Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-27
KILLING CRIMINALS BY GAS
DESCRIBED BY MIR. HASkIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

| cuted in Ohio. 1t takes about as
long to prepare for an electrocution
as for a hanging. The man is strap
ped into the chair tightly. His
| wrists are wet, and generally a wet
| rug is placed under his feet to in
sure the contact.
Il made an arrangement with TINS
condemned man, confidentially, thai
he would move his finger as long
as he could. They turned on enough
current to kill him, supposedly. In
spite of the straps the body twisted
and was horribly contorted by the
force. In about half a minute they
turned on a second current and he
was still moving his finger. This is
not instantaneous death"
DIR. budding explained that the
gas method is a new idea and that
!! people can merely conjecture re-
| garding it. After talking with a
number of persons interested in
penology he found that the consen-
sus of opinion was that they would
prefer a swift death by hanging to a
less violent one which would take
place at an unspecifed moment.
The actual experience of being gass-
ed might or might not be SO uncom-
Portable as being hung. But it is
the ~ldiIity, tHe IdCI liidl d WEN
is to be set aside for the execution,
and that the prisoner is put into
the specially constructed death cell
knowing that during the week. un-
known to him the gas is to be intro
duced into the cell, that strikes
many people as repulsive.
Agonies OF Suspense
The last few hours before facing
the gallows or the chair are an Or
deal. 1t is often necessary to give
the sentenced man some stimulant.
Whiskey used to be given for this
purpose; now strychnine is generally
administered.
But imagine the suspense of
knowing that with each dragging
minute of the week before you death
may come. Imagine being keyed
up to that fear and expectation for
a week or part of one, and you have
something like the situation In
Poe's famous Pit and the Pendu-
lum.'
There is, of course, no intention
on the part of the state officials to
make death more difficult. The ex-
pertinent is being tried as humane
measure, and the actual gassing
may be such. That depends on the
kind of gas used and the swiftness
of the death. But the gradual APP
proach, through a possible week, Is
very reminiscent of the woman who
felt so sorry for the poor HOLSTERS
she had to boil that she put them in
cold water and heated them UP
slowly.
In the experiment with gas -four
Chinese tongmen are to be used as
subjects. For this reason it is pos
sible that the test may not be as
illuminating as it would be if mer
of the western world were to be
executed. The Chinese were ex
perts in mental ordeals wher
| Europe was dealing with crude
| physical torture. The Orient some
times forced a man to confess by
preventing him from getting any
| sleep-a third degree method which
few prisoners could stand for many
days.
Whether the Chinese tongman Of
today would show more stolid poise
than an occidental in the face Of
uncertain but inevitable death re-
| mains to be seen. 1t is possible tina
he might. In any event. the test
might be repeated OH Americans
| with entirely different results.
Gas Move Has Significance
That a state is attempting sue
ceSSIully or not, TO nuInaillZe liz
execution of criminals is significant
1t means that there is strong senti'
ment against the violence of hang
ing and electrocution. 1t is an in
~teresting fact that when the public
! used to be invited to executions, and
! even now when prison inmates arr
| sometimes forced to look on at such
scenes, the results are far from sal
utary. Prisoners become enraged
and embittered at the state doing
what it condemns-taking life
Perhaps the man was not convicted
beyond doubt. Men have been exc
cuted and later exonerated of the
blame for the crime for which they
died.
The public, too. revolted at hang
ings. DIR. budding tells of a public
hanging hat was held in n county
/ of West Virginia. Crowds came t
the sight. The. man sentenced L
die had killed his sweetheart. He
walked to the gallows with a rec
rose in his b~uttonhole and hi:
mother and sister came with hin
| to tell him goodbye.
1.-THE militia was called out" says
DR.. budding, land being a member
I was there. 1t was the most i'm
| pressive sight 1 ever witnessed. Thu
sheriff was SO overcome with emo