Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05
DEATH PENALTY IN MEXICO.
Public Sentiment is Generally Averse
to It's Execution.
From thc Mcxican HeralA.

From the Mexican Herald.
Unless there occurs some check in the
growth of the feeling of revulsion against
capital punishment. the next generation in
Mexico is likely to CLEAN all its information
regarding that Interpretation of justice that
demands a life for 4 life from history or
from reports of executions in other
countries.
In Mexico City it has been thirteen years
since the legal execution of a private citi-
zen has taken place. In Monterey it has
been nine years. In other states years have
elapsed since men paid the penalty for their
crimes with their lives In the court yard
of Belem the wall against which the con-
demned men were stood Is SCARED with
bullet marks, but prisoners have ceased to
regard 1t with the terror they once might
have felt and prison officials have fallen
into the habit of regarding 1t more or less
as curiosity rather than part of the
working machinery of the institution.
The last time a prisoner was stood before
that wall was following the famous assault
of band of robbers on jewelry store in
Plateros street The place looted and
the proprietor, an old man. was murdered
at a time when the street was crowded
One of the robbers was Bruno Martinez
His execution was probably of the
most sensational as well as the last that
ever witnessed in Mexico. He had
secured 4 knife. and at the hour of his
death ran amuck wounding the chief of
detectives and creating almost a panic be-
fore he finally overpowered and forced
to receive the bullets of the firing squad.
Merely taking advantage of the opportu-
mites offered by law serves to enable the
condemned man in Mexico to escape dea tn
for many months, but after every appeal
has been taken II Is a question of commu-
tation or execution. Possibly no man con-
demned to death can rest with assurance
that by exercise of official clemency he will
escape death. but 1t is doubtful il there
is attorney in the country who would
not feel almost confident that in the end
he could obtain for his client a commute
ton of the sentence to twenty years i'm
prisonment.
This condition OF affairs is due largely
to the feeling in the matter entertained by
the chief executive, but few years ago
there was issued in this country a food of
literature giving the arguments against
capital punishment. These works were
widely read. and the sentiment thus created
has doubtless done much toward reducing
the number of capital punishments.
AS long capital punishment is author
lied by the laws of the country II Is PROB
able that the method of execution will be
shooting This method of legally sending
a soul into eternity is one that causes the
people OF other countries to shrek with
horror. but after all there probably has
never been suggested more humane
means of ending the life of man. If
there can be assurance that the men with
rifles shoot straight there can be little
doubt that death will be nearly instan-
taneous as that prescribed by any other
method
Certainly at the time Mexico adopted the
method of shooting ii was an improvement
over the garrote-a device not worse and
not better than hanging If a merciful exc
cutioner stood behind the post. But not
every eXecutioner in the days when tie
garrote fiourished was merciful being. 1t
was the garrute the Spaniards brought to
Mexico. AS long they retained their
power here II was the common machine of
execution. on the retirement of the Span
iards the firing squad took the place of the
executioner and their rifles the place of the
gacrote.
Executions Of soldiers for infringement on
military discipline are still not uncommon,
but even executions of this class are more
rare now than they once were. and II is not
impossible that the day may come when II
must be an exceedingly grave and atrocl-
Gus crime that will bring for the perpetra-
tor whether civilian or soldier. a heavier
sentence than that which can be given
within the prison walls.