Horrible Scene at an Execution

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 145, 4 June 1892, Page 4

Horrible Scene at an Execution

On Monday (says a New York correspondent) a man named Cotto, who had been convicted of murder, was electroed to death in Sing Sing Prison. Most elaborate arrangements had been made with a view to rendering the method of inflicting the capital punishment promptly effective 5 and freeing it from those painful features which have marked previous executions by electricity. Those who witnessed Monday's horrible function a»ree in describing the whole scene as the most revolting yet experienced. Such is the powerful character of the current chat it was only reasonable to assume that; one application wouldsuffice to cause immediate death, but the wretched victim actually withstood three shocks after each of which there was terrible writhing, followed by contraction and relaxing of muscles and different organs, ani it was not until the 1 fourth shock had been sent through the miserable man's system that evidence of life disappeared. The scene was regarded, even by those whose duty takes them among death's greatest victims, as disgusting in the extreme, and after this terrible experiment there cannot be much doubt as te a public outcry in favour of Mr Stein's Bill for a return, in New York State at least, to the old method of execution by hanging. In a recent issue the Sun was unsparing in its condemnation of the present revolting method of doing men to death. ' New York alone, of all the States of the Union, has legalised tbis method, and it is urged that the State should proceed to relieve itself of the odious distinction by passing the Bill to return to banging, which, however, is also characterised as disgraceful to mankind ; but it is felt that the revival of the old method would at least be one step towards reform, and, that necessary work haying been accomplished, it is felt that the way will be open for the discussion of the abolition of capital punishment, altogether.