The New York herald., 1867-03-02

CA06SOASpO
may ensue.
Murders and Executions.
Crime seems to be holding high carnival.
Not day passes without Its bringing Its bloody
record. Murders from revenge, from jealousy,
from cupidity or from sudden outburss OF
passion succeed each other in rapid succession.
This week opened with terrible tragedy, the
impelling motive to which remains unex-
planned. An amiable lady, the wife Of re-
spectacle physician in New Jersey, was butch
cred by her own servant, apparently without
provocation Of any kind. The murderess, an
Irish girl, belongs to class Of domestics who
are usually remarkable for their kind hearted
ness and fidelity. There is some reason to be-
lieve that the wretched woman who committed
the crime was not in her right senses Though
she accomplished 1t in manner which ex-
hibited considerable selfpossession and cum
ming, her appearance and bearing at the in
quest would lead to the conclusion that she is
half witted. We trust the fact will turn out to
be so. 1t would do away with much Of the
anxiety and distrust which murder COM
mitted with apparently 80 little motive must
awaken in the minds of families living in iso-
lated places
To-day we fll up another chapter in the
catalogue Of horrors. This time, however, 1t
is not the fate of innocent victims that appeals
to our sensibilities The crimes which have
shocked them have been expiated on
the scaffold-always a mournful spectacle
in Christian country. We wish we could
agree with humanitarians that such scenes are
unnecessary, but we believe in the wisdom Of
the MosaiOal law. # they were carried out
more inexorably we would have fewer muir
ders committed in cold blood. OF the four
criminals that were to be hung yesterday in
various parts Of the country, one, q Rhode
Island negro, obtained reprieve. The other
three, George Wagner, who was hanged
at the Tombs in this city; Horace Greeley
(philantbropical misnomer), who was exc
cuted at Charleston, s. c.; and Henry
Gardiner, who was hanged at Elmira, NJ Y,
all richly deserved their fate. II there had
been the slightest grounds for the remission Of
their sentences it is pretty certain that guber-
Material clemency would have been exercised
10 their favor. The tendency in this country
lies, unfortunately, too much in that direction.
Hence it is that the use Of the pistol and the
knife has become so frequent among as.
Until the crimes of murder and Of assaults with
intent to kill are deprived of the right Of ap-
peal from the criminal courts, and the preroga-
tive of pardon is placed under proper restric-
tiOus we must not expect that they will exhibit
any tendency to decrease. No criminal until
he actually stands upon the scaffold ever
considers that his conviction and sentence
are final Money or political influences have 80
often succeeded 10 obtaining the pardon of
like offenders that he may equally hope for
his. What greater encourae eement can there
be to crimeg With the majority of evil dis
posed minds the certainty Of punishment is the
only obstacle TO the commission of the offence
It should be the great aim Of our legislators to
give to the statutes against murder such sure
moss and swiftness Of execution that it will
leave as little interval a. possible between the
crime and its punishment.
THE vete-The .sCreas TribuIasien'' Of Prcsi-
dent Jshnson.
The expected veto Of the Reconstruction
bill is still delayed. From all that we
can learn there has been a heavy demo
cratic pressure upon Mr.. johnson in favor Of
the bill as q choice Of evils and he has been i'm
state Of "grest tribulaton" for the last two
or three days while preparing his veto mes
sage, whether to veto, to sign or to pocket the
bill II Ia with him the erpcrimsat,im crucis be-
tween Nmy policy" and my place. The bill de-
mands nothing less than an absolute surrender
as the ultimatum of Congress; but, perhaps
under veto, with promise to ''see the law
faithfully executed" ifpassed over his head, Mr.
johnson may escape. II is said there was
long and anxious Cabinet consultation upon
the subject yesterday; and no wonder, for the
whole Cabinet are in the same boat with their
chief, and with him will sink or swim. Mr..
Seward, rumor has 1t, has been urging veto
with all his might against the counsels OF wiser
mon, such as General Grant and Rsverdy
johnson. The long agony will probably be
over to-day or take fresh start with the de-
livery Of the veto message.
The Last Grand Gold swis6Is.
The latest evidence which has been elected
OF the recklessness Of Wall street operators Is
in the case Of Mr.. Ross,, the broker, out Of
which has sprung an amount Of litigation
which may be endless In May last this Mr..
Ross, . broker, Is alleged TO have quietly
walked of with the snug sum Of six hundred
xIovaoc1 Jallara aca hoto1oc kt-~~rc -