The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-12
The Execution of Women.

There are some pltiful circumstances con
nected with the closing scenes of the Wash.
ington tragedy, that would move to compass
sion anything but heart of stone. Few.peo-
pie who read the kilograms of yesterday
morning will soon forget their sad revelations
with reference to a minor actor in this terri
BILE drama. They will not for long time
rid themselves of the apparition of an agon-
lied young girl haunting the presidential
mansion during the morning hours proceed
ing her mothers execution. They will see
her, now wistfully watching the doors of the
presidents rooms for one who never came
now frsntically on her knees clasping the
hands of some powerless official; and now
lying in an utter abandon of anguish and
hopelessness upon the stairway that leads to
the presidents chambers.
There is something inexpressiblv sorrowful
in the scene in which this daughter plead
and labored So earnestly for the life of her
mother. We, strongly as our natures per-
init. sympathize with her flial afaiotion, and
compassionate profoundly the hopelessness
and sorrow that ruled in her tender soul
when she found that memorable fate would
not remove the bitter cup from her lips.
Now that the grave has closed over those
who suffered the extreme penalty on Friday,
it may be asked whether justice would not
have been quite as we'll satisfied had this wo-
man, Mrs. Surratt, been adjudged q lighter
sentence We have no right to look at the
affair in political light, for in the eye of the
law one murder is exactly as another, wheth-
er the victim be a king or a pauper. A par
tisan contemporary of this city was so affected
over the hanging of Bell for the IN provoked
murder of a helple old woman that it advo-
Gated the adjustment of the death penalty.
There is not one particle of evidence showing
the complity of Mrs. Surratt in anything save
a plan to abduct Mr.. Lincoln; and vet this
same journal expresses profound satisfaction
over her execution. A more disgusting in
consistency than this cannot be imagined !;
and 1T demonstrates that the American peo-
pie, In their rancorous partisan hatreds. will
view with entire complacency thing which,
although the same In principle, they will
righteOusly demand under other circumstan
ces.
IF we look at the matter without being In
fuenced by passion. we shall discover that
many Q man has been reprieved from death
against whom there was much stronger
evidence of completely in murder than there
is in the case Of Mrs. Surratt. We shall also
find, if We persevere in looking ut the matter
disspassionately, that the sentiment of the
age is against the strangling of a woman, even
in cases in which she may prove a murdress
of the worst character. In the present in
stance, We nave woman VINO mas always
lived an irreproachable life, who has always
been an exemplary christian. and yet who is
hanged ut twenty lour hours notice upon in
sufficient evidence and by the sentence of an
illegal, irresponsible and partisan tribunal.
All christendOm, and all parties of the coun-
try, would. have cordially Endorsed the action
of President johnson, bad he COMMITTED the
sentence of this wretched woman into per .et-
ual imprisonment. The world would not. in
such u case, have been haunted with the APP
prarance of that slender form flung agonized.
ly upon the steps of the presidents mansion;
and it would further have been spared the
recollection of q slender woman mounting
with difficulty the scaffold under her load Of
manacles, and then turned of to be choked
to death in the company of red handed assas. |
sins. s#.sH s.aa.
If the heart rending surroundings of this /
woman's death will have the effect To make |
still more repellant than It now is the Judi |
cial strangulation of women, she will not /
have died wholly in vain. 1t would, howev-
sver, have accorded more nearly with the ell
ement spirit -four civilization could we have
spared the world this painful. this abhorrent
spectacle; and thus ourselves been promin.
emit In taking position on the side of refined
numanity, of modern enlIghtenment-Czi ca-
70 Times. s &, : Srs