Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-03
TIC MAKE DEATH EASY
SCHEME TO KILL MURDERERS PAIN
LESSLY AND UNAWAReS.
Late Discoveries In Anesthetics AFFORD
Ample Means For Quick Death-Car-
sse 4 ,id Suggested as Best Medium.
1x,,,.h. Experience Mt the Worlds Fair.


5s..o.h- Experience Mt the Worlds Fair.
The recent unsuccessful clcctrocution or
| DR.. Buchanan in New York and the prop
osition sprung in the last Ohio Legislature
| to adopt electricity Us a means OF executing
the death sentences in the state have led to
| an investigation at the Ohio State univer-
sity of the question of reform In capital
punishment. Professor B. h. Thomas,
who occupies the chair Of physics, and who
has an intimate technical knowledge OF
| the action Of the electrical fluid, has been
| giving the subject much consideration.
| He is of the opinion that electrocution,
| however successful, may not be painless.
| On the other hand, he believes that an alb
soutely painless death could be caused by
the administration of carbonic acid gas in
a proper manner Here Is what he has to
say as a result of his investigation:
Late discoveries in anasthetics afford
wide opportunities to persons who desire
to humanitarianize capital punishment,
and poisons present an almost limitless
field for the selection of an agent that will
inflict quick, painless and absolutely GER
tain death. Aconite, prussic acid or al
most any one Of dozen chemicals Will
accomplish the result without any of the
uncertainty and with none of the possible
pain that is attached to the present meth
DDS.
"Carbonic acid gas is perhaps better than
all, for under its influence the criminal
simply would sleep his life peacefully
away, absolutely without pain, and, with
proper arrangements, without any of the
agonized foreknowledge Of the hour and
minute of his execution. believe IL Is
generally recognized that simple removal
from society is the only object aimed at by
the capital punishment laws Of civilized
nations, and that being the case the most
humane methods should be selected"
Then Professor Thomas told Of per-
sonal experience in which the possibilities
of carbonic acid gas as a death producing
agent were clearly demonstrated. 1t was
at the Worlds fair, and the professor had
been stopping temporarily in an apartment
house, where not long before young man
had narrowly escaped death in most
mysterious way. The young man had gone
to the bathroom, which was equipped with
O water heater of peculiar construction,
but provided with no means for the escape
of the products of combustion resulting
from the flame of the heater.
Not long after he had closed the doors
one falling T. the f2Qr, was he'd The
door was broken open ahd the occupant Of
the room found Unconscious. He was re-
suscitated with great difficulty. A similar
experience befell a young lady who subse-
quently occupied the same room. 1t was
found that both were victims of carbonic
acid gas. Professor Thomas inspected the
bathroom and found, as has been stated,
that there was no means provided for the
escape of the products of combustion gen
Grated by the heater In other words, the
carbonic acid gas from the flame, settling
first to the floor of the room, finally had
arisen as it increased in volume until 1t
had reached the level of the bathtub and
then the nostrils of the person occupying
the room. Both the young man and the
young woman were practically dead, at
least so far as any sensation was con-
cerned when found. The professor ques-
toned each of them, and both said they
had experienced no pain whatever prior to
the lapse Of consciousness. There had been
a slight feeling of lassitude and some diz-
illness, and then came an absolute blank,
without the smallest suggestion of fear or
pain. This Inconsistencies would have
meant death to both of the victims had
applied restoratives, from which Professor
Thomas reasons that carbonic acid gas,
according 10 these two cases which came
under his personal observation, is O certain
and an absolutely painless agent of death.
g If we are to change the present method
OF inflicting capital punishment" said he,
"let us secure the passage of some law
which will kill the criminal without
either physical or mental agony method
that shall be quick, painless and certain,
and at the same time humane. If carbonic
acid gas were to be the agent selected, a
Qeu could be fitted up at the pepitentiary
with pipe connection for the introduc-
tion Of the gas from the place of its gener
alton near by, and proper covering for the
DOORS and windows, so that the Gas could
not escape during the execution. Then the
law could be made to provide sort Of in
definite sentence by fixing the date Of the
execution as between two certain days,
wc6k or more apart, the exact time to be
selected by the warden. The criminal
could be placed in this prepared cell and
given no intimation Of the exact timo Of
his death and thus be spared the agony OF
daily and hourly expectation. When the
warden saw proper, and probably while
the criminal was sleeping peacefully, he
could have valve turned in the pipe
through which the gas was to pass, and
the thing were done, for the sleep which
tho condemned man was enjoying would
have no awakening. Death would have
come TO him painlessly and without his