The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-03-21

Tor the heart beats. he exclalInS that
the heart ia still beating. The wires are
again hastily connected, and the current
turned on second time. There is more
muscular contraction, more burning
flesh. This time the several physicians
in turn listen for the heart beats and
pronounce the man dead The body is
taken from the chair, laid upon rough
table and cut up, according to law.
These ara the details as given in the
daily papers. in one Of which the report
or writes over his own signature. They
may be exaggerated, but there can be
no doubt that death by electricity is
anything but the calm and peaceful
death that the authors Of the law were
seeking to provide for the condemned
murderer. -. .,s
Why was electricity chosen as the
agent? Why not any one Of several other
means Of causing death? I can conceive
Of no reason except that the effects of
electricity were least understood and
there was the least actual knowledge of
bow best to set about it to kill man
by this means. No one even now knows
exactly how electricity kills. Recent
experiments by DIR. Belle Of Columbus,
o., remarkable for the ingenious and
thoroughly scientific methods by which
all the effects have been studied, have
thrown new light upon the subject, but
even today we are very far from know
ing, with the precision with which other
causes Of death are known, just how
death is caused by the electric shock.
Neither do we know how to apply the
current. Certainly if there is no less
cumbersome apparatus and no less clum-
~ method available than that in use at
Sing Sing this of itself is sufficient rea-
son for abandoning this mode Of execut-
ing criminals
It is often claimed il behalf Of cleo
trical executions that death is instan-
taneous and painless. In no report that
Ihave ever seen is there any evidence
of instantaneous death. All the evidence
that can be gathered from reports of ac-
cidental shocks goes to show that resus-
citation is possible if the exposure to
the current is of short duration.
Painless no doubt it is, but so would
be the effect Of pistol shot through the
brain. And why not use pistol shot
for executing criminal? He might be
strapped to mattress, a semioirole Of
pistols arranged around his head termi-
mating at the temples, and, if desirable,
another group could be placed over the
region Of the heart. If electricity must
be used, arrange to fire the pistols si-
simultaneously by pressing button. Why
not? Would it be more uncertain?
Would it be less humane? Would it be
more blood curdling? Would it be less
'instantaneous?'' But perhaps there
would be too little mystery about it and
too little complicated apparatus requir
cd. There would be no need Of cutting
man up to see what killed him or
whether he was really dead.
If we must inf1ict the death penalty
and wish to be really humane about 1t,
there are surely many ways by which
death can be brought swiftly and cer-
tainly without inducing muscular con-
tortions. or burning the flesh, or mutt
lating the body. The criminal could be
given sleeping draft and then laid out
in glass case, which could then be fill
ed with the fumes Of burning charcoal.
s. see no reason why we should seek
to make death particularly easy to the
criminal Hook npon the whole scheme
Of capital punishment as hideous blot
upon our civilization, but If a man must
be punished with death it is certainly
not upon the theory that he must be put
out OF the way in the easiest possible
manner for him. It is assumed that the
dread Of the death penalty will pre-
vent crimes that otherwise might be
committed. The penalty, il it is to be
inflicted, should come in form to be
dreaded, yet there is no excuse for tor
ture or for the semblance Of torture
The criminal should come to his fate
with q, fun knowledge Of what awaits
him. The execution Of the sentence
should be BY a method that is swift and
sure, without mystery, and about the
effect Of which there is no uncertainty.
There shonla be no opportunity for
doubt as to the result, and no reason Tor
excuse for repetition Of an operation:
Electricity does not fulfill these re
quirements and never can until we
know far more than we do. at present OF
It's effects IN the human organism. Il
we knew all we ought to know to war
rant its use, believe an instrument
that could be carried in the pocket
wonld accomplish the results as surely
as the hundred horse power engine ard
dynamo now enpl oyed. Professor "
a. Anthony IN Chicago Electrical Jour o
nal. .s' '5''.$:.zs
Austrian Crown Treasured.
Among the treasures Of the Austrian
crown are some religious relics that
would make the fortune OF church
They include a nail from the cross, q
fragment Of tho cross itself, q piece q
wood from the manager at Bethlehem,
fragments OF the apron worn By the
NYiirgi III aud q tooth off J John the Baptist