of an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth was uuquestionably the
origin ofthe death penalty, but great minds
of this and past generations have cried
loudly for q repeal of this method of dealing
with criminals, The fear OF the death pen
atty has not had any effect in preventing
murder, since the murderer, in his rage, does
not stay to consider the price he will be
called on to pay for his deed, and if it
10 premeditated he hopes and expects to
evRde the vigilance of the law and escape
detection. But since society must be pro-
tected against those who are afflicted with
this homicidsl mania, two courses are open |
to us, either to lock up these unfortunates |
for the term of their lives without any pos
sibilitv of escape or else to take their lives. |
In that latter case every notion of humanity
demands that the execution should be per- |
formed in g manner that will give as
little suffering to the subject as pos
sible, since it is not vengeance or torture |
we should seek to infict, but merely the
putting away of something which is danger
Gus. As for the doing of this deadly work
BY electricity, I think that in the present
condition Of our knowledge, and in view of
the facts elected by its application, the pos
sibility of its being used in England is very
remote, and it becomes a question whether
the law should not be put in allegiance in
Kew York until electrical executions can
be made very quickly and simply, and the
current be certain to act with the rapidity
of lightning fash"
FRANCE EXCITED, TOO.
In Paris the Kemmler execution has
made AS much of a stir as it has in London.
The GdHgnani Messenger, the leading En-
Rlishspeaking journal on the Continent,
ana lie Mdten, came out with a cable dis
patch all over their front page on Thursday
morning, and then France took an immedi- |
ate interest In the event The Frenchmen |
think that with all the horrible details |
Temmler went out of the world in q much |
more agreeable way than the average crimi- |
nal is dispatched In France. Your CORE !
gp0ndept saw NJ. Harry AllIs, redacteur Of
the Journal Des De5atR, whose paper had a |
stirring article upon the subject.