The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1867-03-28
Hours with the Newspapers.
...i Number ~. g-.4.ag
pYnrHiDELrA.

| The circumstances of the crime and
the execution of Bumgardner at Mariet-
ia o., have their lessons which people
are inclined to study, To see murder
en-, to hear all the sickening details of
his crime; to feel on the heart the bur-
den of the horrible reality; all this will
quicken thought and feeling, So it is
in every community where murder has
been committed-so it is in the mind of
every one who realizes that the hand of
the murderer has come near huRSelE.
And why? p..a. .... ... .s..,. ans i
Human life is sacred, Bumgardner
made confession-an inconsistent con-
fession-but he contesses his moral guilt
no matter about legal quibblcs. He
was more concerned about the injustice
of being hung in Ohio for a crime com
mitted in, Virginia, than about his guilt
That is specimen OF deliberate mur-
derer's heart; he esteems human life SO
lightly, ,thatitis dapgerousforhl to live,
You say "if he lives, human life is held
too cheaply; another may kill me and
Ire, You are right-it is the instinct
of lilerlove that speaks within you;
and your reason makes broad 'distinc-
ton between life murderously taken and
lite judicially taken, The Sheriff Of
Washington county isnot murderer
on the contrary a humane man. Com
mon sense teaches that the Divine COM
mand "Thou shalt not kiHi means f'thou
shalt not murder. Human life must be
he'd sacred The very ones to whom
this command was given were also com
manded in their legislative capacity to
take hts for CRIME, They filled but they
did not murder, , Human law is sane
toned BY the Almighty = is ordained by
him, Liberty is as sacred as life; yet
human law depriyes man of liberty
aud on the same principle may deprive
him Of life. The one process, for The
good of society upholds the Divine
command-forinstanc rThou shalt not
stear--the other the command "Thou
shalt not kill'' or murder, "Whoso
sheddetb mans blood, by man shall his
blood be shed" says God; and the reason
given is one that did not pass away
when Moses received the fen command
mepts - and that reason is ",For
in the imageof God made he man. .
"At the hand of man" God requires the
punishment of the mprderer--"the blood
Of the murderer's life" he requires, ,doL
1t is objected that the laws demand
for the lite. of a. murderer is a relic Of
barbarismj but what is mprder7 II
civilization has advanced SO far rs. some
humanitarians claim, we may expect
murders to be very rare; but as q mat
| ter Of fact the, ngmber;of murders has
increased in this country within q
few years, Itis the resplt9f the demor,
alization Of war; and, by the way, il
seems that this advanced civilization
does not obviate the necessity Of wal
occasionally-Yhere are,thep philosophers
who will have no '.,relics Of barbarish r.
20, vdr is sometimes necessary for thp
preservation of,hJery; liberty is sacred
So is human Ife Matderers are barbara
aRsTlhe death penaltyis not barbMous
4 TIE moral sepsibilities Of the man who
will deliberately and maliciously TAXI
the life of a fellow manor worse, xii
1 him for a few dollars--are dull; but, hi
has . ayborror, Of death Reader, fth'
1 death penalty hanging over such a brut'
/ in human form may have saved you
| life. I'm ,oes7 ssaass ocus 3o5t ne
! Whenever, civil law lightly regard
the crime Of murder, british men vii
| do the same. If the punishment of tb,
\ murderer be the same in character a
| that, Of the horse thief very lviciou
men will not perceive mach difsrepc
between. a man and "a horse, The sen
timentaIl abhorranee Of capital punish
ment does, not accord, with our cinstinc
tive horror Of murder bo,,aoao, .se
4 But, say some, there is danger of be
4 ing, mistaken in @ciTcumstantial eyi
dence. Twill rpp,the risk oof beipi
hung on ciTcpmstpntial evidence Just Q
4 would risk being murdered by som
one, who. would hope to escape hanging
If he could not be hung after congic
Z. ton by such evidence. aCiTcnmstantia