New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-02-25
srason and Costello.

$500
promptly forgave her wrongs, and has throughout
done her utmost shield him from the legal penalty
of his offence Her suffering and anguish probably
exceed those either of the culprits and she can
not perceive the justice OF sentence when peas
with keenest severity not only on the inn0'sA'
on those most deeply wronged by the c,lne ,.,,
Pm, onr cor-esnondent has not toucneo 'ne 0e''
The elected lawmakers oil our
~ be serving out the term OF stone cut
.-5;cb tbey have consigned Mason ny tnelr
- .,d persistent refusal 10 brand Seduction and
Adultery as crimes they have strongly aideo 10 per
vert or destroy the moral sense OF thousands 70
their own fearful injury as well as that OF the puo-
lie. Our youth are taught By the laws under which
they live 10 regard the offences against Female Pu-
ritv az no crimes at ALL the worst very trlrng
and venial offences against morality, which Law
disregards Thus misled, they are early trained TO
lewdness, and live to practice ii. The Law tells
them that not merely lewdness but the deliberate
violation and contempt OF marriage-vo"s Is unoe-
serving of its censures. Thus tutored and temPleo
to crime by Law, Mason committed the original ana
greatest wrong in the case. The Law never raised
awarning finger until he had been driven, by Inc
necessity Of shielding himself and his victim rom
popular odurn, to commit second crime winch any
one in his predicament would have done, and most
would have reasoned themselves into beievlng ex'
cusable if not la1dable An iliegitlmate offspring
$50 reasons man in his condition. will be shame and
crrse N its parents evermore scandal to the pub
liz an offence 10 morality, burthen to itselt-Why
mn. prevep such consequences of the crime already
committed and bury the secret in the breasts Of the
It,,1t N Rnt mi
the tempter Law-which licenses the rumseler and
hangs the raving homicide whom bis poisons have
bereft of sense-darts forward to hurl its thunders
at the guilty head and the unrehectipg Public VINO
smile at triumphant Libertinism and crowd the
Theatres to see it represented as alurngiy as posi-
BILE, swell the fierce cry for vengeance on the crlm
inal. The many-headed multitude love Licentous
ness and loathe only the practices sometimes neces
sarv to hide from tue public gaze and prevent lis
evil consequences which practices and consequences
they do not pect DC driven 10 or at the worst 10
be detected in whatever their secret vices Sucn Is
the explanation OF the feeling against Costello and
Mason when viewed in connection with the gene
raj indifference TO the legal deiencelessness OF Fc
male Innocence from the ravaees OF the proving
Libertine.
CR Hon. BARKER BURSELL has written let
49,
22d, in which he asks suspension OF the pubic
iudgmen, in relation TO the matter whereof ne stahos
accused until he has been 10 Nantucket ana had eh
opportunity to refute the charges brought against
him. He states that he was on his return nome
from Washington, where he had been on matter
of business when he first heard OF the charges
which he says he has no doubt Will be reiuteo'-
One thing is clear-he evidently has no intention 10
run away, and that is greatly in his favor
Meeting In Opposition TO Capital Punishment.
The spacious Tabernacle was filed last evening
by highly intelligent auditory, attracted thher by
the announcement that CHARLES c. BURLEIGH OF
Philadelphia and Rev. E. H. CHAPLIN of Massachu-
sets would speak in opposition to the Punishment
of Death The meeting having been called TO or
der by OLIVER JOHNSON, was organized by the ap-
pointment of the following gentlemen as officers
Hon. WIN T. McCOUN, President.
picc Presidents.
ISAAC 7. HOPPER, WIN. C. BRYANT.
JouN F. GRAY. NJ D. BENJAMIN ELLIS
RICHARD s. WILLIAMS, JACOB LARSON NJ u
HORACE GREELEY PARKE GOODWIN.
HIRAM FULLER.
The general purpose of the meeting was briefly
explained by PARKE GOODWIN, Esq. who remarked
that it had its origin in the increased interest which
had ls,ey been manifested by the people OF this City in
the moyemen, having in view the Abolition OF the Gal
lowe The places in which previous meetings had been
held had not been large enough to accommodate those
who eager listen TO discussion OF this inpor-
,ant question and the assembly before him
ibis evening indication that the Tabernacle
woud get be found insufficient to hold the mutudes
whose sympalhes were rapidly becoming enlisted in ia
vor of this crest reform He concluded by introducing
10 The audience
CHARLES C. BURLEiGH OF Philadelphia who be
gan his address by expression Of the qualification he
e, in view of the that the ordinary places of
meeting had been found too small accommodate those
who desired attend He regarded this an evidence
,bat the Gospel of Christ coming at length 10 be
better uuderstood and s spirit more widely dused In
our community. The opponents OF Capital Punishment
were accused OF chcrishng sickly sentimentsity,
morbid sympathy for the murderer &c. For his ewn
par, he ashamed TO own that he did indeed SYM
pstbise with toe murderer, the Son OF God sympa
hsed with hyn when In his death agony he uttered the
sublime prayer. Father forgive them-they know not
what they do, and as the first Christian Martyr sym
path;s with him when with his face turned the open
sky he PRAYED for his enemies and prosecutors, Lord
Law not ibis ss their charge Eu this sympathy for
the murderer did exclude sympathy for his victim
still less did imply appreciation OF or holHerence W us
dreadful. crime. 80
Ii had been said that opposition TO the gaows did not
come mainly from the Christian part OF the community,
belong to the class who had occasion TO fear that
thew might themselves become the victims of this dread
Sui penalty, from those who had manifested their faith
in christianity by lives Of devotion the highest well
fare O! man He we'll remembered that. when child
his opposition the Death Penalty 6rst awakened
by reading the writings of man whose whole life was
an cxempfcstion OF the Christian precepts-a man OF
eminent standing orthodox teacher OF the Christian
faith and he believed that, tried by the rule BY their
fruits ye shall know them, the opponents Capital
Punishment would be found 10 be quite as good Chris.
tians their neighbors.
Ia reply to the assertion frequently made respect
ing the opponents of the death penaythat they under
the authority OF Inspiration and the Scriptures
at defiance in their attempts break down the gallows
Mr. Buylagh stated that this charge only recent
ly brought forward and is. in fact weapon stolen from
our own hand. The original opponents TO the death
penalty assumed the ground thar it was in contradiction
to the dictates Of the Scriptures and alluded especially
to Dymunds Essays Morality in proof OF this But il
seems that the advocates of the gaows have prohted by
the old advice to learn from the enemy and now en-
desvored the very ground orginsly occupied
by the opponents Of the gallows.
The speaker concluded that the punishment Of death
ought be Inflicted unless il could be clearly shown
o..l univ.