New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-11
MARY HARTUNG.

MARY HARTUNG.
This woman is to be hanged on the 9th inst.
The Governor has refused to pardon her or to com
mute the penalty Of her crime. Great ympsthy
is felt for her so fsr as her case is Known aud an
attempt hes been made to avert her doom by act OF
the Legislature but this will doubtless fail.
Mrs. Hsrtuug is young and is said to be striking'y
beautiful. She was married to a gross, coarse
man, come years her senior, who kept GROCERY
or lager.beer saloon in Troy In her husbands
absence, she was seduced by his bartender Soon
after she purchased poison, by which her husband
lost his life So much is beyond dispute. She says
she bought it a! her psrsmour's suggestion TO hill
rats, and that che never gave any to her husband,
nor knew that il was given till its fatal effects be-
came apparent This story is believed BY many,
who therefore are making desperate efforts to
avert her execution.
We cannot concur in the assumption that her
sentence ought to be committed because she is
woman. If women commit murder they must be
punished like other murderers. We do not believe
10 hanging anybody in civilized aud h~-abd-
ing community, where prisons exist for continns
malefactors securely and perpetually. But if men
are to be hung for killing women, we see not why
women should not be for killing men. Let us have
Equal Rights everywhere; if not everywhere, let
us have them where we can. We cons der "o-
mans right to be hung for murder, so long as any
body s, not to be gsinsayed.
It seems to Us a fatal objection to this whole
business of Hanging that it tends necessarily to
paralyze the arm and shake the scales Of Justice.
Few premeditated, carefully planned murders are
so perpetrated that they can be proved beyond
doubt. If the act is proved, there may still be
question as TO the animus, the intent. man kills
another in lonely spot, and the fact Of killing is
brought home to the perpetrator to moral GER
t.inty. yes" he says, 81 did kill him; but he
abused me- provoked me, threatened me, struck
"me. AID had no alternative but TO kill hun or be
"trsmpled under hi, feet" Probably he lies; but
possibly he does not Who wants to hang man
on such state Of facts and presumpiions
Mrs. Hsrtung is certainly guilty woman, but
not necessarily murderer. Were the penalty OF
murder perpetual imprisonment, there could be no
hesitation as to inficting it, and little pernicsns
Should the possibility of her innocence OF murder
lever prove q verify she can then be released,
land will, meantime, have suffered no more than
she deserved But it is fearful thought that
the life of this hspess, almost frieniless stranger
among Us may be taken in most revolving man
per. under circumstances which inhict on her the
utmo.t ignominy and torture, for crime of which
she was Lot guilty. 1t is this terrible relentless
pe,s of the Death Penalty, the impossbilty OF cor
rectipg the mistakes and redressing the wrongs In
yolyed in il, which renders it supremey abhorrent,
and too often prevents convictions where the proof
of guilt is all but irresistible. In our Judgment,
there would be many more convictions OF capital
crime than now, were the black shadow OF the gal
lows no longer permitted to intercept Gods sun
shine.
Mrs. Hsrtung is probably destined to die on
the scaffold. The Governor has carefully consd-
cred the case, and thinks he csnnot interfere. The
Legislature dare not, or will not. Even We, who
dete,t banging, dislike interference with the regu
lar action of the laws. Away with bloody penal
ties but let the LAW be as good as its word. Let
it stop threatening to haug-nOt persist 10 threst-
ening, yet deslst from hanging. Perhaps the chok-
ing TO death of this fair young woman may be
among the Diyinely appointed means Of chasing
the gallow, from our State. II not, We believe its
influence win be perniciOus. Sympathy with the
criminal is a dangerous sentiment-xe mean that
sympathy which vent, itself in regret that he IL to
be go punished. We ought to be able to realize
that his crime is bis misfortune, and his punish
ment one of the means Of allevating and altmately
overcoming tina. misfortune. Now, hall the state
Will deplOre the fate rather than the CRIME Of tn4'
unhappy woman. Stall We profit nothing By ne
lesson
NayN.yARD REFORM.