, 1872-11-21
THE CASE OF PESI.

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THE CASE OF PERI.
The Governor has comruted the punishment
of Gregory Peri, now under sentence Of denth
for murder, to imprisonment for life. This
action is greatly to be dep1ored. The case Of
Peri was without an extenuating circumstance.
On tile day Of the Great Fire. in the forenoon. he,
without the slightest rational pro7ocation,
stabbed and killed two men. The act was cruel,
malicious, and brutal. The men he murdered
were peaceful, orderly, and respectable citizens-
He was indicted separately for each murder.
doubt as to his guilt, OF to the ab-
sence Of I'LL oxtenuatins or pa1liating
circumstances. There vas no difference Of
opinion Gs to the guilt Of Peri or to the char-
acter of the crime. But, exercising the power
given them by. law, the jury fixed the penalty at
Imprisonment for life. He was subsequently
tried for tho second murder, and the jury WAS
equally unanimous in opinion as to his guilt
and to the atrocious character Of the crime, and
fixed the penalty of death by hanging. The
point was made by his counsel that, having been
sentenced under the first conviction, the judg-
ment in tho second case could not be
executed until after the expiration Of tho
first. An appeal was taken to the Supreme
Court, and that body, which gave now trials
to Perfect and to Rafferty,, decided that in Peris
case there was no legal defect in the proceed
ings, and that the sentence Of death should be
executed on the 9Th Of December.
The Governor has now interyened and COM
muted this sentence to imprisonment for life.
Under tho circumstances, this communication is
equivalent to pardon for the second murder,
as the communication adds nothing to the punish
ment imposed for the first murder. The action
Of the Governor is of incalcu1able injury to the
cause of Justice and of law. It's effect is to
paralyze the arm Of authority, and to
encourage Illegal violence. There has
been no person convicted Of murder
in this district for many years who has
been permitted to be hanged. From one cause
or another, the convicted murdcrors hnvo es-
capped. The first great wrong was the commuta-
tion OF tho sentence Of Walsh, the wife-mur-
derer, That WAS case where the murder was
without tho slightest paliation. The Governor
interposcd. Murders hare followed each other
with fearful rapidity. Juries have in many
cases exercised their power Of clemency by Eend-
ing the w1etchcs to the Penitentiary for life. In
the cases OF Perfect, who murdered his wife, ard
Rafferty,, who murdered IN officer, justice hns
been defeated by legal defences founded upon
technical errors in tho proceedings. But in
the case Of this man Peri, there
was nothing that appealed to the
most technical lawyer or sympathizing friend.
He had basely murdered two inoffensire men in
his own house without the least proVocation.
II ever there were case where the Executive
have suppressed his objections to capital pun
ishmcnt, if he have any, this case Of Peri Was
the one.
Justice, to command respect, must be i'm
partial 1t may be asked, Why should Perfect
be hanged for the murder Of his wife, when
Walsh, who committed the same crimo, was
not? Why should Rafferty,, vino, when drunk,
killed one man, be hanged, when Peri, who
murdered two men, is sent to the Peniten-
tiary. With what equity can juries or
Courts hereafter sentence men to bo hanged
! when this man, convicted Of double murder of
the most atroclous kind, ia taken from the gal
! lows, and given his life? The conviction of
Rafferty,, and his sentence, with the probable
execution of Petect and Peri, had for O time
the effect Of checking violence in this city.
nunianism thought that there was . serious
purpose to punish murder. Tie fight is over;
there is to be no mora hanging in Chicago.
After tho release of Peri, Pereet and Rafferty,
cannot be hanged without treating them with
severity not shown to others moro brutal than
they.