The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-31

on Jne testimony OF Ine actual culptlJs, WHO
screened themselves from punishment by |
swearing their own guilt upon others. In
other cases, the circumstances which pointed
to the conclusion attained by the jury we're
afterwards shown to be consistent with the |
innocence of the man they convicted. For |
eighty years the surviving relatives of Le- |
surques, who was guillotined in France for
robbery and murder, have been strenuously
endeavoring to procure legal attestation of
his clearly proven innocence, but have not
yet obtained il. Tribunals hate to confess
their own blunders; and it is burning shame
that this State of New York persists to this
hour in pardoning those whom she has un-
Justly accused, arrested, indicted, tried, con-
victed, sentenced, and punished, for crimes
whereof they have since been proved abso-
lutely guiltless
Murderers are usually persons of unregu-
lated minds and overmastering passions. 1t
is rarely difficult to prove that they have
acted strangely and without reasonable mo-
tive. The boundaries between insanity, &C.
centricity, and what has been termed "pure
cussedness, are irregular and not clearly de-
fined. Sanity is rather relative than abso-
lutte. Many if not most homicides are COM
mitted by persons of brutal proclivities, low
mental development, and dull moral percep-
tions. We doubt that the really insane are
generally SO devoid of moral consciousness as
not to know better than to kill. What they
lack is not so much sense Of right and
wrong as q perception of the considerations
which should impel them to do right. And
cases are constantly occurring in which,
while it is clear that the accused is neither
thoroughly sane nor absolutely insane, it is
very difficult to decide that he is or is not
sane enough to deserve punishment for his
evil deeds.
If the penalty of an offense be imprison-
ment for life, the jury has a comparatively
easy task-merely to decide whether this per-
son did or did not commit the crime laid to
his charge. If he did, convict him, though
his intellect be weak or impaired, and his
moral sense obtuse; for he will be safer in
prison than elsewhere and less likely to
injure others; and, if his mind be shattered
that fact will soon make itself known. Cases
are constantly occurring in which the most
sturdy upholders of the gallows would con-
vict if the penalty were Imprisonment, while
they would not if the consequence we're
violent death.
We urge, therefore, the passage of the act
now before the Pennsylvania Legislature, for
the reason (among many that it will treble
the convictions for murder, and thus render
the law terror to men of homicidal proclivi-
ties, as it is not and cannot be so long as they
know that nine out of every ten murderers
escape legal punishment altogether.
BOSTON, HARTFORD, AND ERIE
$45,000,00O GONE WHERE THE WOOD
BINE TW1NETH.
From the N. Y. Sun.
The attention of the good people of Massa-
chusetts is largely occupied just now with
the affairs of the Boston, Hartford, and Erie
Railroad Company, and the subject is also
not without interest to philosophers every
where. The facts, as we understand them,
| are these:-
The corporation in question is a conglome-
| ration of a number of smaller concerns,
which, separately had projected and par
TALLY built line of railroad from Boston,
| through Providence and Hartford, to Fishkill
| on the Hudson river, with small side lines to
other points. These companies four or five
years ago agreed to unite, and were duly in
corporated under their present name. The
capital of the company was at first
| 800, 600, 900, but has since been increased tC
1925, 900, 900. For the purpose of raising
money to complete the line and to console
date its debt, the company issued bonds tc
the amount of 500, 900, 900, securing them by
first mortgage to Mr.. Robert II. Bsrdell anC
others, as trustees. The President of the
company was, and is yet, though he has lately
offered his resignation, Mr.. John S. Eldridge
also at one time President of the Erie Rail
way Company.
Somehow, capitalists at large failed to ap
preciate the charms of these bonds and the,
sold but slowly. Resort, it was seen, mus
be had to special sources, or the delays in oh
, tanning funds would be disastrous. Tn
parties most vitally interested in the success
, of the enterprise were supposed to be tn
Erie Railway Company and the State o
, Massachusetts. Negotiations were accord
, ingly opened, which resulted in the forme
r first guaranteeing $5,O0o,0oO of the Berde
bonds, and then taking them and paying fo
them $4,000 900 in cash; while the Legisla
, | ture of the latter was persuaded into issuing
, in exchange for $4,000,000 of tho sam
l | bonds State bonds to the amount of $3, ,000
: 600, which were readily salable at par. Thes
Q two subsidies, amounting to $1,000, 900,
n | was thought, would be sufficient to complet
@ the road. The expected advantage to Mas
| sachusetts was the securing of a new avenu
to the Pennsylvania coal fields and the fertil
I West, while the Erie Company, through il
branch to Newburg, on the other side of tn
Hudson, opposite Fishkill, had the prospet
: of possessing an invaluable tribunal and ally
s Unfortunately there seems to have bee
y some terrible miscalculation, or else exceed
! ingly bad management of the business of tn
}, company, for the 81, 900, 900 has been all use
IS up, and now it is estimated that 50, 500,0C
G more is required to finish the road, an
II 50, 600, 600 more still to equip it. The r.
l. naming $11, 900, 900 of first mortgage bono
not disposed of as above mentioned, and til
e 25,000,000 of stock, except what was issue
IS in exchange for the stock of the varioJ
1t original companies, seems also to have bee
n sold or pledged for considerable sum, whiC
n has likewise been spent. The company tinC
y itself, therefore, in desperate straits.
r AS a last eXpedient, the State of Massachl