Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-04-24
DEATH PENALTY IN MEXICO.
Public Sentiment Is Generally Ayers
to LIS ErecuAlnu

Public Sentiment Is Generally Averso
to Its Execution.
Unless there occurs some check in the
growth of the feeling of reyulsion
against capital punishment the next
generation in Mexico is likely to CLEAN
all its information regarding that in
depreciation of justice that demands a
life for life from history or from re-
ports of executions in other countries.
In Mexico City it has been thirteen
years since the legal execution of a
private citizen 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 courtyard OF
Belem the wall against which the con-
demned men were stood is SCARED with
bullet marks, but prisoners have ceas-
ed to regard it with the terror they
once might have felt and prison officials
have fallen into the habit of regarding
it more or less as n curiosity rather
than as part of the working machin-
cry of the institution.
The last time n prisoner was stood
before that wall was following the IA
nous assault of band of robbers on
jewelry store in Plateros street The
place was looted and the proprietor, an
old man, was murdered at q time when
the street was crowded. One of the
robbers was Bruno Martinez. His ex-
ecution was probably one of the most
sensational as well as the last that was
ever witnessed i'm Mexico. He had Sc
cured n knife and at the hour of his
death ran amuck. wounding the chief
of detectives and creating almost a
panic before he was finally overpower-
ed and forced to receive the bullets OF
the firing squad.
Merely taking advantage of the OPP
portunities offered by law serves to en-
able the condemned man in Mexico to
escape death for many months, but
after every appeal has been taken it is
question of Communication or eXecu-
ton. Possibly no man condemned to
death can rest with assurance that by
exercise Of official clemency he will es-
cape death, but it is doubtful if there Is
an attorney in the country who would
feel almost confident that in the end he
could obtain for his client n commuta-
ton of the sentence to twenty years
Imprisonment
This condition of affairs is due large
lx- f.. tIa - a..
tanned by the chief executive, but few
years ago there was issued in this coun-
try flood OF literature giving the ar
guments against capital punishment.
These works We're widely read, and the
sentiment thus created has doubtless
done much toward reducing the num-
Der Of capital punishments.
AS long us capital punishment is au-
thorized by the laws of the country it
Is probable that the method of execu-
ton 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 all there probably has never beei,
suggested more humane Means of
ending, the life OF n man. II there can
be assurance that the men with the
r!ses shoot straight there can be little
doubt that death will be rs nearly in
Simultaneous as that prescribed by any
other method.
Certainly ut the time Mexico adopted
the method of shooting it was IN i'm
provement over the garrote, device
not worse and not better than hanging
II merciful executioner stood behind
the post. But not every executioner
IN the days when the garrote fiourished
was merciful being 1t was the gar
rote the Spaniards brought to Mexico.
AS long as they retained their power
here il was the common machine of ex
ecution. On the retirement of the
Spaniards the firing squad took the
place OF the executioner and their rifles
the place of the garrote.
Executions of soldiers for infringe
ment on military discipline are still not
uncommon, but even executions of this
class are more rare now than they once
We're, and 1t Is not impossible that the
day may come when it must be an ex-
ceedingly grave and atrocious crime
That will bring for the perpetrator
whether civilian or soldier, a heavier
sentence than that which can be given
wlthin the prison walls.-Mexican Her
aid