, 1870-05-10
: MISSISSIPPI.
The Present Condition OF the
State.
Tie Criminal Laws Of the Past.
The Governors Recommendations o.
the Plea Of Insanity.
YorEor's Case.
IrEoN wx aFEclA1 CORRESPONDENCE

/
To tIs outside world matters in Mississippi
oubtlea, sppea< IN terribly demofsi'zea
ondidon. Nor czn they be said to be much
after, in fact, than tho evidences would sesn
q imply. All things properly considered,
Ioweyer, ard they ars not worse and, in fact,
1e far better than might hAvs been reason
hly expected Taks tte, oldest and beat reGn-
ated communities in the land, and At enc
slow Abolish Ill law as we'll as all courts Tor
enforcement of law. and who wou1a not stand
1t tho result7 1dd TO this the terri
lie dru,oralized condition. Of tho body polite
following upon the heels 1T mighty rcvolu- |
ton. and which tho literal .bscnce OF Ill gov |
erufnent. saye the bayonet OF tho cpnqueror,
hiss done little to ameGorstA, and yoa can i'm
seins something Of the actual status Of anairs |
in Mississippi
That matters are not far worse even th3n ia
apparent to the ego, ia simply owing to tho
fact that tho apirit Of at1ife and contention,
hedgcd in Is it has been by the strong hand Of
military power, and constantly famed to fever
heat, has literally fed upon itself until there
is no vitality left From very satiety~ thate-
forc. rather than from that wholesome rc-
st1aint imposed by the enforcement Of 1sw,
matters are, in the main, in remarkably quiet
condition. To be sure, many terrible outtagea
have been reported, and tEalF, too, as having
occurred in mississippi Taken on tho whole,
ho"eVe't Pap.e9as a. ti = .aAs ~ ~ 4at ,nas
handed crimes committed here to-day than IN
any OF the older and better regulated commu-
mites, taking the pro rata Of population At
the sama time, as seen, consider it as far
a[otn kHnnd psank ~ aus s5ps1'os h'o5s1H5 ~ ~
With all the hue md cry which has been
made about being deprived Of civil Law, ptoba-
bly, nowhere in America has there been in the
si sa;,1; , tsnt,sa 49, ora;rn 13 - ~ Ta,i1.J ~ .
;vo- " w .s;tt I'LL. : ,a:i o,a
thnuctta a. baTo I,r aaa,,s 81 h.r., ,as,, ~,
ere.to5 r,tSor "a cho,t tbsr po.i;,r cSt,a Tba
a. - 9en ~ 11,e pssh s2les - .o
~ ~ e,,,rd ~ d;r;na A1u ;nst;tut;o1 sS;uf1
tas5 t5' - o ua ..;as a1stsuon, T. 9uAs!u
~ NV honas4 ~ dshts ~ ~ ~ - 1sn. ~
~ ~. nrterao.a,t 80 las, 49, ..n,a t,, -
nen ,silai Gaap1csn,, ~. q. ieas,, HeJ MeIq ous
moh "a .ne ,e5m vas uhauonn 4aa9 ~
70 we Az, uat ~ pS,;S ps1niue9 Asny, nas w w
| telPeuat1a " 'aG Ans p*.loaee1 ~ w
.;a1 rasoIsu - r. , ~ - rs. suae mS no
~. =. ,,i5 III uui, r.
II Vas e..oer e.. case % o. lnsnnan.e ; nomieiae,
suen a. az 11sus oleto LIT ~ oae 9'su':s os one
t9a & chisaits, OF ese1f ease OF insanity,
MN 11e Iattes piGa 'na more oat15seous ann
oiu1a1 1ne esme 1ue a1oie r. ceI.ln 49, s sne aeaas
l : = =
an aequttA n 1asance. as Is wen knoMn, IN
| tne 4at1ous 1eteet case, ete c9usetteo tuto .
