Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1845-05-21
cAplrAL PUNISHMENT.


!. messing Of the citizens OF Union county
..d At tho court house in Liberty on Sat
IL 10Th day Of May. ls45, for the pur
49, = Accusing tho question of capital punish
and soliciting the Governor to commute 'he
80 Of death passed upon one Hosea Cook
.,,;oo torn, 1645. Of the Union Circus
Ito ;mDrisonment for life in the stnte pris
~. meeting was organized by calling E.
"rpNsIDE 10 the chair. and appointing JOHN
;, r,,e. secretary. Tho meeting was Their
a. ,,....d bv John s. Reid. ESQ.,. after which the
allowing resolution was adopted
n...,..d. That this meeting do most respect
s.uv ILLICIT the Governor to commute the sentence
y J..,b. pass ed upon Hosea Cook by the Judges
rro;on Circuit Court at the last spring term
.':,,n,;.ooment for life at hard labor in the
.,,,o pri.on of Indiana. which communication Is So
I.;,ed on the following grounds, viz;
=, IN accoun, of tho minority OF the prisoner
10 limo tho murder was alleged to have been
..nr;t,ed by him, he being then only eighteen or
,;,ecen years of age, and prior to the tme OF
!. ho;oo charged with said offence tho said pris.
.,., ho. borno n fair character among his neigh
Inn, a. appears from the very best information
xe have received.
o, BECAUSE. from IN examination OF tho tesli-
amy in tho case in which said Cook was conv'c-
"a. tho principal evidence being that OF his own
decisions. (the truth Of which he denies,) and
.h;ch was obtained from him, if not illegally. at
=, least under promises of confidence and assis-
lance Of escape, and believing tina. :here is pos
.,bli.y Of his no, being guilty of murder in the
frs, degree, as found by the jury.
"A. Because the confessions Of the said prison.
>, madc to Walker, the chief witness, wero con-
,,,aic,ory in themselves and not conclusive a.
,,;o., tho prisoner, so as not to admit Of posi-
Ur,v Of doubt Of his innocence.
On suggestion, the number present. favorable
tho adoption Of the foregoing resolution and roa-
sons. we're counted and found to be seventy.
The following was then presented by William
II,uah,on, which, aftor discussion by William
H,urh,on and Judge Cason, was unanimously
adopted, to-wi,:
WHEREAS, VIC 1.-Two III an ago OF the world thai
may cmpha,cnlly BIO called an age of reform IN
philosophy, religion, and government. and, in fine,
all that tcnds to elevate in the scale Of be-
in, and 4, him to occupy that lmporta Mt aud Dig
nlicd station for which he was des gncd by his
creator; and, whereas, tho spirit Of our holy re-
Igon is totally at variance with the spirit of war,
revenge and retaliation in any possible shape or
form, and at oil times and in all places and on all
aad every OCCASION brea,hcs tho spirit of forbcar-
ance and poaco and good will to man. wherever
scattered, however situated and under all possible
circumstances; and, whereas, tho government of
the United States, and Of tho State Of Indiana,
Processes to be based on the spirit and temper Of
christianity, how muchsoovcr these governments
may deyiate ,hcrefrom in practice: Be it, thero-
fore,
Resolved, That capital punishment for any Of
fence, being in opposition to the spirit and not
sanctioned by the letter, should, by ovory onlisht
cncd community, DO discarded as relic of bar
blrsm, which only exists because the attention of
the community has not boon aroused to examine
its many determines.
Resolved, further. That our Senator in the
General Assembly, and our Representatives,
when elected, DO instructed all proper efforts
for repeal Of that law Of our state which in
aicts capital punishment.
On motion,
Resolved, That John S. Reid, Esq, bo appoin-
ted to wait on his Excollcncy, James Whitcomb,
and present the proceedings Of this meeting.
On motion,
Resolved, That the publishers Of tho Journal,
Sentinel. and Freeman, indianapolis; tho Ameri-
can Brookvillc; and the Jetfersonian, and P,lla-
dium' Richmond,-bo requested to publish the
proceedings Of this meeting in their respective
rpers. F.. BURNSIDE, Pres't.
JOIN H. ELDER, Sec'y.
TEXAS ANNExED.-The decision of
Judge Bragg, in tho Circuit Court Of Mobile, set