The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-05

in Powhatan. va. IL probably the re-
cord for the administration of capital
punishment IN the United States. II
was planned to execute all OF the con-
demned on Anril 30. but the nerve Of
the Superintendenf Of the Richmond
him. Governor Swanson listened to
his plea that he could not execute more
than two men In any one day and re-
prieved three OF the negroes. one until
May 5 and the other two until May =.
One would think that the prison ofiicial
would have preferred to finish his
chastity task all at once. -si.
Virginia IL the latest state to adopt
eiectrocution as ite form OF capital
punishment The FIRST was New York.
After the Empire state came Massa-
chusetts. Ohio and New Jersey. Min
nesota and other States have consid-
cred the adoption Of the electric chair.
There 10 q general tendency in that d.
rection. The reason for the substitu-
tion of electrocution for banging as
means of Furnishing capital crimes was
that the new method of infiictfng the
death penalty was supposed to be pain
less and therefore more humane than
hanging. 49,
For years, however, there have been
many people to dispute this assertion.
They contend that e1ectrocution IL not
painless by any means and that in fact
1t is most barbarous. They insist that
nobody ever dies in the electric chair,
but that the passage of the. current
through the body merely suspends the
vital functions, and that the condemn
ed are in reality killed by the autopsy
after the eiectrocution. These
are questions which may never be set
tied.
The United states is the only eoun-
a. - 81 fot nj a al
ninistered by electrocutfon. In France
the guillotine has been used--except
for short intermission--to punish
capital crimes ever since the DAYS q
the French Revolution. when DR.. Gull
lotine urged the adoption of this meth
cd, which he claimed was painless.
The French doctor borrowed his idea
from the Scotch maiden so called.
because some .debonnaire nohieman de-
clared<facetiously. just before his head
fell, that the knife was the sweetest
walden he had ever kissed.
Recently, after ten years Of idle
ness, the guillotine has been called into
action, with a prospect of beheading
twenty-five criminals within a few
weeks The responsible French ON
cials have long been opposed to capi-
tai punishment, but they had TO yield
to the public demand that extraordi-
nary steps be taken to check the exist
ing reign of violence and crime, The
guillotine began work again at Be-
thune with a quadruple execution. An
immense crowd was present and thous-
ands of troops were necessary 70 queil
the riot which the legalized bioodshed
melted. Somebody took moving pie
lures of the affair. The authorities
sought to prevent him and later to seize
the films. but the photographer escap-
ed. supposedly to America. At Mar
settles three heads were to fall and
other cities clamored for the gutilo.
tine.
Hanging is the most common form
of execution. II prevails In Great Brit
ain and her colonies and manv other
countries. In Mexico the method rs.
shooting, and in Germany 1t Is be-
heading In Spain the garrote has
been used ever since the Moorish con-
quest This method of execution was
practiced In the Philippines and Cuba
before the Spanish American war. The
lar attached to a post. The collar is
fastened around the criminals neck
and screw is turned, which pierce's
the victims spinal column where II
connects with the brain. Death Is in.
Simultaneous. : IN Clgfnas the executionerY
wields the sword while two assistants
stretch the culprits neck.
For a century there has been gem
eral tendency all over the civilized
world to lessen thS humber OF capital
offenses. to make the infliction OF the
death penalty as humane and secret az
possible. and finally tosabolish capital.
altogether. In the United
States as late as 1894 there were TWEEN
ty-iiye capital offenses under the mill
tary code OF laws, TWENTY-FIVE under
the naval code. three under the extra
territorial jurisdiction of consuls and
seventeen under the civil code. In the
Fifty second Congress the number wsS
reduced to three-treason. murder. and
rape. Such crimes can only be pun
ished under the Federal law II commit
ted in a territory or national reserva-i
ton, or on the sea. In 1906 Virginia
headed the list of States with eight
capital offenses, Louisiana had seven.
Missouri and Delaware each six. In
most States murder Is the only capita
crime. Other capital crimes In Amer
lea are kidnapping, arson, piracy. etc,
In England century ago there were
400 capital crimes. so called, including
stealing apples, counterfeiting, forgery.
and SO on. Now there are said to be
only two. murder and treason.
The wholesale executions that mark
ed the ancient Roman persecuti ans. the
Spanish InQuisition. st. Bartholomew,
Day, the French Revolution and prac-
tically all the wars and insurrec tions
of many centuries have gone. it is TO
be hoped. never to return. Rarely now
does an execution constitute an occa-'
sion for a public holiday. feastink and
rejoicing, as was the case In the olden
days. Most modern humanitarians.
criminologists and penologists agree
that executions should be as private as
possible. Publicity, the KEYNOTE of
present-day life, is not applied TO In.
fiction of the death penalty.
There are flve States where capital
does not exist--Maine, Mich
igan, Rhode island. Wisconsin and
Kansas. In the last named State the
death penalty may be inflicted upon a
warrant of the Governor. but such
warrant Is never signed Iowa sboI-
ished capital punishment some years
ago but re-enacted 1t after the num-
Der of murders in the State increased
Colorado abolished the death penalty In
1897 Shortly afterwards there was
such an outbreak of rioting murders
and lynchings that the law was amend
ed in 1901 so that jury can infiict
either death penalty or. life impris-
onmsnt.
Capital punishment is not practiced
in Portugal. Holland. Roumania, Fin
land, Costa Rica. Venezuela. Brazil, f1c-
uador. Guatemala most Of Switzerland.
and practically not in Belgium and
italy. Russia abolished capital pun
ishnent-in 1853, except for political Of
lenses, but the law Is interpreted 90
literally that during the nrst six
months of 1905 1900 executions are
said to have occurred without trial in
the Lettish region alone. the Czar's Of
flcials dealing mercilessly with alleged
revolutionists.