St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-13
DEATH RY ELECTRICITY.

New York has one coroner in its en-
ploy with vigor, if not discretion; and he
is Mr.. LEVY, who presided at the in
question: of which grew the indictment
OF the genial CHAUNCEY NJ. DEPEw
and the other directors of the New
Haven railroad. This same Mr.. LEVY
now proposes to find out how one HAIR
RIS s. SMILER, who was recently bur-
led In his county, met his death. The
facts in tue case are that this man SNIIL-
ER was sentenced to be executed for the
crime of murder, and, in pursuance of
the sentence, was removed to the states
prison at Sing Sing. The provisions of
the New York law require executions
to be conducted in secret, and nothing
more was heard of SMILER except 'ru-
mors until his body arrived in the city
for interment. The coroner's position
is that he does not know for fact how
the man met his end, and that it is his
official duty to find out. For this pur-
pose he declares that he will send for
persons and papers and compel those
who witnessed it to give him, and
through him the public, full details of
the event.
If he is able to carry out this pro-
gramme the story of what was done at
Sing Sing last week will be told, and
the unwise and unjustifable cloak of
mystery which now surrounds the pro-
ceedings be removed. The GLOBE does
not see how there can be any difference
of opinion among right-minded people
that law which provides for the kill
ing { f human beings, even though they
have been guilty of a crime, without re-
curing even so much as the filing of
report of how if was done, is seriously
and dangerously defective. Some de-
moralization does attend the publica-
ton in our newspapers of the history of
criminals last days, and of their con-
duct on the brink Of the grave, but it is
decentralization which cannot be
avoided. There are no red secrets in
the world to-day, and it is impossible to
permanently suppress the facts about
things as important as this. If they
have to be known, the accurate accounts
Of eye witnesses checking off each 9TH
er's story is much more to be desired
than tidings made up of rumors, con-
lectures and the incomplete admissions
of men pledged to silence which they
cannot preserve.
But even if there were nothing in this
aspect of the matter, the cause of sci
ence and of the proper administration
of the law demands that for the pres
ent, at least, every execution by cleo
tricitY shall be made before experts, who
shall return to the proper authorities a
reliable statement of the method en-
ployed and the details Of its operation.
The unverified assurances of those pres
ent that the proceedings were success
full do not constitute sufficient safe
guard against abuses or failure. 1t is
horrible thing to kill a man in the full
vigOr OF life, even when it is done under
judicial direction; but for the sake of
decency and humanity, if it is done
at all, it ought 10 be done without tor
ture and with expedition. The public
has the right to know whether the ap-
plIances used in New York are effective
to these ends, and they cannot know
this if no tidings of what was done are
permitted to pass beyond the walls of
the death chamber. The weak and sus-
ceptible public of course must not be
demoralized by reading what is not
good for it; but on the other hand, even
condemned criminals are entitled to the
protection which publicity would pro-
vide against bungling and ill-treatment
perhaps better than anything else.