The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-22
Frederick T askin's Letter
tapsaH cssrespe n Arrua1
To Kill Criminals by Gas.

~ ia "SSS Vi part OF 0DR q ID
you have something like the 80. y
ton in Poe's famous pit ana S'' u
Pendulum" ''l le
There is, Of course. no int...,
on the part of the state ofBci .I.'JA
make death more dificuI n =
experiment is being tried as t t-'
name measure, and the actuaI -. Ne
ing may be such. That depsnSs- ~, J.
the kind of gas used and he -, "
ness of the death. But tbo -,
ual approach, thorough a nos I'm
week, is very reminiscent ~ 5'' ,as
woman who felt so sorry fo- y, .ls
poor Holsters she had to boil ~,
she put them in a cold watsr , --s
heated them up slowly. anu
In the experiment with gas ,,-
Chinese tongmen are to be re- i' y
subjects. For this reason - Z. =
possible that the test NAV NO. !
as Illuminating as it wonld :. 4.
men of the western world wsro 4.
be executed. The Chinese "
experts in mental ordeals W.
Europe was dealing with crrI.
physical torture. The Orient son nv
times forced a man to confess n
preventing him from getting a.!
sieep-a third degree method Nh.
few prisoners could stand for ma
days. --'''1'
Whether the Chinese tonman ~
today would show more gto,si
poise than an occidental in INV IN.
face of uncertain but inevitaE'
death remains to be seen. Il
possible that he might. In ans
event, the test might be reDest.3
on Americans with entirely diTsr
ent results.
Gas Move Has Significance
That a state is attempting en-.
cessfully or not. to humanize n.
execution of criminals is signifcs,,
1t means that there is strong sent.
ment against the violence Of hans
ing and eleCtrOcution. It is an in
teresting fact that when the DubF,
used to be invited to execution,
and even now when prison inmates
are sometimes forced to look on a,
such scenes, the results are "a,
from salutary. Prisoners becons
enraged and embittered at the STAT
doing what it condemns-taklr,
life. Perhaps the man was nn
convicted beyond doubt. Men have
been executed and later exonerste5
OF the blame for the crime %,
which they died.
The public, too, revolted at ban,.
ings. DR.. budding tells of a pub
lie hanging that was held in o1s
county of West Virginia. Crowds
came to the sight. The man Sen,
fenced to die had killed his sweet.
heart He walked to the gallows
with a red rose in his buttonhola
and his mother and sister cane
with him TO tell him goodbye.
THE militia was called out
says DR.. budding, and being 4
member I was there. It was Il,
most impressive sight I ever wit.
messed. The sheriff was so over.
come with emotion that he could
not stand the suspense. He pulled
the lever and killed the man before
the signal was given.
THE hanging was held publicly
with the idea that it would be q
warning against crime The effect
that it had was to arouse a county.
wide antipathy toward the death
penalty. They have never been able
to get a jury to agree to the death
penalty in any case in that county
since then"
Dr.. buildings Own Experience
Later, DR.. budding was on trial
in the same county for killing a
man in self-defeuse Candidates
for the jury were asked as usual II
they had any objection to capita
punishment in proper cases. and
out of $50 men fully 100 were told
to step aside after answering that
they did object Those who We're
chosen would probably have re
fused to consider any specific case
proper" for capital punishment
THE death penalty continues
DR.. budding explains, because peo-
pie do not know much about it aud
because of the belief that it is
deterrent of crime. It is safe to say
that no criminal thinks Of the death
penalty when he commits a crime
And there is just as much law
in states where there is
strong sentiment against it
Violence is no curative. WHIST
we should substitute for ViOlen2e
is education. and progressive
methods of dealing with prisoners.
No one benefits by the execution o.
a slayer. His family is left dis
graced, perhaps dependent Often
some other family-that Of the VIC
tim of the crime is left dependent.
if the man were alloWel
to work in the peuitenuaTy al
reasonable wage and the money
sent to support those he had wrong
ed some good might come OF tAe
sentence rather than only suffering
% the innocent families lnYoNea'