Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1845-1851, 1848-12-26
Capital Punishments.

was bloody one, but of late years it has been great
y mitigated by the abolition Of the death punish (
ment for minor offences.
Our reformers in advocating the abolition of the
gallows seem tn rely more upon abstract reasoning,
than appeals 10 facts; they display much ingenuity III
discussing the theological view, and the question
whether Human Government has a right to take lite
IN any case. Our Transatlantic friends are more
practical. They investigate With great the sta
,istics Of crime. and dwell upon the comparative
effects upon its prevention, abatement, observable
under The successive changes IN the criminal code.
The London Eclectic contains numerous interesting
facts aud figures upon this subject, OF which II
will be instructive To notice
Ii is admitted that the number of the crimes for
which the punishment by death has been removed in
creased from 1896 to 1916, 10 per cent but the force
of the inference that might be drawn in favor Of
capital punishment from thls ~ destroyed by several
considerations. For example, when the penalty for
rape death, prosecutors would often indict only
for the minor offence, assault with intent" The
penalty being changed. prosecutions were vigorously
urged Tor the real crime, that the criminal tables
showed an increase, which, however, was only appa-
rent So, when burglary ceased 10 he capital offence
the law defined the crime anew, embracing offences
committed between certain hours OF the evening and
morning, much larger portion OF the twenty -four
hours md not, formerly, those alone committed
during darkness. The tables of commitment and
conviction would Of course show increased number
of cases. without their being therefore real increase
customary to include under head only the capital
commitments but hanging for this crime having been
abolished, commitments classed under the same
head which capital offences, constituting
very large proportion of the entire number Of for
geries.
Gin passing may remark, that these examples
demonstrate what mIschievous errors mere tables OF
statistics, without accompanying references to explain
atory circumstances, may lead to-
In George the Thirds time, too, when 200 offences
were punishable with death, crime increased $50 per
cent. IN four years.
Finally, if the crimes on which the death penalty
has been removed, have increased 10 per cent since
the removal the crime which it has been retained,
has increased in the same time 10 per cent.
The following official table is relied on to prove the
effect of dimnution of executions on the number of
murders.
In the years ending
In England and Wales 1920 1927 1894
Total executed for all crime 6l9 49l 30
Number Of murderers convicted al ll3 100
1--WE will next show that the fewest executions
in proportion the number of murders. produces the
/ fcwes murders in future years. We select, from
great mass of evidence, the following return.
In the six years ending
1918 1924. 1890 1886 1912
Executed for murder l22 81 Is III 80
Committed for murder 4il 407 All Alb 35l
But the Eclectic, anticipating the objection that
these cycles too short 10 furnish materials for
correct Judgment says-
1--WE will take the thirty-twO years ending 1872
(Londonand Middesex) and dividing this period INTO
two periods of sixteen years EACH get the following
striking result: In the first sixteen years, all who
convicted of murder, thIrtyfour in number, were
executed. The rulers of the time proclaimed that
mercy whatever should be shown to the murderer that
if convicted. he should inevitably be hanged. Well
notw thstanding this memorable rgor, is murders
were committed during this period. In the second pe-
Rod, clemency began to prevail; and during sixteen
years Of the experiment, out OF twenty persons
convicted, only seventeen were hanged and yet there
were but ninety persons committed for murder during
the whole period With only 81 per cent. of execu-
tions instead of 100 per cent, the crime decreased
more than one-half!"
These are interesting statements. After all, the
question concerning the proper punishment for crime
must be decided by their relations TO the prevention Of
crime and well-being of society, which are to be
determined much by careful observations of
facts as theoretical reasonngs concerning human
nature National Era.
SINGULAR AFFAlR.-Some two weeks since q mer-
chant in Bangor, Maine. in emptylng tea chest.
found in the bottom snuff box containing five dollar
bill the Dover IN. H. bank, and attached TO it the
following epistle, written piece of paper Of the
quality generally used by the Chinese In putting up
tea in pound packages
PEKIv. Dec. 1916
Dear Mottsr:-l am prisoner In q tea house, and
have been for six years | wish you would go to
o'u
obtain my release. ! enclose you FIVE dollar note
il was presented to by an American gentleman
II IS of no use to me but 1t may be to you.
EDWARD LOWELL
Directed to Miss Nancy Lowell. Boston, Mass.
To SMoKEKs-By the last number of the Journal
of the Franklin Institute. perceive that somebody
has taken n patent for improvement in making
cigars This improvement consists in making the
end of the cigar impervious To the moisture OF the
lips, by q composition Of gum Shellac and alcohol.
Temperance should hold up boh LA nds for this, mas
much as if the cigar will not moiSten the lips will not
drV, and those who will drink will be forced to
themselves therefor did the old topper no was
going to have salt fish for dinner.
How MEN SHOULD TREAT WomEN-A Persian poet
gives the following instruction the important point,
when thou art married. seek 10 please thy wife
but listen not 10 all that she says. From Mans right
side rib taken to form the woman, and never
was there seen rib quite straight. Ii breaks but
bends not Since then, it is plain that crooked is
mans temper, forgive her faults, and blame her not,
nor let her anger thee. correction use, it is in
vain to straighten what is crooked"
SOMETHING NEw.--A new article of boots and
shoes has just come up in England 1t IL called the
Pannas Corum, leather cloth, and invented
by person named Hall. The material is cotton,
but has the mass and general appearance of leather.
and receives polish from ordinary backing and in
the same way 1t used only for the upper, the sole
being leather 1t said to be as durable as leather,
cracks splits, and possesses the advantage of
not drawing the foot.
ORIGIN OF THE CHoLERA-Mr. Refill an old and
respectable resident of New York. that in 1882,
he discovered that the origin of the Cholera is the in
alaton Of n insect so minute be rcely vsi-
BILE to the naked eye. He says that when the Choe-
a is in place. the existence of those insects may be
proved bv grcasing n cloth persons arm, and