Show DEATH BY GAS IS DENOUNCED prof J H mathews former world war major condemns method used in nevada Ne nevadas Tadas chamber of death the gas gal room which a new law la in the state provides Is 13 to be used for or the execution or of condemned criminals is strongly denounced 4 by prof e J IL mathews Mat hewa chairman of 0 tte the department of chemistry university of wisconsin and an expert on poisonous gases professor mathews served 98 ft major in the world war studying gas call warfare at the british front and serving in charge of the gas and flame branch of the trench warfare section of the united states army i 1 the ibe purpose of gas in warfare Is to produce as much agony and torture us its possible in order that the victim may be at least incapacitated if not actually killed major mathews Is quoted as aa saying to the american legion news new service and it II Is inconceivable that ahat a state should desire to use gases eases which produce such the purpose of capital punishment Is to remove the victim quietly and effectively in order that society henceforth way may be protected and to serve as a warning to other potential evildoers it Is to be hoped that civilization has hab readied reached a point where revenge la is no longer a m motive only savages torture their victims before killing them the rise nse of any of the war gases to remove criminals would be quite in line with the practice of savages professor mathews said there were gases cases which might be used for executions it if the use of gas at all could ever be dee ned wise carbon dioxide the poisonous constituent const lluent of ordinary illuminating gas he declared would be the logical one to use lie asserted however that it if the administration of gus for execution of criminals were carried out it should be entirely to in the hands of medically trained men who understand both its use find and attendant dangers the horrors of poorly carried out electrocutions are sufficiently vivid in the winds of thinking people to make them abhor tiny any method of execution which may not be both humane and effective he be declared |