Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-03-21

lated to soften the heart Of crimi-
r nal than to be treated thus kindly
+ Such treatment would strike deep
Fl into the heart of the most abandoned
! wretch on Gods green eal,h, and
work a work which any other form
t of treatment would fail to effect I;
perhaps redeem him from o misera-
, Jle and an aWfM grave.
But men profess to act from the
principle that it is perfectly right
and just, and useful to the commu-
nifty that criminas should be pun
ished for the sake of example. If
this be the true principle, and utili-
ty is really expected to the commu-
nifty from example, then how absurd
do most communities act To gain
this end. If example is the THIN
that is to benefit society, then should
punishments be made as public as
i possible. Criminals should be
chained at every corner in our lar
gest cities, and upon the most pub
lie highways, after they are con
victed Of crimes, that terror for evil
deeds might meet us at every step.
If, however, this would not suffice,
the victim should be lashed upon
the bare back, exposed to the pub
lie gaze, to prevent men from com
mitting similar crimes. Care should
be taken not to extend the punish
ment SO far as to endanger his life;
for the more examples were made
Of him the better wouldit be for So
ciety,
Now, how silly do men act, and
how inconsistent with their own
principles. Some criminals they
catch and strangls within their pris-
on walls as quietly as possible, and
will not let any one be present to
derive benefit from this sublime
and magnificent spectacle, except
the turnkey, the sheriff and clergy
man. They fear this example will
have bad effect upon the moral
character. Others they enclose in
dark and gloomy -PPssAisseRtisry.
shut out from the light of the World,
perhaps forever, where no one is
permitted to see them but the per-
son who brings them food, and FROM
whom they never receive a XIII
look nor a kind word, much less
any moral instructions; and not
one in a thousand ever thinks of
them from the time they are enclo-
sed until life leaves them, or they
are permitted to go out again into
the world; and when they are set
at liberty it is in a much worse con-
dition than they were prior to their
Imprisonment. While they have
thus been enclosed and treated with
unkindness, they have learned to
hate their masters; to hate their
friends; to hate themselves, and
even the GREAT BEING who brought
them into existence. And what is
the consequence? Why simply
this; the moment they find them
selves at liberty, they are prepared
to commit crimes more terrible,
more black than those for which
they have lately suffered.
Men are beginning to act, too, as
though they were ashamed for the
community to see their own laws
executed. The very fact that men
are beginning to execute capitally
in private, is a sure token that ere
long the minds of the people will
obtain a glorious victory oreF-tJAlaa
most pernicious error. So soon as
they commence to execute priyately,l
just so soon the corner stone upon
which the whole structure of criD
nal jurisprudence is now built, i
moved and the whole must speedily
tumble to the dust. The people
will begin to ask, what is the
use of capital punlshments if they
are not to be seen? They will f.
naliy conclude that 1t Is OF no use
only as it regards the criminal him
self. They will push their investi-
cations still further and will at last
come to the just conclusion, that
the better way is to improve the
mind; to cultivate the understand
ing, and teach the erring one the
nature Of COTS law, and thus bring
lbout far more noble work Of re-
'orm.
In conclusion let us say, that the
ige of force and fear should be
,ternally dead. We should let go r
hose relics of barbarism to which
We have been clinging with the te-
lacity of life, and seek other and
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