New-York daily tribune., 1843-06-27
CAPITAL Punishment.

The recent ferocIous murder OF lne :" diuei Vi
the Massachusetts, State Prison is set forth by
several journals in favor of Capital Punishment
as afording an argument for their cause. Let
us consider 1t.
Don't you see," is the drift Of the argument,
~that nothing less than killing for murder will
prevent that crime Z" Don't you see, is our re-
sponse, that that will not do it 2 The law OF
Massachusetts says blood for blood; the culPrlt
very well knew t-he knew there was not a
chance Of his escaping the penalty-yet ne killed
his victim in the broad face of day. and in plain
sight of hundred witnesses. He knew that ne
was blooming himself to death-yet he bfaved the
penalty, and glutted his vengeance The hope
of escape did not impe him-hc knew that nc
would be hung-and he courted that penalty
Does not this prove that the penalty OF death,
even if certain, is inefficient?
Well,' says an objector, would Imprisonment
for Life be more efective-nore terrible 2 Per
haps not--at any rate, we do not propose it as
more appalling than the other. We do not be-
lieve that any conceivable awfulness OF penalty
will utterly prevent crime But we do insist that,
to prevent murder, we must eradicate the diSpo-
sition to murder-the idea that wrong or outrage
can justify the taking Of life, except delensvely-
and this is to be done not by killing but by ab-
staining from slaughter. So long the com
munity shall take bloody vengeance on its enc
mics, we con hardly expect them to act more
humanely. Vengeance is as sweet to fcon as
to community.
-" But would you not take the life of priS-
: oner who murders ?-if not, what safety can
there be for the keepers Of your prisons ?'-No,
VIC would not take the life even of such wretch
as the recent murderer in the Massachusetts,
prison-and we believe the lives of keepers would
be far safer than they now are. We would treat
every convicted offender against the law with
kindness and pity--we would make him feel that
the community were compelled to incarccratc
him, from no desire of vengeance, but purely
from a regard to the safely Of its members and to
his own reformation. We would treat him as u
human being still--a diseased perverted, de-
praved, morally insane fellow creature, yet one on
whom no pain should be inflicted wantonly or
vindictively, but who should be made to feel that
his own good as well as the general good was
SohoutSo IA CNSl sup lihSh Will ~ Aisihi'
We would endeavor to place around him such
angels of mercy as Mrs. Fry and her fellow-la-
borers-to make him realize, in his lonely cell,
that there is Joy, not merely in heaven but on
earth, over the sinner that turns from his evil
ways The criminal SO treated will not be likely
to murder his keeper any one else, after de has
been brought to feel that the kindness he receives
ls genuine, not affected but the criminal held in
check only by Fear and Torture--by the fetter,
the lash, the gaows-will kill or not kill, accord
lng to his fancled chances Of escape or the vchc-
mence of his revengeful passons.-Such is our
view OF the Massachusetts, case and the general
question.
" There was generous rally of the FRIENDS
OF IRELAND at Washington Hall last evening" at
which a liberal contribution in aid of the Repeal
cause was made. Large and enthusiastic Re
peal meetings have recently been held at NEW
ARK, PATERSON and WILLIAMsBuRGII, beside those
at Boston and other distant places. We notice
these evidences of the ardent, mistaken zeal Of
ahe advocates of Justice and Domestic Indepen-
dence to Ireland more especially because an un-
fair, insdous attempt is made BY the Herald to
prejudice and if possible crush the Repeal cause
by parade Of Mr.. O'Connell's recent Anti
Slavery Speechin in Dublin That effort will prove
a dead failure. The progress OF the Repeal cause
will be steadily onward until partial Justice, long
deferred, is awarded to Ireland, and her own
Parliament meets in her own metropolis for the
direction of her internal affairs No unwise acts
fr,ax do L.,
An Outrage.
We have received the particulars Of high
outrage perpetrated upon an American brigantine
ownedm this city, by the British Collector of the
Customs at Sierra Leone, on the coast of Africa.
The whole is supported by authentic documents,
and has been properly represented to the Govern
ment at Washington. We shall give farther par
ticulars of the affair tomorrow.
U We are able, upon the best authority to
contradict the report, now running the rounds,
and attributing the authorship of the new novel.
Kate in Search of a Husband to the beautiful
and brilliant daughter OF distinguished artist in
this city. The only foundation for the runor is
the acknowledged ability of the lady in ques-
sion to write story infinitely superior to the one
attributed 10 her.
U- The Bay State Democrat says that Thom-
as w. Dorr is about to return to Providence and
resume the practice of the Law. 1t adds that he
has no intention of disturbing the existing author
tiles of the State. Whether the authorities will
allow him perfect impunity for his high offences
remains to be seen. The Democrat expresses the
hope that they will.
D The friends of ASSOCIATION and all who
desire better Social condition for the toing MIL
lions of mankind are earnestly requested to attend