The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-07-27

was prosecutor ut the time he was bound
to grant pardon or commute the SEN
tcncc; that ho would be prcjudiced if he
did not, and that he owed it to himself to
at least commute the sentence.
Il know all about tho case said Gov
ernor HILL II know that this man was
guilty and that he ought to DC punished.
do not approve of hanging rs mode of
punishment, not that am opposed to the
death penalty, but think that some other
method than hanging should he found
However, it would not do to allow this
man to go ut largo or even to have the OPP
portunity for escape which life imprison-
Inent might give him. There is no use
asking me for clcmcncy."
While they were talking a messenger
came in with the information that the
man had escaped You don't want any
pardon now" said Governor Hill dryly,
and the interview closed. But the man
was caught and returned to the Jail, and
the effort fer clcncncy was renewed to no
purpose
The case, however, made profound i'm
preston on Governor Hill. In his first
message he recommended that some meth
cd other than hanging be found for pun
ishment of lnurdercrs by iniliction of the
death penalty. That was the beginning of
tho Now York clcctrocuting method of kill
ing murdcrcrs. But there was great oppusi-
ton In the legislature, not so much to a
change of method as to an effort to entirely
abolish the death penalty. General \. Nj.
Curtis, now member of the national house
or representatives, was IL member of tho as
sembly and made very hard fight to have
capital punishment abolished The bill
for this purpose passed the lower house.
and it was only by tho skillful work of
Governor II i'll fbot II We Jnto 10,
senate. The governor would have vetoed
the bill, but he did not want to be com
PEELED to do so. AS he has often remarked
There arc better ways of defeating legis-
lation than by vctoes, and more popular 3"
Then followed the contest for a change
of method OF inilicting the death penalty,
and after persistent effort the electric
method was adopted 1t was never believed
that such Il bill could pass. and when it
was found that it had passed both houses
the electric companies began to make q
fight against 1t. Governor Hill was flooded
with kilograms and requests to veto 1t, but
he answered them all by announcing his
approval of the bill KS soon as 1t reached
him.
Senator Hill while he was governor, be-
came mixed up in the Kcinmlcr execution,
the first one under the new law. That con
test is still very well remembered, having
been carried to the supreme court of the
United States and fought from the very
first The electric companies made the
fight, not that they had any interest in
thc poor wretch Kcmmlcr, but they did
not want it established by judicial exc
tuition that thc!r electric currents were
ccadly. But it was of no avail Governor
Hill was bcsicgcd by friends employed by
the companies to have the. man pardoncd
or his sentence committed.
His warmcst friends were engaged as
attorneys to present the case to him, but
he was not to be moved. 1t was declared
to him TINT the electric currents would
not kill. The governor would not believe
it. He finally sent II trusted friend TO talk
to Thomas a. Edison and learn his honest
opinion rs to the effect of the electric cur
rent The great inventor said that no dill
not want electricity used for execution
purposes but he would answer honestly
OF course it would kill If tho current was
strong enough, and therc was not the least
difficulty in making the current strong
enough