Executions.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 312, 31 October 1888, Page 3

Executions.

The most merciful execution I ever sawwas in Siam, when the murderer had his ears, carefully filled with clay, and was made to Uneel down with eyes blindfolded, while his executioner crept softly up, and at one stroke cut off his head, before he really knew that his hour had come. I have not seen many revengeful executions, though I have passed through several campaigns where men's blood is heated, and cruelty lather than consideration is the order of the day. Perhaps, however, the plan adopted with our Arab or Egyptian prisoners at Alexandria after we had bombarded the city, and it had been burned down, was the worst I ever &aw. For some reason that I never could divine, the prisoners sentenced to be shot were forced to stand with thoir backs to their executioners. I well remember how hard they struggled against such a fate, and I have always thought it was a cruel way to dis pose of men. Much more merciful was the manner in which a courc martial, oh which Ma/as Vasha, Turkhan Boy, and myself ofticiat-ed, in 1877, in Turkey and Bulgaria. After the- lighting at E&ki Zaghra, Ycni Zaghra and Kesanlik, a large number of horrible seoundiels, who had committed murders of the most awful kind, were arrested and tried. One rap-scallion — a Bulgarian Christian '—had cut off from four little tlowifch or Mahomtnedan babies seven tiny hands, and had naiJed them on to the wall of hit, house as a kind of trophy. When caught he said ho had cut the hands off dead childi en, but poor Dr. Armand Leslie pointed out that they were covered with blood, and that, therefore, the children must have been alive. Of course this ruffian was sentenced to die, and he was hung in the window of his own hou?e. But no roughness was used towards him ;■ he was simply stood on a Colmans mustard box turned endwise, a rope put lound his neck and fastened to a hook above, and so gently 'swung ofl I .' I don't think he endured a tithe ot the agony he had caused to any one of the poor little babies. A rough executioner was Mr Marwood, who for a time officiated for the British Government in these isles. I was present at the execution of Lefroy, and after the body had been 'let down,' I, in company with Mr Marwood, measured the length of the drop. It was upwards of ten feet and one inch ! When, pre&ently, the corp&e lay in the coffin, I noticed, in common with the jurors who ' sat on the body,' that the neck had been dreadfully cut by the tremendous tall. J wonder the head did not come ofT. Mr Calcraft, with whom I had a passing acquaintance, told me once that he prefericd a short drop, and to lend the weight of his own body to that of the culprit's after the fall — so he used frequently to hang on the dying man* /er/s / With regard to electricity— l have seen it oiied on animals, and with very varying success. I saw a cat lately receive a shock that ought to have sent it into utter oblivion. To the surprise of everybody, after about ten minutes the creature showed signs of loturning life, and prestntly got up and walked — shaken, no doubt, badly — but alive. How would it be if electricity wcie sanctioned by our laws, and the condemned man " came to " ]ust as the jury were delivering a verdict to the effect that he had been properly executed ? The one instrument about which theie is no mistake is the guillotine. But I hardly think it would be tolerated in tin-? country. Say what people will, we aie a more ci\ ilised people than the Fiench, and heartily dislike the signs ot blood. On the whole, 1 think the ' medium drop " in hanging to be &umciently merciful to the murderer, and the best thing to retain as long as capital punishments are adhered to. Though whether that form of legal j revenge should be retained is a dilleicnt and difficult question. — 'Echo.'