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Show DEATH BY GAS IS DENOUNCED Prof. J. H. Mathews, Former World War Major, Condemns Method Used in Nevada. Nevada's chamber of death, the gas room which a new law In the state f provides is to be used for the execution ex-ecution of condemned con-demned criminals. Is strongly denounced de-nounced by Prof. J. H. Mathews, chairman of the department of chemistry, University Uni-versity of Wisconsin, Wis-consin, and an ex- E- 4 j i pert on poisonous i J gases. Professor Mathews served es a major in the World war, studying gas 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. "The purpose of gas In warfare is to produce as much agony and torture as possible, In order that the victim may be at least incapacitated, if not actually act-ually killed," Major Mathews Is quoted as saying to the American Legion news service. "And it Is Inconceivable that a state should desire to use gases which produce such effects. The purpose pur-pose of capital punishment is to remove re-move the victim quietly and effectively, effective-ly, In order that society henceforth may be protected and to serve ns a warning to other potential evildoers. "It is to be hoped that civilization has reached a point where revenge is no longer a motive. Only savages torture tor-ture their victims before killing them; the use of any of the war gases to remove re-move criminals would be quite In line with the practice of savages." Professor Mathews said there were gases which might be used for executions, execu-tions, if the use of gas at all could ever be deemed wise. Carbon dioxide, the poisonous constituent of ordinary illuminating gas, he declared would be the logical one to use. He asserted, however, that if the administration of gas for execution of criminals were carried out, it should be entirely in the hands of medically trained men who understand both its use and attendant at-tendant dangers. "The horrors of poorly carried out electrocutions are sufficiently vivid in the minds of thinking people to make them abhor any method of execution which may not be both humane and effective," he declared. |