The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-30
DEATH PENALTY IN MEXICO.


From the Mericdn Herald.
Unless there occurs some check In the
growth Of tho feeling OF revulslon against
capital punishment. the next senerst'on IN
Mexico is likely to clean all It's information
regarding that Interpretation OF justice thet
demands life for life from history or from
reports Of executions In other countries,
In Mexico city II has been thirteen years
since the legal execution Of private citizen
has taken place. In Monterey 1t has been
nine years. In other States years have
elapsed since men paid the penalty Tor tner
crimes with their lives. In the courtyard Of
Belem the wall against which the oopoemneo
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
oficials have fallen into the habit OF regarding
IL more or less a. q curiosity rather than a.
part OF the working machinery Of tho lnstitu-.
ton.
The last time q prisoner was, stood before
that wall was following the famous assault OF
a band OF robbers on jewelry store In ia
teros street. The place was looted and the
proprietor. an old man. was murdered at
time when the street was crowded. one OF
the robbers was Bruno Martinez. His exeou.
ton was probably one Of the most sensational
as we'll As the last that was ever Witnessed
in Mexico. He had secured knife. no .
the hour Of his death ran amuck. wounding
the chief of detectives and creating almost .
panic before he was finally overpcwered and
forced to receive the bullets OF tho nring
squad.
Merely taking advantage Of the opportu-
mites offered bylaw serves to enable the con-
demned nan In Mexico to escape death Tor
many months, but after every appeal has
been taken 1t is question Of Communication or
execution. Possibly no man condemned TO
death can rest with assurance that by exer-
else OF official clemency he will escape DEATH,
but it Is doubtful II there 10 an attorney In
the country who would not fec almost con-
Ndent that In the end be could obtain for his
client Communication Of the sentence TO twenty
years imprisonment
This condition Of affairs is due largely
to the feeling In the matter entertained BY
the chief executive. but q few years ago there
was issued in this country food OF literature
giving the arguments against capital pun
ishment These works were widely road
and the sentiment thug created has doubtless
done much toward reducing the number
OF capital punishments.
As long as capital punishment 10 authorised
by the laws OF the country II IL probable that
the method OF execution Will be shooting
This method OF legally sending soul into
eternity Is one that causes the people OF other
countries to shrek with horror. but after oil
there probably has never been suggested
a more humane means OF ending the life Of =
man. II there can be assurance that the
men with the rifles shoot straight there can
can be little doubt that death will be q nearly
instantaneous ss that prescribed by any other
method.
Certainly at the time Mexico adopted the
method OF shooting it was an improvement
over the garrote-a device not worse and not
better than hanging II a merciful executioner
stood bebind the pot. But not every execu-
toner in the days when the garrote fourished
was merciful being. II was the sarrote the
spaniards brought to Mexico. As long a.
they retained their power here 1t was the COM
mon machine of execution. On the retire.
ment OF the spsniards the nSins squad took
the place Of the excutioner and their riles
the place Of the garrote.
Executions OF soldiers for infringe ent on
military discipline are still not uncommon.
but even executions OF this class are more
rare now than they once were. and 1t Ia not
impossible that the day may come when it
must be an exceedingly grave and atrocious
crime that will bring for the perpetrator.
whether civilian or soldier. a heavier SEN
tence than that which can be given within
the Driaon walls