Me5o l0icc, 10" a1ss slacs' y n nAoecAe
suoge, nc .l counsel e.;a nase teAeu ampclls a.
ti tma, ,ssu.e upo;1 tnls yns " INSANITY 70 ctest
!ne pl1soani. q tew oAss s!nes our Cmet OF
!,o.n nones. ~ % ~ 1scaai6e VI ma aots, h eeu..
eis 4e1As Matnet, " Ntnlns p1omlnent
ueMes - Gat7ases 10 remove us wares from
tne "4k, naa tne top 81 ~ heaa 1io~n away
" ehAge o. ouGk-ahot from doab!e,har-
II.
kno~n 1of yea1S "a ne most successful busl-
ness man. TAO shfeHdcst tsaaer, IN faet, nsown-
strange 70 Say, however, upon his arrest,
everybody Knew nun 70 nase heen crazy tof
1 scats- Inc Inaa n4eu haa oeen 1an6ee
FOLDER who had married and settleu N town !;
| admitted, out still Yankees and these fan-
! kee Ipef-baggefs had 60 long and persistent
II imposed upon, worried and frpttcd the
people, that they became fairly fEcnled at tho
wonder, therefore, that the merchant Was
crazy 1t the thought OF having such an inter
| zueddllnG in bis aGair8. 1t was suddenly dis
covered, too, in aid Of the plea that the !nez-
| chant had, on former occasion, tried to shoot
his own brother had shot negro (uo crime) !:
had on divers occasions when the crazy spell
| Was upon him, driven his wife and
children cut Of the house with grn in the
dead hour Of night, DC. OF couFse he
was crazy-who could doubt IT, Tbs Cor
must be confessed there was little evidence Of
psemeditation. L verdict Of granddaughter
| made it q bailAble offence, and the man, though
crazy, is at large attending to his business, it
is presumable, as sane As ever.
To give littlc insight into the working OF
Mississippi lfe, IN Tie past, in this respect, as
have it, tho man killed had married into q
Southern family; his widow has, as reported,
Lost her father and two brothers within the
last two yeazs, and all Of them BY violent
death, oue of the brothers having been
brought home dead within q few weeEs. from,
| Texas, his body literally 1iddlod with balls.
To remedy This state of things 4 complete
change Of the whole Judiciary aystem oi the
| State ia about being made The Governor is
fully determined that, as soon ss supplied with
the appointing power under the naw law now
in process Of manipulation, ha will effect
great aod much needed reforms.
To do away With this plea Of insanity, he
has prepared and transmitted to the Legis1a-
tnro spetiN message. advising the passage
Of bill npon the subject. This bill provides
that the filing OF tho plea Of insanity is to
hereafter in no manner affect the trial and
eonTicton for the crime charged II tho jury
ind the crime to have been murder, and the
ess 9efss tSs 70
tence the prisoner to confinement: for life in
the State Lunatic Asylum. II the crime be ol
lighter grade than murder, and committed By
an insane person, the Judge is to eentence te
| AAAS A1yA%AA AVA +A9 cS>aAc u NE1Ea ~
would otherwise bo done to the PenitcntiaIv
| In tho latter case, however. at the oInir.tinr
| Of the term, it Is provided that i bos5i
Tie sanity Of the nrisaneT. ubeths, s
he bo released or 1onra- 5at.;,ed -
This hi tha Gorernnr ron6donti1 1--d;e.s ~
viii ent;reiv hsr tbs 1,,as ~ ;nssn;.r Peee1ti' ~
rnnrts ~ IT, ,ct;n,, IA ira7,-,". .hia va-Ia ~
and IN cg,rv ~ n,errh.nt .sa ..ctiae. tS6e
,rnnI5 H. ro,f-aJ ~ ~ et.4a 4'.uat;
no,,s 5";st.snt ~ - az esAse A1nast j
o2aa ~, ~ paa;saat ~ soe1 "a t12soa IA
"o4ee @'"n @uo 1eu..eus annno -
v;.h TIN ,.tn r;a;a.,Ias.a t.ss 49, ,,z
;n,,,s1o ~ T,3.e ~ seI""n .ateo F1 ~ " q,
sIo ns1 hs1 ~ 'a te1eesiae E.. -. ietkes 4Po'
pu'u 4t., ounu, aulS w. Heto nofe sutpF ~ ~
: loI INN mas1es' y nave from h'nsen @
more motu1ed, Iaan governor A1cofn- 1ha
I / tae plincap1! IN tess eome"aas NOTORIOUS cas-
snonia, Eltnln !e" Gays alter ms rendition t
the civil authorities, been allowed to make b
: escape Itom 1at thotsh 9ettefed somewhat b
hls subsequent return to his keepers, was b.
, enough That ne should no" be released i
the manner done II, however. lar worse still
, The Governor. however, IL no more to
a held EesponElble In the premises than the mof
I ordinary subject Of the State. To begin with
he had nothing Whatever to do With TIE u
I polntmeht OF Judge Shackleford to hId Pesltlo
OF Supreme Judge. More than this. on hl
> accession to the Gube1natorial cllair he Houl
poVes1ess M IN he premises. The new consti:u