The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-01-31
WHOLE NO. 485.,
Theology Of the Scaffold.

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Theology Of the scanold. r-
The several months past have been markc
oy an extraordinary number Of executions 70
murder and kindred crimes. The criminal
embrace members OF nearly every religion
J iaith' and while but few Of them have, lik
Mrs. Grinder, maintained a professed adher
; cnce to any church, most or all Of them exbib
1t, IN view OF approaching death, some slim
mer,ng consciousness of moral responsibility
10 God Tor their crimes, some fear that til,
puhishment for these crimes may follow them
into life beyoud the grave, and some desire
to avoid this future punishment All these arc
the natural workings of conscience, fear and
nope, qualities in which all men have some
snare, though the vividness and power of their
workings vary according 20 their native
strength and the degree Of intellectual and
religious education But it has appeared to
/ us somewhat remarkable that while the mos,
earnest and conscientious christians, whose
iiyes are examples even to the religious world
should, amid their lifelong labors of devotion
ana love, be oppressed with doubts and fears OF
ther acceptance, living and dying without tina
"iull assurance of faith" for which tbey labo,
ana pray, yet these executed murderers, these
Deastiv and incarnate fiends, like the feminine
devil Martha Grinder. of Pittsburg, manifest
serene assurance that they have but to step
| upon the fatal drop. bear momentary pang,
| ana 10! the gates of heaven are tkrown ajar
aud ten thousand ministering angels are ex.
pected to welcome them to all the delights of
paradise and to the bosom of God. Read, for
example the following sketch of Mrs. Grind.
ders true and lifelong character, as she lived
, up to within few hours of her death !:
III was told by many witnesses how with
tender care she piled her innocent victim at
all hours and with unresting persisteucv. with
the food and medicine that contained the fatal
poison; how she heard unmoyed the terrific
cries OF agony called forth from Mrs. Caruth.
ers' at every new administration of deadly
1000 and medicines; how she repelIed with
steady art al! attempts OF other neighbors to
90 anything in the way OF nursing the sick vo.
man, and how, when the poor young bride law
dying at last. tortured by thirst a nd sL.io!.ins
with agony, her murderess stood out by the
gate. laughing and saying. She'll 60 now pref
ty soon: The intensest indignation prevailed
against her, and if she could have been placed
during her trial unguarded in the rotunda of the
court house, believe she would have been
torn limb from limb. Her bearing throughout
was OF the most singular kind. Not sign of
emotion was perceptible in her demeaner.-
She would come into the court roem and leave
1t with as firm step and placid a face as if she
were only going from the dining room to the
kitchen. The most harro wing details of ,nur.
der she heard unmoved. When Mr. Car,th.
ers, the husband Of the murdered woman, was
placed upon the stand, and in a voice broken
by sobs recounted the horrible sufferincs of
his dead wife, aud the court and Jury and as
semoly were almost overcome with emotion.
the only dry eyes in the room were those of
Martha Grinder; and when at last the verdict,
"Gnlity OF murder in the first Degree" sound.
ca IN her ears, she heard it without sign of
emotion, and went back to her cell without.
apparently, trembling in single nerve"
Now see, out of what materials a week.. Ia.
Dor of two spiritual counsellors will produce a
trst-class sal nts ready and anxious for an abun.
cant entrance into the mansions OF bliss
"tor the past few days she has been assidu.
ously praying for death. Her spiritual soun. |
sellers, the Rev. DR.. Holmes and Lensabaueh I
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church, have been |
with her almost constantly Until recently |
she has said she did net fear death in the least |
but day or two since shc said she feared she |
was too wicked to die.
THE LAST EVENING.
Last evening, however, she said that she felt |
that she had rspented sincerely, and was pre-
pared for heaven. She was very cheerful
She ate hearty supper at IL, and chatted and
laughed almost gaily wi tn the warden, while
Ger cleFgymen renamed with her PRAYING and
'onvers'ng until 8 3o'coek. when she lay down
md slept pc acefully until Z
1t is not fer us to pass upon questions of
theology, except in so far as they NAV involve
hofai ana social effects upon the world;
lor 40 we attempt to decide what may have
'een the condition Of Martha Grinder. after
yer pulse ceased to beat But we are strongly /
impressed with the conviction that if Mrs.
'rinder's conception of her own state was
rue, then there must be something cruel
.oout the law which hangs by the neck until
lead so excellent and irreproachabla saint as
hrs Grinder had become. On the contrary, if
Ter imagination was made to deceive her, re.
ative to the certainty, directness and dispatch
With which she would be ushered into the
presence of the sweetest hearts and best souls
'ur world has ever produced, such deception
ras certainly as useless to her as it is dcroga.
ory to religion and injurious to public morals
from whatever view to look at it, it is plain
hat Mrs. Grinders mental punishment ended
With the triumph of her spiritual advisers over
Ter conscientious fears, and that after that she
uttered only the momentary physical pang Of
trangulation. In the meantime society are
aught only that redeemed saint worthy of
eaven, has been hanged! Would it not be
veil for spiritual advisers, and for all persons
'hose attention may be arrested by the mar
eiousiy happy manner III which these scour-
es ct society are swung into eternity. to con-
ider that possibly their assurance Of salvation
nay result as often from that insensibiIity to
moral enoImity, and that brazen impudence of
haracter which have sustained them in their
rmss, as from the operations of the divine be.
ag. . ae#
Let the world remember that the expecta-
ion Of glory in the future state may arise, and ,
\ these instances presumably does arise, from ,
hat same species OF moral insanity which has ,
rompted to past crimes, and that the assur-
nee, impudence and moral insensibility which :
lduce unprincpled men and women to expect
, thrive on crime in this life, may be extend
d by few theological applications to the life
D come. But for the dignity Of christianity
nd the promotion of common morals, let
christians of all classes distinguish between
he scaffod theology Of these miserable
Vretches and the truths of the Christian rsli-
Tribuns.