New-York tribune., 1842-01-05
THE PUNISHMENT OF, DEATH.
Tyr. a,ii,vcIi,. Report.

EColtiaaed
Ii we inquire. says vat,e into The causes OF
human corrupiLans, we stall find that they
proceed from lmpuni,y Of crimes, and no,
from the moderation Of panshments. b. the
e4a.slsg OF severe penaltie. The springs Of govern
iEssrt Weakened. the imle ination grows accus.
tsrn.d % Ia. seser- ALL as the mllder PUNISH
!nrnts, and a5z the fear the latter dlnlnlshes,
thegre soon obiig-d N every to have fecotf'e
10 the former. Robberie. on the highway hsu
grospnz cannon In some countries. In order 10
refn"dy '.,l- evil they invented The punishment u
brevh3ng poa :ae wheel, the terror oi "icH PI
fto >. ior icJliie 10 his nschievous Pracucs. b't
soon aiter .obber:cs on the highway were become
=es common as evtr.
n .Janaa. saws ker1pler almost al criiass are
l1I,,lj,,ed With death and so ia! from being amend
I'd or deferred thsre5y, tii~y are harGensd oy the
coiIla light; Of pfnsn fn-nt; TIE consequence -,
rt.i lfev are nov 05isged u recourse TO Ike
mot herfid severity.
>. 81. 14ge -aid for tnote than twenty years
1eilbte FGarde: any other ctial- VA punished
Y5r d-atti IL l.>e-ny and "- hayr not only the
autt3orii "a ,ue -D,ereign Jtat crime, had become
=vsfs r4re i.r.t ~ assured By he venerable
Fab}siin ihal dQrins thht tieleonly fce murder,
,rargcpultfitee In,cally=: wt.ii- tRDm-, where
ilat pInishrient inflicted wiri, great pomp and
si.'q murders were committed in me short space
,;h".- llon,its.in h.. city aud Us ycinlty-being
in cptcptt>o, a one to NM. hundred aud sixry.-
LIS rers 1lissDe he adds ,!a,zle nanaers, prin-
ctpi,s aud rstgio OF the !niiahs..t, OF Tuscany
and Rome are exactly III. same. ne abolition OF
DEATH aoGe As punishment Tor murder produced
difference in the mora! character Of the two ns
1iors
The aiilhor of the Rights Of Man, when speak
ing of Tie which produced the spilling OF SO
Juuci, blood III the French Revolution Of 1895, re-.
marks: Lay, thea the axe at tn. root, and teach
government humanity. II Is these sangunary pun
=isll,nents whicilcoIrap: mankind. la England the
punishment in certain cases is hanging, drawing,
and Guarierng: The heart of the sufferer is cut out
and held up to the view otthe popuace In France,
trder The former government, the punishments
we're uotless barbarou, The effect of these cruel
spe tacles, exhibited to the poFuace, is to destroy
tenderness al. excite revenge; and by the base and
ialsci,ica Of governing men by terror instead OF
re;t.on. they aecone precedents. It's over the
lowest cas, OF mankind that government by terror
is intended 10 operate and 1t them that il ope-
rates To !,c worst effect Constant associations
.qitf Scn,ies OF blood make us become so familiar
with It, tfia, we are more ready to initiate the ex-
:lnp' than 10 br=,erriea by is effects
Among a Huynoer OF facts which we have collect
cd This brltct of the sub bect, cannot refrain
from selecting onf, which, being authenticated by
proof which cannot be denied may bring the cues
non more Immediately home to every mind. In
,ii,, ,ear 1922 {. person nared John Lecher was
executed al Lancaster in Pcnns sylvara for
cious murder. ihc execution vas, as usual, Wit
messed by immense multitude, and of the silu
,arv effect il had upon their feangs and morals,
we mas Judge from the following extract from
- (,..,
Town Ga2ctle.) IT mas long, says the Iudici6Gs
editor been IA controvcrfcd point, whether public
executions, by the parade with which they
ducted do not operate ON he vicious part OF the
community more as indictments to, than examples
,ererrns from, crime. What has taken place in
Lancaster would lead one hrlrvt that the spec
iacIe of public execution produces less reiorma-
1ion than criminal propensity While offence
atoned for, more than Il dozen new ones were
com,ntred, and some of capital grade. Twenty
eight persons were committed 10 Jail on Friday
night for divers offences, at Lancaster-such
murder, larceny. assault and battery, &c; besides,
many gentlemen los their pochr-books, where the
pick pockets escaped, the Jail would have over
flowed. In the evening, one Thomas Burns,
who was employed weaver factory
Lancaster WAS gons=Iunle he was=n'ei by one
Wilson. with whom IL, had some previous tnsln
der,andiag wien NlIson drew knife, and gave
lllm stabs in sundry places, which are con-
edered mor!ai Wilson was npPrehehded and
.,ounli,te, 10 ui! and had the surne irons put on
him which had scarcely been land Oft long enough
s,q I4echrr TO get cold" Wilsan was on, of the
crowd who left lis re~idrncc expressly witness
,he exccliion; and he has STAGE been convicted OF
Ine murder.
iiis stated by Buxton. and well authenticated,
lll, not long SINCE, an lrislman found guilty of
issuing torgcd bank notes, w, executed, and his
body delivered to his family. While his widow
was ,.!neniing ever his corpse, young came
IL her 10 purchase come forged notes. as
she knew ms bus,neSS-4orgetine at ouce both her
t,,lct aud the cause ot it--she raised up the dead
bod Of her husband. and pulled from under ii
accel Of the very paper for the circulation OF which
.nc had or-jted hi. life. At that msmen! an nla,m
was given OF the approach OF the police; and, not
its=where else to conceal the notes. abe thrust
rh.rn into the mouth OF the corpse and there the
officers found them. On this part OF the subject,
Mr. Livingston remarks :" | pray the advocates,
of this punish uent reflect on the examples pro-
.luce,l. asl, them seriously to ponder Oh them
t.a the numerous oher instances of q like nature
that mis-; occur 20 lem-and then say whether
tl,cv can believe the punishment of death an eff
.,ient one for murder. The most serious and in
,eusr reflection mas brought my mind to the con-
clusicn not only ,hatit fails in any impressive ei-
feet but that it promotes the crime.
Reasoning on is l.art OF the subject, after such
conclusive testimony must be useless and
wr left to this divi>lun OF the question alone,
should conclude tina, sufficient had been shown TO
induce the Legislature 10 abolish the punishment
We shall proceed, however, from The consideration
of i,s utility as an example, TO the examination OF
Tie advantage OF certainty ever severity in punish
mcn;.
Experience and Authorit concur with Reason
10 prove thar obedience TO laws is more readily