Henderson daily dispatch., 1943-01-20
Daily Dispatch Bureau
In the Sir Walter Hotel.
By LYNN NISRET

DS LINN NISBEI
Raleigh. Jan. 20.-Thv pablo hear
'hg ON Senator Char!inS bill t. re-
cS'aollSh the electric chan a, the
! means oil legal execution in North
>"f"iina resulted IN death lur Inc
proposal, but brought OUt some very
| interesting information on the his
Tory ana Inc mechanics ul capital
punishment.
me Harnctt county senator. spor-
SoE oil Tie bill. took a few min,l,,s
~ relale some history tending to
SNOW mat Tor several centuries 1h,.
"'ha hao b,,H toward mere !.u-
iiiahcneSS IN the death penalty. pll,.
- b'ackSi"ht, great Engii II JmISr
NOSE book = stu the Iac.liug q,
legal instruction, there were ~ .c,..
'FStt C!Lll!cs in:' which ;hG death
pCiait% might be nIuctcd. Even IN
i5IacNstCne'S day England imposed
'c"tn upon convection of any Ole.
OF lou oiicnScS. When North Caro-
ma was ilrSt established as a stale,
mere were 3O OiienseS included in
Inc capital list. This has now beer,
reduced To four. murder. rape. ar
son and burglary.
cine 1871 General Assembly re-
uuced mandatory penalty Tor arson
ana burglary io lie imprisonment
upon recommendation OF the Jury.
ana Senator Lcury. author at tn.
l94l act. has n"w pending Il bill II
apply the same lcnicncy la persons
'"IlN iclCd oI rape and mUruVip.
senator ihd.I!u observed that mo
1"iicNCd public sentiment Wul;ld mon.
~ Tor c"mpicl, abolition ui ne
'""th penalty. bGt Tor the presence
N the stat. @, 'Wu races.
rs !" the mcChanICs uI rNrrulinu
II" senator sand that IuY Il hong time
thrrC was no specified method of
capital punishment. ii could be Gonc
y Sit ...ng. haugIng. Duium- al thc
take. or Otherwise.
IRON: az piiuu OF the constitution
IN 1865 l.iIi 1893 the grnrral:v 40
ccptcd method was hanging ~ tnr
county where the crime VA. com.
mittcd. I'm 1909 the electric char ,,u.
Established al Central Prison ana .Il
Executions W'tC performed there uy
GlcctrcutiUu. until the 1883 uCt sun
Stitutcd the ga chamber ion. the .l.c-
trio chair. Ills bill would have IT,.
established III" char. but the senate
committee didn't agree with him
The humanitarian feature OF the
discussion rCNOlvCd around who
should be given most consideration,
the convicted lClun or his family.
There was pretty general agreement
mat aSphyNIatIun Is easier on the
hnIly. There Is none OF the comfort
q body. the burned flesh. smucd
hair. or other ut the horrible alter
maths OF ClvCl,OCutiun. Advocates
Of the electric chair CuntcndCd that
ciectrOCutIUn was easier on the viz
tim. However. Il had to be- admitted
there was no scientific data ON that
subject. No persons has over come
back either from the chair or the
chamber 10 relate his experiences.
Oscar Pitts. state penal director.
led opposition tO the change. He |
presented the incumbent State Pri- |
son warden. Ralph Mclean. and two |
former wardCuS. Hugh Wilson and |
III. III. lloncyCtItt. all of whom arctCd |
FOR maintaining the gas chamber. |
They were supported by Dr. Will |
liam G.. ChCvCS. prison physician. |
who testified that the effect of the |
lcthaI gas used al the prison was not |
greatly different from anScthctic |
gas used IN operations: difference |
was in quantity and concentration |
father than IN substance or carly CT |
feet.
Only Spokesman. 0tr"r than Sen
atOr Chaffiu him f. f.! the bill was
Willis Holding .:alCIgh city chem
isl. who offered his personal opinion
rather than any scientific data as
basis for prclcrrlng the electric
chair.