The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-04
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From the NJ Y. Tribune.
The bearing of John Hanlon, hanged at
Philadelphia last Wednesday, is only another
instance of the stolidity with which hardened
criminals submit to strangulation, and ex-
hibit, at the supreme hour, truly religious
resignation. The career of this Hanlon was
extremely vile, and his crime such as only the
most degraded nature could be guilty of; yet,
under the manipulations of the priests, he
died cheerfully, previously begging every
body's pardon in the most amiable way. We
hope that it will not be deemed irreverent if
we say that this is mere childishness and
mummery. The fact that a man is to be
hanged cannot, we affirm, change his moral
character in the twinkling of an eye
One doesn't like to be uRoharitable. But
here is one guilty of a crime which nobody
with spark of manliness could commit-the
violation and murder of mere child; and it
was not his only offense of the kind. He is
sentenced to be hanged, and he Immediately
becomes devout. He has constant interviews
with olergymen of the faith which he pro-
fesses He lives for seventeen days upon
a diet of bread and water. He prays,
he oonfesses, he prostrates himself before
q crucifx-and then he is all ready for
death. Does anybody doubt that he ex-
pected to be saved by some thaumaturgcal
process, with nothing really spiritual
about it ? Now aud then it happens that
prisoner objects very strongly to the reli-
gious processes to which condemned persons
are subjected. This is the case with Ruloff,
of whom the Binghamton Republican re-
ports that he altogether declines spiritual
consolation or advice;" and we have known
personally another instance of the kind. We
certainly do not desire to speak harshly or
unjustly; but the question will arise whether
the capitally convicted may not mix up vio-
lent religious professions with that hope of
ultimate escape from impending doom which
is said to remain in the bosom of the con-
demned to the last moment.
Whatever may be our opinion of legal
strangulation, the fact remains, not to be
gainsaid, that murderers are hanged or not
hanged according to luck, or for some other
reason quite independent of their crime
Here is a writer in one of our exchanges who
wants to know why Hanlon was hanged
while Reddy the Blacksmith is out on BAIL
and is in no more danger of being hanged
than the most innocent person in the COM
munity. This is question which we cannot
answer. There are mysteries and mystic
ries; and most mysterious is the working
of the gallows. Now and then we see
murderers walking straight out of Jail,
and meandering as freely as if they
were of childish innocence. In some States
it has, in our time, been the fashion for the
Executive to pardon all the capitally con-
victed. Then came the reaction, and every
body convicted of murder was hanged with
Draconian severity. But there still remained
the Scriptural warrant, everlasting and ire
pealable, "Whosoever sheddeth mans blood,
by man shall his blood be shed"-an injunc-
tion still regarded by some people as Divine,
but which is disregarded every time a mur-
derer or even q manslaughterer is spared.
There is great deal of poor logic about, but
eallows logic is the amest