The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-23

II IS not the TACT or murder Wh1cl
shocks them; it is the cool and passion
less method OF taking life that seems .
them revolving.
He who can. for a fee OF for persona
gain. put his hands to the handle Of n.
deadly garroting machine and al a giver
signal twist II until The human being De
fore him is a lifeless clod-he who car
break fellow human beings neck q.
If he were cracking a wainuJ-in Porte
is coma mined 10 a living death
No native carpenter viii build scaffolt
or platform on which the victims are
10 be placed No merchant viii sell Ium-
Der or nails for such z purpose. Nc
mechanic VIII repair the garrcting ma
chine Had it not been for the active
/ supervision Of Marshal Boutwell,, OF the
supreme court, the executions at which
/ Rivera oEciated could not have taken
place.
( This intense aversion to garroting and
( 70 the man who performs = IS not justi-
+ fed by any particular brutality in the act
itself. Capt Griffith. OF the United States
army. expressed his opinion after seeing
4 Rivera put the last four prisoners 10
death that the process was even quicker
and less painful than hanging.
+ According TO the old Spanish custom
in Porto Rico. the doomed man is placed
in chair, with hands tied to his sides.
T feet fastened below. and the black cap
over his head. The deadly clutch of the
garroting machines iron fingers is then
arranged at IS neck, SO that with one
swife. powerful turn OF the handle the
victims neck is broken
The body is sometimes seen to puff
slightly. the hands witch and without
a groan the life is reft from the body.
As far IS the consciousness of the VIC
+ tim is concerned, death is painless and in
Simultaneous.
The bodies. with the heads exposed and
still tied 10 the posts, are then left
open 10 view for four hours. according
TO d long established custom. when they
are taken down and buried in the Jail
yard
No one is allowed 10 see an execution
save the jail officials. physicians and
priests. Thousands of natives, however.
oongregate near the jail entrance and on
The roofs OF nearby houses in the endeav-
or TO witne IS the act which they so in
tenseiy abhor.
Rivera is about forty-five years of age.
stolid and somewhat forbidding in as
pect. Before his imprisonment he was
. carpenter by trade. with good record
for industry and sobriety.
lie is a skilled workman at his trade.
but that is of little help TO him at the
present time Were he the most skilful
builder that ever drove a nail or planed
q board he could not find employment
in Porto Rico.
Like Lieut.. Philip Nolan in Edward
Everett Hale's tale OF The Man With
out Country" Rivera is doomed TO pub
lie sentiment 10 spend the remainder of
his days a banished man, cut of without
hope of pardon from all association with
his fellows.
The story of the execution in which
Rivera was brief actor, is one OF dra-
matte horror. For this reason it made
particular vivid impression upon the
imaginative minds of the Porto Ricans
The four men killed were Bernabe Ace
vedo Perez. Jose Torres, Ramon Troche.
and Antonio Torres.
All the witnesses Of the execution spent
the night previous in the courtyard Of
the Ponce jail. in which a platform with
a post at each corner was erected dur
ing the night the hour OF execution be-
ing set for o'clock in the morning.
AZ $50 the executioner. Rivera. the
man now being ostracized. adjusted the
sarrote on the post and then waited len
minutes. Bernabe Acevedo was the first
TO die. He was taken from his cell aud
marched without resistance up the scat
fold. accompanied by the priest and the
guard.
He mumbled something 10 the execu-
toner and the priest He ended by say
ing Adds to all. and then took his
seat without assistance though appar-
emily he collapsed at this moment, or al
least nearly collapsed He was tied fast
20 the post and the garrote was adjusted
around his neck. His face was covered
with "A black cloth. His priests kept up
their chanting and the condemned man
repeated after them. asking pardon for
his sins. repeating his appeal rapidly
When he thus murmured the execuuoner
gave one quick turn 20 the garrote. The
body puffed slightly There was no sound,
and no movement beyond a twitching
81 the hands which lasted TWO minutes
Ibis death was instantaneous. the twitcb-
in eof his hands or limbs being merely
roactionarv
Jose Torres was the second one ~ 10
led out n execution. Bv mistake the
PRIESTS led him ont before TIE hodv Of
Aceved5 had been screened Torres saw
the dead hosv lied IN the most and WIS
startled. He became a. tnis point almost
unmanassable. He exclaimed. 1T is an
honor - die % he was taken hsct ~ his