New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-11-12
CAPITAL Punishment.
Of The TriirzHS

To he Editor Of The ZrihRHc
In former article l claimed that the creates,
check which can be adopted for The fearful increase
OF the crime OF murder is TO abolish Capital Pun
shmsnt In confirmation Of this proposition. be-
the attention OF your readers to the following ar,i
Gle from the .. National Police Gazette. paper
which VIII not be charged with feeling any undue
sympathy for prisoners c.
MrzDEz rs CAFr1AL PrS1sHxzN7-The alarming
increase OF murder II s parts OF country during
ire last Two or thee years seems make but e m
preston upon hose whose delegated duty il : 10 CON
serve tie pubic YEA. and though instances -ro-1pon
Instances OF the mpuGity with which the homicide mas
slav his fellow through TIE refusal of Jurors = become
nurde.ers themselves; still legislators fod ;he;r arms
and let the work OF death rage rather than change
a rule which 3Ids IL only say II TIE precedent Of
oaTus-ic age.
The ruthless u1urde. OF mother and her babe. The
slaughter Of mistress by her psraInour, the deliberate
and open shooting of wife, the derdish destruction OF
whole family by the assassins knife with the instan
ces that grow instances OF murders uuavengcd
while they prove the public rejection OF the punishment
OF death also denoUnce tue gallows failure
|, not adequate punishment, and its brutal sx
hibitons do teach respect for human life Il strikes
no preventive 20 the soul OF the offender and
therefore extends from ts CORY platform no security 10
that society whose rational sensioiies il violates
On the contrarv IL talniarIzes with the commission of
violence Il assemblies the depraved for refined in,
provemen in deprsvitv eScites false and mischief
interest those VINO ana consequently
swers no one OF the great ends OF punishment in the
prevention OF crime the remuneration OF the injured
or the reformation OF the offender.
These arc not the conjectura assumptions OF ,heo-
~ but the Erin substana;ons OF melancholy troop
OF facts. Yea- by year nay week BY week the deeds
the homicide increase and IN proportion the dis
mai aggregation grows it. brutal ministers escape The
monster almost TOO hdeuus Tor human contemplation
nds protecting refuge IN the very horror OF h.
deed and with MS cory locks and oloodmbrued hands
creeps into the soft breast OF perverted pity which
should alone have been the sanctuary OF his victims
wrongs.
This Is the reason why capital crimes increase and
ms Is the reason also that while they increase the hang
man stands almost Idle by the scatold. These as wa
said before arc rot mere conectres The records of
the country show regular addition 10 crimes OF the
first degree while the acqutals OF those against whose
guilt half shadow rests prove the failure OF the
rules OF punishment which comprehend them.
We alone IN this adverse solution o: the prob
lem Of capital punishment According 70 NJ Red.
graves English tables which made up from the sta
t!sucs OF the last SIX years md regular and grow
ing decrease OF every specific crime which shuts out
the gaows and while these tables show increase of
all offences that are visited with death tey also show
fearful disproporcon Of convictions.
There must DC remedy adopted for this Of
things and ihs, remedy be the repeal OF statute
whose impractcable rule mas proved the encour
asemept OF the very crime which :ainy endesvors
suppress