#OnThisDate February 8, 1924: Fatal Fumes

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Nevada State Prison In Carson City, Nevada, Became The Site Of A Grim Milestone In American History — The First Execution By Lethal Gas. Gee Jon, A 29-Year-Old Chinese Immigrant And Member Of The Hip Sing Tong Gang, Was Executed For The Murder Of Tom Quong Kee, A 74-Year-Old Rival Gang Member, In Mina, Nevada, In August 1922. This Execution Marked The Beginning Of Gas Chambers As A Method Of Capital Punishment In The United States.

Gee Jon And His Accomplice, Hing "John" Woo, Were Arrested For The Murder Of Tom Quong Kee. Authorities Accused Jon Of Shooting Kee In His Home As Part Of An Ongoing Gang Rivalry. After Their Capture, Both Men Were Tried And Convicted In Hawthorne, Nevada, In Late 1923. While Woo Received A Life Sentence, Gee Jon Was Sentenced To Death.

In 1921, Nevada Passed A Law Permitting Execution By Lethal Gas, Aiming To Find A "More Humane" Method Than Hanging Or Firing Squads. The State Legislature Believed Gas Could Be Administered Without Physical Suffering, Contrasting The Often Gruesome Deaths Caused By Previous Methods. Nevada Became The First Jurisdiction In The World To Legalize Gas Execution, A Move That Would Later Influence Other States.

Initially, Prison Officials Planned To Pump Poison Gas Into Gee Jon’s Cell While He Slept, Believing This Approach Would Be Efficient And Painless. However, This Method Failed Due To The Inability To Seal The Cell Properly. As A Result, Officials Built A Makeshift Gas Chamber Inside The Prison’s Butcher Shop, Where The Execution Would Take Place.

On February 8, 1924, Gee Jon Was Led To The Newly Constructed Gas Chamber. He Was Strapped To A Chair As Hydrocyanic Gas Was Released. Witnesses Reported That The Execution Was Not As Smooth As Anticipated — Initial Leaks And Miscalculations In Gas Concentration Delayed The Process. However, Within A Few Minutes, Jon Was Declared Dead, Making Him The First Person In U.S. History To Be Executed Using Lethal Gas.

Gee Jon’s Execution Marked The Beginning Of An Era In Capital Punishment. Following Nevada’s Use Of The Method, Other States, Including California, Arizona, And North Carolina, Adopted Gas Chambers. The Method Remained In Use Until The Late 20th Century, When It Was Gradually Replaced By Lethal Injection, Which Was Perceived As More Humane.

While Intended To Be A More "Civilized" Alternative, Lethal Gas Executions Often Proved Unpredictable And Painful. Several High-Profile Botched Executions, Including Jimmy Lee Gray’s Execution In 1983, Led To Increasing Opposition. By The 1990s, Most States Discontinued Gas Chambers, And Today, Lethal Injection Remains The Primary Method Of Execution In The U.S.

The Execution Of Gee Jon On February 8, 1924, Set A Precedent In American Legal History, Altering The Course Of Capital Punishment. While Initially Seen As A Scientific Advancement, The Gas Chamber Ultimately Became Synonymous With Controversy. Gee Jon’s Fate Remains A Stark Reminder Of How The U.S. Has Continually Grappled With The Ethics Of Execution.

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