Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1855-08-16
The Murder of De Bar and Capital Pun
ishment

|
We copy at length from the Milwaukee Senti-
nell the letter gifts correspondent, relative to the
late tragedy at West bend, in Washington CO.
It's clear and consecutive account of the whole
matter, from beginning to end, and inasmuch as
illusions to the tragedy will no doubt for a long
time enter into the newspaper controversies, we
publish it that our readers may have the matter
fairly before them.
No doubt the chief use which viii be sought
to be made of the occurrence, win be to restore
the death penalty to Statute book. Our
neighbor of the Democrat breaks out upon the
subject in an unusually pious strain, and vows
to devote his energies to the rcenactment of the
law of God; and we expect all others of similar
proclivi.;cs to have theirzcal similarly aroused.
This zeal, we trust, will be tempered with rea-
son; and moreover hope the reasons in the
premises will be given to the public, for rs yet,
although we have seen any quantity of asser-
tons of the necessity of restoring the death pen
atty in consequence of late events, we have not
seen single reason given why we may hope for
any better ordiffcrent state of things with it than
we have without it. The correspondent of the
!
the ground and had the whole matter present to
him, has not had his faith in the efficacy or uti-
ty of the death penalty strengthened by it, and
we doubt whether any person else would, who
examined carefully the whole ground.
! The public should bear in mind the true cause
of the death penalty being stricken from our
statute book. 1t was not done by the % sickly
sentimcntalists," nor from any sympathy with
criminals or crime. If it had not been abolished
until the ''scky sentimentalists" did it, it would
have remained there a long time, for we have not
seen legislature in this state, upon which sick
/ ~ sentimcntaliSm could have the least influence.
1t was done not to abolish but to insure punish
ment; and it was done rot by those who desired
that the murderer should So unprnshcd, but by
those who desired that it shond bc punished
| We have no hesitation in saying that if we de-
sired murdcrers to go clear of all punishment we
would wish capital punishment to be the only
punishment provided for them, for we could rest
well assured that although poor devil might
occasionally suffer It's penalties, yet ninety out of
every hundred offenders would go scot free. But
we have no such desire and hence advocate a
punishment which will be surely and impartial
/ ~ inflicted
! 1t was not until the acgaittol of Radcliffe and
Ann Wheeler, at Milwaukee, that the legislature
could he induced to listen TO the proposition to
abolis: ti;r death penalty. In the case of Ann
/ Wheeler there was not shadow of doubt of the
commission Of the ofScucc-or the generalization
or the sanity of the offender Yet the Jury
would not hang her, no Jury would-there was
10 other punishment for the of'crcc and they
freed her, and she is now at large. The murder
of which Radcliffe was accused was full as bru-
tai as that pcrpctrated by De Bar or AaybeTy:
the People had not doubt of his guilt; yet the
jury would not, indeed we may say, could not
cooly and deliberately conSign him to the cxecu-
toner, and to-day he is at large. These are the
particular events which led to the abolition of the
death penalty in this State; and it viii be per-
ccvcd that the main object that murderers
should be punished instead of being turned loose
upon society.
/ Now let these men who wish to restore the
death penalty show us that it will be any better
hereafter, with II, than heretofore. And if it is
not to he, whether we are not just as likely to
have mobs to set upon man and murder him
after he has been pronounced free as af-
ter he has been sentenced TO the penitentiary for
a life time. 1t was only by the most strenuous
efforts that a mob at Milwaukee was prevented
from lynching Radcliffe after he had been ac-
quilted, and ut that time the very imminence OF
that mob was made a strong reason and had a
powerful influence in procuring the abolition OF
the death penalty, just as these mobs now
made reason for its restoration. 8and if we had
time and room, might cite any number more
OF such instances. Indeed the Nee York Tri-