New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-14
THE DEATH PENALTY.

\ 5
In the case of John Moran, convicted of murder IN
Massachusetts,. and sentenced TO be hanged on the
25b inst a hearing was had before the Governor and
Executive Council at the State House in Boston, on
the 10th. Aftor statements and addresses had been
made by the counsel for and against the accused and
| by Others Ex-Gov. Andrew spoke in substance aS
| follows:
He said that he had come for the purpose OF assist
Ing in making it easy for the Governor aud Counch
70 do what he felt they had substantially predetei-
| mined He wished TO call their attention tn the
! fact that It had not been seldom during tho last
quarter Of a century that the warrant for execution h"d
heen recalled: indeed he had known IL happen once
That the warrant was Cancelled and communication ordered
on the very morning Of the day Of execution lie 0p
prolched This matter from different points than gentle
mon who had previously spoken. He never had Dce III
favor OF the inicton of the penalty OF DEATH aonsh
during lis administration Governor he Aad twice h
nctod IT, He had ab0red long 10 secure an abolition OF
the penalty lie had failed during more than ~
wears 10 assist when desirable in obtaining Communication
in all cases where he felt there was the slightest prospect
OF success although he knew that the granting OF COM
mutations succeeded in keeping The death penalty Oh the
| statute book lie felt that II Communication was not
granted in the case OF Moran, the death penalty viii be
erased from the books IN less than year. Although the
death penalty very generally the policy OF nations as
legislative system 1t not so generally rs an admin
stratiye system. Being aware from some investigation
I
arranged statement showing in dotail how frequently
communication had been granted. This statement he read
as follows:
In France with population Of forty millions. there
were during the last four years Of which the statistics
accessible only o. persons condemned 10 death or IN
the aggregate number Of condemnatios there were only
IS infections of the capital punishment on an average 3i
scarcey more than hall whole number Of the asc
gate nd gmcnts OF the courts actually carried into effect
1 lt tf(
In Prussia from lsss 20 1872 out Of condemnatlons
FOR murder cre but 1876 executions and including
the years S5s57 there were l5S persons condemned 10
death for the crime Of murder oil Whch er Uut iV-
were executed or less than two thirds Of the aesIgsdis
coudemnations TO death lot hnlneI IN the aggregate"
and of that number there were but NEsCA persons VINO
actually suffered dealh Nnaer lngL stht'nOe p,H,S
scarcely Oaoch Is many executions uuhs tlA1 GIl5u
as there were condemnauons by Inc tribunals. Nearly
Dine-tenths Of the penalties were commuted
In Austria duri the ton years ending h 1874. moro
than uinctnts o. percent OF those condemned have
naious carried into eject b. lie Goyc1mont Nor can
st. he urged that this result shows merely the struggle 81
the Government To mitigate by ccmcncy the horrors Of
saucuinay penal code. For m tie Empire OF Austria,
by th5 last accounts within my command, there were but
! 81 c0adeaHofi0RG Ia death IN the year
in Belgium. during the years lo5l5 there were about
The aggregate was just - persons. BU, OF these only n
execu u. During the five years, including t5t0,
were permitted by The Government actually TO suffer The
extreme penalty OF death The Ecgian Government, IN
der date Of sept r. 1s6l,rcpoed that the whole number
Of death sentences pronounced In BELGIUM from 1850 10
1853, inclusive was 49, OF which only q were Inflicted.
The executions thus far only about seven per cent OF
I'm Portugal the last execution occurred believe, IN
15lG Tho practice OF the crown for moro Than % years
has been TO commute INC peniy 10 Imprisonment. .,
1853, II In the whole and the communications
about 90 per cent Of the convictions.
In Sweden during the six years ending with 1884, 20 per
cent OF the sentences 30 death were committed.
IN Switzerland capital punishment is almost dlscon-
nued 10y several OF its canOns. There has been no cX
ccuuon IN fIbug since 1892 ana none In Nouchatel since
The nnlcon Of the penalty Of death 20 he vrtu-
ally abandoned IA matter OF administrative policy In
Of ei1cburg under date OF June o. 1867 writes "Incre
have been executions in Bayayia, under the young
King for four years past nor in hurtembcrg for two
Yeas nor In Baden for three years, while the number Of
murders has not increased and the people in the three
punishment Of death"
IN Tuscany the punishment OF death was virtually DIS
continued IN 774 and is abolished by law. And Ia
1885, Sg0r Vacca the Minister Of Justice declared In the
italian Chamber Of Deputies, at Turin that Inc was In
In Holland, It is shown by statistics Of convictions for
tie crimes of murder, arson and Robbery under agga
waiting circumstances covering five decades, or iny
years. ending with 1861 that out Of 40 convictions there
were but 1O2 executions less than oneourth. During
The last decade there 90 convictions and but nine
ocuions, leaving n combinations, OF 80 per eetof eoo'
In saxony in the period from the year 1893 10 the end OF
the mouth Of August 1904 80 accused persons We're
tcnced 10 death; but the punishment was lAtcted on
only &c Tho communications were more than nyceghths
In England during the 10 years ending with 1892 hero
annual average OF l2794 combinations TO DEATH
l
effect During the next 10 years INC NUMBER OF oplii
convictions was greatly diminished by the restriction OF
the penalty Of death to smaller range Of oiiense5 Tie
useresS Oh concentrations vas 80 Nv ahIuaiy. 81
these the executions only averaged II 100 During the
averaged only 81 lilo annuay in which case 10 7l0 only
finally executed In the decade ending With the year
average OF 30 90 persons, out Of which number there
were but the annual average Of II 1lo exocutions.
The criminal code Of England has been characteristic
eay and romorseessy bloody and cruel And 1t should
be confessed that the great number OF communications in
n ~
y and civilization TO avoid the extremity OF logical
pie and Of the Crown has been wiser and more humane
But ii s also true that while The effort Of tbe Govern
ment has atterly been 20 avoid nficng the death pen
atty unless for murderthe executions for murder itsCf
have been far less IN number than the convictions To
return TO the statistics have given those Of four
eesye decades During the frat Of those decades there
was an average of IA CONVICTIONS formurder annually
bat u $40 ouy were executed During the next 10 wears
there the average of l6 $40 convictions annually but
only 0executions During the third decade there
an average Of II 0l0 COMBINATIONS annually, and but
10 G1O executions During the fourth decade there
annual executions During all this period, II should DO
observed that although there Is slight increase OF the
paratye dminuton. During the first Of those four de-
number Of convictions for murder was one case
annually TO $685. 23l Of population. During the second de-
cade was one 10 200 DuIng the third 1t was one in
1870 During the last, it one In 07g222 OF popl1a
non OF convictions for murder OF 70 per cent in the term
Oh executions for murder relatively TO pOpu
III uulug the decade endngl with 1882, there
was an annual average OF 81 2I0 persons convicted OF
iuruer OF which number there was an average Of 10
executions Ihe next decade the convictions dropped 20
~ 10 ana the executions 70 ~ 5l0 onehaf I'm number
oithe concentrations The next decade tho convictions
,.ina ~ ~ lo hNSrase OF Clio annually, and the
executions 70 40 annually In the decade ending with
1862 the convictions for murder fell again 10 the ANIMAL
average OF lilo, while tho executions dronned IN the
average Of only $40 year Thus II win seen that in
average ns RsS ea of 90 ssT the net
1 II convictions, or q trifle 60 per cent Wv VA
IL - noticeable that Willie In tho trst Of tho four