Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-08-07

Of a fellow being9 Heretofore the proudest
claim of science has been to save or at
least to prolOng human life and insure for
its possessor the greatest enjoyment of its
many bounties. In this instance it has
been plainly. diverted from its course under
pandoxical plea of high humanity And
yet men of science have lent their best Of
forts in this direction to humor the whms
Of few cranks and world betterers who
imagined they could make legal murder a
fine art and enforce into it an element OF
sentimentality which might rob Z. OF it's
atrocity While we allow that electricity
has been Success, rs far as the killing is
concerned. we must also admit that we
heve gained little If anything over the or
binary method Of execution by hanging.
The preliminaries Of electro-thanasia are
FAR from pleasant to contemplate. Along
side OF those for hanging they are preten-
tiously horrible.
The Agony of the Criminal.
'There is something more than weird in
the preparation OF the machine, the delib-
crate fixation Of the victim, the adjust
mot Of the electrode and the thousand
deaths ip contemplating one, which more
than Offsets the quick though damnable
taking off The horrors though hidden
are nevertheless felt There is something
else to be thought Of than the mere quick
ness 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. II becomes a serious question
il humanity IS not paying too dear price
for instantaneous demolition. The awe
and mystery of deatn are intensified a
thousand fold in anticipation Of what this
instrument Of subtle power may do as com
pnred 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
AK. And yet to harness the lightning and
bolt it through human body is thought
TO be one Of the advances OF the nineteenth
century.
Lessons OF the Kemnl1er Execution.
"The experiences in the Kemmler case
in spite of all theprecautions taken have
shown many difficulties in the way OF a
general adoption OF the method IL is far
from simple in its application. Ii requires
elaborate and careful preparations; It
multiplies machinery, which, without ex-
pert manipulation, is liable to fail in It's
working and bring about disastrous re-
suits; 1t may he a source Of danger to the
cAfNAttvHtAS anu spectators. IL intfttStS
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 comparison with any other
form OF rapid demolition, save those OF
being thrust into the muzzle of loaded
cannon or tied TO a dynamite bomb.
When it is assumed that the ends Of justice
and humanity are reached by the contriy-
ance in question, and when il must be
| admitted that even this method cannot be
Invested either OF cruelty or barbarity, the
way seems to be open for the discussion OF
the abolition Of capital punishment alto
/ getber.
He Is Against the Death Chair.
From physical humanitarian and judi
ciai standpoints the time IS ripe for its
consideration. We venture to predict thai
public opinion win soon Danish the deatl