The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-04-13
Excuses for Crime.

The New York papers, for due conside'
ration of course, are advocating the release
of young KETcHUM, the notorious gold
forger, frora the penitentiary. The argu-
ment of the Commercial Advertiser is re-
markable. 1t pleads that while justice re-
quired his punishment, the object of pun
ishment in his case, has been answered.
His excitement in money-making produced
ssmental intoxication," and thus ''the young
mans mind had lost its regulator before he
committed those wild forgeries
With similar charity Mr.. PIEEREpoST
MORGAN, "a New York banker, and one Of
the losers by the forgeries, testifies;
i was absent from the country when the dis
closure was made. On my return, after hear,
ing the particulars, said, and believed, and
still believe, that he was out OF bis mind; IN
fact, that he was crazy. Clearly. the man
knew as Edward B. Ketchum could not do the
things charged against him. II be we're him
sell, believe it was impossible. Everything
about those acts, and their consequences, was
contrary to his habits and nature. There was
not single thing about them corresponding
to his Character. He could not have done
them. if he could control himself. Large stock
speculations OF the kind and amount he was
led into bring on very great excitement OF
the brain, and people are often wild and irreg-
ular in their judgment and actions: They, DO
not know what they say or do. This would be
much more the case with so young man as
Edward was, and led me to believe that he was
not in his right mind at the time ne committed
the crime Of which he now stands convicted.
In the mouths of these considerate gen.
tlemen, Messrs. MORGAN and WEED, there
is no name for crime. Offences against
property are the acts of ''monomaniacs"
whom the court must condemn and the pub
lie release. Nothing in the tender utter
ances of Sairey Camp can surpass the gen.
tie suggestion of THuRLow WEED: "Nobody
supposes that this unfortunate monoman'ac
would ever offend again even RArHBoNE,
of Buffalo, srhose forgeries were deliberate,
when released from prison, lived an exem-
plary life.''
Governor FESroN'a refusal to pardon this
scoundrel becomes heroic, when we con-
slider the condition of the State over which
that dignitary presides.( When forgery,
one of the coolest of crimes, can be e1-
cused by monomania, is there any offence
in the whole catalogue of transgressions
that should be whipped by justice? If
forgery is monomania, what is murder
effected by sudden heat and passion? What
is arson perpetrated by ruined mer-
chants What is any sort Of swindling !!
What is theft? We are amazed at COM
munity that can tolerate paper, which
psternally embraces kErcHuM in its lead
ing article, and commends @ worthless
forger to the sympathy of the public as
monomaniac. The shamelessness of the
thing astounds US. Is New York so de-
based that even commercial integrity is q
matter of no consequence,-that men may
lie, and cheat, and steal there, with impu-
nity,-and that paper which lives upon
public patronage can dare to devote its lead
ing article to the defence of liar, cheat
and thief?
1t was glorious vindication of English
law when the distinguished DR.. DoDD, a
man nobly connected, handsome, influential,
was hung for one forgery. And KETcHUM
ought to have been hung for forgery upon
forgery. More than any other man he
sapped that confidence upon which exchange
and business depend. But the crime Of
KErcHuM sinks into insigni6cance in COM
parison with that of the man who excuses it,
who proclaims to the community that for
gerry is NO crime at all.