Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-10-02
HERALD QF THE TIMES
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MoRpINo, AT
No. 1877 Thames Street.
CRANST0N s. NORMAN.
TERMS--$2 in advance, or 1926
at the end of the year.

" Executions in This country are
yearly becoming more frequent. Within
the last year more than twenty men
have expiated their lives on the gallows
for heinous offences, such as murder
rape, &c, against the laws of the land.
And yet this terrible severity Of the law
does not appear to have any good infu-
ence on the living in restraining the
evil passions OF mans nature. and pre-
venting repetition Of horrible crimes
We have long doubted the efficacy or
salutary influence Of capital punishment;
it does not prevent crime, because these
offences are committed when mems
passions are excited, or when deliber-
ate plan has been made, and the guilty
party expects TO escape, each one think
ing that he has sufficient shrewdness to
cvade detection. If capital punishment
is abolished, the safety Of society will de-
mand that all pardoning power shall be
abolished, so far rs the executive is con-
cerned. Then, when persons are con-
victed, let them spend the remainder OF
their lives within the walls of our State
Prisons, and there repent Of their sins,
and make atoncmcnt for them, rs far as
it is possible so 70 do in this life. We
hardly believe that human laws have
power TO deprive man of his existence;
God alone can give us being, and He
alone can deprive US it.
We lave no faith in exhibitions Of re-
pentance on the galows. A hardened
criminal is convicted and sentenced 10
die ignominiously. Every avenue Of
the law is most thoroughly travelled
by ingenious lawyers, with the hope OF
pardon or escape for the convicted
criminal and in too many instances
with success, probably owing to the
fact that the public mind generally is
becoming very much opposed to the
death penalty, and men in power are
glad TO avail themselves OF any pre-
tence' to escape being the means, ind-
reclly, Of a mans death. But when
all hope is gone, and on the very eve
Of execution, cle-gymen, influenced by
the best motives, no doubt, gather
around the condemned, and undertake
the fearful works of preparing him to
meet his God in judgment. At such
, time, and under such circumstances, a
doomed man feels that the last link
which binds him TO earth is severed,
and he looks upon these holy men as
the ambassadors Of God who are actu-
ally commissioned to purge his soul of
Its iniquity, and to grant him permit
into the kingdom of heaven. He is ner-
vous and excited the stronger elements
Of his nature are exhausted, and in this
strange state of mind, he submits HIM
self TO the dictation OF clergymen, and
they actually urge him into the belief
that he is pentent, that his sins are
forgiven hlm, that he IS prepared to die,
and that the operation of the gallows,
though painful Tor the moment, is in
fact the ladder which will bear him to
the bosom OF God. Christ on the Cross
said to the maleiactor by Ills side, ''this
day shalt thou be with me in ParadIse;"
and from this, miserable men on the
scailold are led to put a literal con-
struction on the words OF the Savior,
aud to believe that they ere consequent
ly to be transferred from disgrace and
misery to homo and blessed immor-
,alny. We repeat tha, we have no
confidence in all this. We cannot think
that in few moments vile sinner can
be transformed into peerless and shi-
ming saint, who is to become an orna-
ment in tho upper sanctuary Of God, as
one of his bright and accepted angels.
Deprivation of life would be Of little
moment under such circumstances
Who is there that would not leave all
tho honors, cnioymrns and affections Of
earth, great and cnticing though they
are # he cnud be positively convinced
that l'y momcnlary and disgracelul sui.
irli ing, in tie eyes of men, he could be
hornc IN The arms Of angels 10 the en-
during enioymen's of heaven, and the
actual, eternal presence Of God Z
When man has committed such an
offence. that the laws require the expi-
alton of his life as an atonement loi the
wrong, we cannot believe that this brief
physical suffering and the consequent
deprivation OF life, although the man is
penilcnt, is all the atonemcnt which
God will require for the violation of His
most sacred laws. We cannot help be
leving that under such circumstances
the bloody victim, although penitcni,
will be required To pass "A probationary
career in purgatory beyond the grave,
where Ne can render some more appro-
pria'c anI continued atoncmont for the