The Washington union., 1857-11-14
CRIME AND IT'S PENALTIES.

Notice has been made in our news columns OF the
conviction of young Cuban by the name of Cucya,
who was recently tried the court of oyer and ter
miner Of Hudson county, New Jersey, for the inru-
der of Oscar de Granva The jury found Cueva gull
ty of manslaughter, which crime in New Jersey is
punishable, at the discretion OF the court with fine
or Imprisonment, or both The associate Judges of
the Hudson court, oyerrulng the opinion of the pre-
siding Judge have imposed upon Gueya the slightest
penalty of the law, and have thus virtually informed
the good people withn heir jurisdiction that young
gentlemen OF hot blood and rich parents may take
the lives Of their real or supposed enemies at the
low rate of one thousand dollars per victim The
extraordinary and most reprehensible eniency Of the
court in thus assessing "a pecuniary value ON man
slaughter" ecits the following rebule from our able
and conservative contemporary of the New York
Commercial Advertiser
Much comment hes been ELECTED by the sentence
passed upon Cueva convicted of the slaughter of Oscar de
Ganyal in the Hudson county oyer and erminor at Bcr
gen. New jersey yesterday The is one that ought
to excite comment not that in the nadequacy OF the
penalty to the crime it stands alone far from it but
that it is another step in that wrong direction which In
criminal courts in almost every State of the Union,
too many of Judges have pursued to the injury Of the
laws supremacy and the preservation of social order In
the case OF CucTa however, III III ulnc 10 conceive amy
consistent why the particular sentence imposed
upon him of the utmost extent of the fine allowed by law
without imprisonment If the court believed that MIR do
Ganval killed by the accidental, unintentiona dis
charge of Mr. Cuevas pistol that the firing not the
result of either malice momentary passion chose
consue the verdict Of the jury then the ends Of JUS
tce would have been answered by the imposition of
nominal fine and the court had need TO exercise the
full extent Of its power
But IT, on the other hand, the court believed that
Cueya Intentionally, though not of premeditated pur
pose, discharged the pstolthat II was fired in the
ctement OF the conflict the sentence is inadequate
to the offence, it being we'll known that fine that
could be imposed would Of itself constitute heavy pen
atty the wealth OF the prisoners friends being taken
into account imprisonment, OF shorter longer dua
on would have been the only sentence that would have
constituted wholesome and salutary punishment 70
simply fine convicted OF ,nanslaughter under such
circumstances, when the fine is 70 be paid within
hour two of its imposition and without serious ncon
venience to the offender is virtually to the pecu
MARY value of human life, and to hold out to men Of
reckless habits fierce passions and large wealth tempa
ton, if not inducement, to similar offences Now, on
the very showing of the court in the remarks preacng
the passing of the sentence the peace Of society is in
the eye Of tho law Of much greater importance than the
feelings Of few individuals and though the feelings Of
the friends of young Cueva may have been spared by
limiting his punishment to fine, 1t surely cannot be
pleaded that the peace and security OF society pro-
NOTED by fixing pecuniary value on nansanghter.'