The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-04-11
BALTIMORE.
MONDAY, APRIL IL, 1859.
7, the observations which we have already made

In the observations which we have already made
unon the terrible tragedy of Friday last, we have
taken occasion to refer 10 the fearful responsible
~ which must, forever, rest upon the public
authorities, through whose culpable dereliction of
dulv this melancholy sacrifice of human lives, had,
nj length. become a painful but unavoidable
necessitv. We do not think the subject should be
allowed TO pass, however, without some words of
conmendation ALSO for those officers and ministers
Of the law who have done their duty in the pre-
n;ses and who deserve commentator accordingly.
And more particularly is it due to the GOVERNOR
of the State that the frmness with which he has
finally discharged the most painful duty of his
Office, in the face of the open opposition of almost
his entire party, and without the aid or counte-
nance, it is said, of those upon whom he had the
best right to rely for sympathy and support, should
not pass by unnoticed, or be mentioned with faint
praise. Upon the occasion of the second re-
prieve which was granted to the wretched
criminals who were executed on Friday,
felt it our duty to speak of the GOVERNORS
action as we thought it deserved and the public
interests required. We characterized the reprieve
as an error of Judgment and an act of mistaken
clemency and we do not doubt that the bitter
perence both of the GOVERNOR and of the unhappy
objects of his well-meant but misjudged kindness,
abundantly confirmed the truth of our observation
To the condemned it only proved delusion and
snare-encoGraging them to indulge in hopes that
were never destined to be fulfilled and leading them
to postpone that preparation for which the repreve
was intended to give them an opportunity; while
the GOVERNOR found it but opening the door anew
TO fresh applications for mercy, to more painful
Importantly and more heart-rending appeals.
While, however, we thus condemned with suth-
Gent plainness of speech and directness of pur-
pose, the action of the EXECUTIVE were care
full to give him credit for that honesty of intention
and sincerity of motive of which the sequel has
furnished a conclusive demonstration. When one
half of the community seemed hopelessy to de-
spair of the just sentence of the law being ever
put into execution, and while some of our con-
temporaries, not generally inclined to find
fault or give way to dependency, plainly
intimated their doubts of the GOVERNORS
ability to withstand the pressure which was being
made upon him-we asked, in his favor, for suspen-
sion ofpublic opinion for three weeks only until the
event itself should test the sincerity of his words
That event has fully indicated both our confidence
and the GOVERNORS character. He has done bis
duty bravely and manfully-under circumstances
which entite him to the sympathy of every man
in this community. Bnt if the frmness which the
GOVERNOR has shown in adhering to his purpose
of CARRYING out the sentence of the law, be re-
garded as commendable in age and country in
+,o,f 1;n,
and the mandates of the law are only too apt to
be disregarded it is no less due to him. and to the
law whose sentence he has confirmed, that the
Justice of that sentence should not be permitted to
remain under any cloud or shadow of doubt what
ever. Ever since the conviction of GAMBRILL for
the murder of police officer BENTON, efforts have
continually been making to weaken public conf
dence in the justice of the verdict by which he was
pronounced guilty For that purpose, an elaborate
statement has been prepared and inserted an adj
versement, in at least three of the papers of the
city, purporting to contain variety of proofs, dis
covered since the trial. the effect of which was to
establish GAMBRILL's entire innocence of the crime
OF that statement, at the time of its publication,
we took no notice, nor have taken any since In
this, we have only initiated the significant reserve
manifested by the journals in whose columns it
appeared. Our reason for abstaining from any
reference to matter apparently of such immediate
and public mporance-was plain one. We be-
lieveG that the evidence in question was from
beginning to end pure fabrication. We were
perfectly satisfied then, as now, that GAMBRILL was
guilty, and of the justice of the verdict which
pronounced him so. At time when extraordi-
nary efforts were being made to divert the COVER
NOR from his settled purpose, and procure either
pardon or Communication of sentence, for man
whom we considered to have been Justly convicted
of murder, we dia not choose, by entering into an
argument upon the subject to concede the possibility
of doubt, where believed that none existed For
tina same reason that we RETAINED from all editor
ial notice of the statement in question: we declined
TO permit our columns to be used by correspon-
dents, for the purpose of exciting controversy
where there was no room for controversy.
Whether our contemporaries were actuated in
their silence by the same motive we do not know,
nor are able to conjecture; inasmuch as they
opened their columns-all of them, we believe
to free discussion of the question of GAMBRILLs
guilt or innocence. Now, however, that GAM
BRILL has been executed-and more especially as
his solemn asseveraton of his innocence, upon the
scafold, when death stared him in the face and
che Stood" to use his own words, ''upon the
''brnk of eternity'-is well calculated to affect
the minds of many intelligent and respectable
persons who may not be familiar with the real
facts of the case, and who are loath TO believe
in the possibility of man dying, professedly
pentent yet with lie upon his lips, we deem tia
duty which we owe TO the public to speak out
where before we considered it not less duty to be
silent 1t is due TO the GovERNoR-to this whole
communicated to the law-the justice of whose
sentence is called into question: that it should be
conclusvely shown that they have not the blood of
an innocent man upon their hands. This duty we
shall endeavor to perform--in spirit OF vindict-
iveness, however, to the wretched man who has
atoned with his life for his crime, and over whose
cancelled guilt, so far as human laws and justice
are concerned, we would gladly draw the veil of OBJ
lvon forever, had he not by his language upon
the scaffod, and his friends by their conduct both
before and since his execution-by the testimony
which they have proffered in proof of his inno-
cence--and by the funeral pomp with which they
buried HMM token of their sympathy challenged
Society to a vndcation of its laws, and to trial
of the question which of the two is guilty of muir
der, GAMBRILL, for the killing of BENTON or Soci-