Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-04-18
mo- AnYERTIsERsl
WOMEN AND HANGING.

The New York Times replies to enquiry
and criticism touching its declaration that no
woman should be hung, and reiterates the dec
laration. But this peculiar view of the death
penalty is still unsupported by argument. In
fact, we are required to accept it and act upon
it without argument as something self-evident,
something so clearly and strongly affirmed by
right feeling, that no true man will call it in
question The Times gives the following as
conclusive and triumphant statement of the
case:
Surely, if it makes no difference whether the
Sheriffs of New York are to be forced by the
law into laying violent hands upon the person
Of "a Hcoarsc, bull -neelxed, bloated rowdy"
with a soul as coarse as his frame, or of
Handsome, delicately formed woman, with
swan-like neck" and woman's heart beating
warmly in her breast, then the worlds grow
ing conviction of so many years, that the AL
mighty meant something of high moral truth
for our governance and direction when He Gre
ated the sexes, like yet unlike, with the myri-
ad diversties of moral influence that spring
from their diversities of constitution is after
all mistake, and the insanest of the spouters
at the Woman's Conventions, are in the right
of it."
although not precisely in the way the Times
would have us believe. Crime is not always
"a bull necked rowdy )" no indeed 1t is not al
ways SO in New York, where rowdies are So
numerous and so much honored by the press
and the leading politicians. If history shows
anything, it shows that crime is never so infer
nal as when it becomes incarnate in some bril-
liantly beautiful woman, "delicately formed
and with swanlike neck" The Syrens, the
Times will remember, were not "bull necked
rowdies;" and, we believe that Catherine de
Medicis and Lucretia Borgia did not cores
pond precisely to that type of humanity
Nothing is more terrible, and nothing in society
more dangerous, than beautiful woman Civ
en- up to crime and pursuing it with reckless
desperation.
We are certainly no more anxious to see a
woman hung than the New York Times but
we must protest against awarding punishment,
not to crime itself, but merely to coarse, unat-
tractive, "bullnecked" people Beauty, which
so often makes crime fascinating, ard gives its
most fearful power in society, should not be al
lowed to excuse it nor give it protection
against just punishment. We repeat that we
have no desire to see either Mrs. Hartung or
any other woman die on the gallows. 1t does
not displease us to see this growing repugnance
to administering the death penalty to women,
for we believe it indicates progress towards a
higher civilization. But the death penalty, if
supported at all, should be supported with con-
sistency and propriety. 1t is a matter with
which there should be no trifing Murder is
murder, whether done by man or a woman !;
and whatever punishment we award to it,
should be executed surely and faithfully.
So long as the death penalty is upheld by
the requirements of public opinion,-so long
az the laws decree it and the courts award it,
just SO long should its supporters insist on hav-
ing it administered sternly and without mercy,
in every case of murder. The stroke should
be sure and swift. If this can not be- if we
have punishment for murder which can not
be invariably executed if the majority of
murderers escape punishment under the pres
ent administration of the law if those who
support the death penalty very earnestly, like
the New York Times, insist nevertheless, that
it must be expected only in certain cases and
take to the gallows only the coarse, bull-neck-
ed rowdies then it is high time to enquire
carefully whether our philosophy or our law
concerning this matter is in all respects pre-
cisely what it should be.
1t is now long time since a woman was
hung in Massachusetts, 1t is nowise likely
that there ever will be another woman hung
in this commonwealth. Public sentiment
could not endure such an execution, and
no executive we are likely to have would al
low it to take place. 1t was not so in the days
that are past. Agreat change has taken place
and this change will doubtless go on until the
change in feeling and philosophy produce q
corresponding change in the law.
N