The Sun. — 1839-01-07 (London, England)

CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.  SIR,-Our sentiments being congenial in general, though of late not always, on the important. subjects of your excellent Journal, I trust you will forgive the freedom of this aidress from a personal stranger, but by no means sd to your conspicuous merits in every department as a Liberal and an independent politician. I now propose to communicate my ideas on capital punishments, as I can lardly conceive they ever are productive of any benefit to mankind. To those persons who think otherwise, I would propose some mode of execution less brutalizing, less sanguinary, and not so abhorrent to the feelings of humanity as hanging, beheading, shooting, burning, &c., which have existed to the eternal disgrace of rational creatures of all creeds and colours, Christians not excepted, in these days of our boasted civilization. The horrors of a recent banging scene in Australia are more than enough to explode this beastly, cruel practice, even in that country, for ever. In France the scaffold resembles more a butcher's shambles than a solemn sacrfice of a miserable criminal to the laws of his country ; but, so far from preventing murders, assassinations, or other atrocious crimes, they appear daily increasing, and the eyes of the people thus become familiar with bloodshed, and the whole of its appalling consequences ; not one of the least is often the sang froid with which the malefactor braves death amidst crowds of demons in the guise of females, who gloat over those dismal spectacles. The gladiators at Rome, the ferocious bull fights in Spain. and the unmanly dog fights, bull baiting, &c., in England, have done more to convert men into monsters and savages than even religion ever effected by making them saints, especially when we recollect the millions of martyrs, in all ages and countries, who have suffered for conscience sake alone ; to say nothing of the innumerable slain in battle all over the world, to gratify the ambition of murderous kingcraft and priestcraft, always combined. The Grecian mode of taking away life by poison, so long as this must still be done, is so far worthy of adoption, under judicious regulations for a certain number of relatives or other witnesses being admitted to the awful ceremony, thus far in private. In short any practice, such as dis iding the spinal marrow, instantaneous strangulation as performed at Madrid, a dose of prussic acid, or any other device for quick termination of life, would be IA:finitely better than the hangman's noose or the headsman's , chopping knife, until we learn that extinction of existence by violent means may be safely laid asti a of which I for one have not the smallest doubt, and I believe you think as I do on this deploral le theme. We differ, however, on some other points,viz.,without Universal Suffrage and the Ballot no nation can be free. I do not wonder, therefore, at the working masses of the people claiming their birthright on rational principles, while I deprecate, of course, every appeal to physical force, now that the mediocracy have become a species of ten pound noblesse, and look down on the real democracy as slaves to the two orders lately raised above them in every thing sacred to a freeman. Until the House of Commons ad rnit real representatives of the people, chosen by the democracy only, the Lords never will be forced to annul the Devil's Laws, as you justly call them, by any Aristocratical House of Commons whatever. I conceive you really are putting the cart before the horse. Get the requisite Suffrage, and the Corn monopoly must cease. Ido not alit) my name to appear on the side of Liberty, even in a British journal, while I am in a land where the thing is unknown. Believe me, dear Sir, your's sincerely, Paris, Dec. 24, 1838.  COLBURN's NEw LL