Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1857-11-07
Another Murder in Luzerne
County.

Human life has very little value now
o days. A man named Burns was brought
TO Jail on Friday last from Pittston, charged
with the murder of his wife. The full
particulars we have not been able to learn.
Drunkenness and jcalousy--two accursed
liends 70 human happinoss---aro attributed
as the cause. Burns denies having mur-
dered his wife; he says she was dunk,
and when going in'o the house, she fell
upon some stones, and inflicted the wounds
which caused her death. But the other
sido Of tue oHse wuuld seem more piauslb' e.
1t is said that when charged with the mur-
der, he attempted to make his escape; that
the woman was badly bruised, and her
skull fractured aud that club was found
short distance from the house, bespattercd
with blood, and containing the imprints of
his hands, and portion of Lis wiic's hair.
If Burns is guilty of the atrocous crime
with which he is CHARGED, he should be
made to suffer the extreme penalty of the
law, considering that in this age of boasted
civilization, we cling with such wonderful
tenacity to that old relic of heather bar
barity called Capital Punishment. But
will he be? Let us see what has been
done.
A man in Providence, while in drunk,
en- fit, deals his wife blow on the head
with a pitcher, which causes her instant
death. The criminal is brought to trial
Gcc5dcnfaI mur}er in a drunken spree, is
plead by the defence; verdict of not
guilty is returned by the jury. He had
killed his wife, (of that there was not the
least doub) but twelve worthy and intelli
gent citizens, acting as jurors, declared
that no harm was done, no society wa.
outraged, no law was violated; and the
man who did the awful deed was again
thrust upon community, with no punish
mcnt but that which the sting of guilty
conscience would naturally inhict.
Again, citizen of Hyde Park, while
riding in his carriage, in broad day light
is shot dead. A young man is indicted
for the premeditated murder; the evidenc,
is purely circumstantial, but suficientl
strong to leave 70 reasonable doubt a
to his guilt The jury returns a verdict O
guilty Of murder in the first degree. 4
second trial is granted--and this time th
criminal is acquitted, and set free.
Our only object in referring to thes
cases is to furnish grounds upon which w
can reasonably assume that the dealt
penalty is wholly impotent so far as tn
} objects for which it was established, ar
2 colcerned, namely--the punishment of tn
criminal, and the prevention of crime. L
= the present state of public feeling it is yer
l difficult to convict man of murder. TIL
D death penalty is SO cruel, and so repugnar
= to the dictates of humanity, that those t
= whom the execution OF the law is entrusted
: naturally shrink from the performance o
5 their duty, which they would not do wer
they called upon to infict a milder pcnalt,
+. A jury is not Sc easily found who vii
\ upon the most conclusive evidence, consig
G a man to an ignominous death upon til
I gallows,--Lu;erns UlaiOn.
BkI~ Why is vain young lady like
confirmed drunkardY Because neither
d them Is satisfied with moderate use