National Republican., 1873-03-31
,.p,r.r pr,Srsu,tRSr.

On tbc SUBJECT OF chpltal punNnmcnt nhNe /
had be effect Of arraying all our city CO.
lempGaries In solid line against US. The
howl Cat went up from nearly all Of the Sun |
day payers yesterday on the same subject |
with the execution on Friday morning In
and the foul murder the same
evening In Armory square In Washington,
was fitting close 90 the CORY and barbarous
record Of the week. Since the beginning OF
this discussion, however, We have had the
satisfaction Of converting one Of our cotem-
porarics to our IDEAS, and we have every
hope that we shall work similar change Of
spirit In the sangulnary minds Of the others
before many months.
Washington has, we arc sorry to say,
earned an unenyiable notoricty In q criminal
way during the last twelve or eighteen
months. We have had more murders than
almost any city In the Union Of the same
population In the same period, and the pros
pect would seem to be that we shall retain
our murderous leadership for some time to
come. Seven murders have been committed
In this District In q twclyemonth. We have
had three executions here and one In the
nelghboring city Of Alexandria. The
argument Of the supporters Of capital pun
ishment IL that frequent executions have
the effect Of striking terror" into the
criminal classes, and thereby diminish
ing crime. Those who adv ocate the
abolition Of the death penalty maintain ex-
aetly the opposite theory, and arc sustained
by criminal statistics up to the present date.
In England, when even children twelve and
fifteen years of age were executed for petty
larceny, Orime was more rampant than 1t was
after the mitigation Of the code. Writers
upon the subject show indisputably that
crime always increased Immediately after an
cxecutIon-that is, when the executions were
conducted In public TO ''strike terror" into
the dangerous portion Of the population
Curiously enough our own experience here
goes to sustain the same side Of the question.
Nearly every one Of the murders that have
taken place here recently followed upon the
heels Of an execution, so that the IN teyrorem
argument would seem, when Investigated, to
bc utterly false and to produce results the yer :
opposite to those intended to be reached. II Is
from q conviction Of this character that We
approved the communication Of 0'Brien's
sentence, and that we shall In the future
labor for the abolition Of the death penalty,
substituting instead system Of punishment
more In accordance with the spirit Of the day
and the generation. In this work VIC know
that We have the sympathy and support Of
large portion Of our population.
We have written the preceding remarks
with view, however, to introduce few ex
tracts from the works Of Edward Livingston
on Criminal Jurisprudence, which have jus
been published by the National Prison Asso
cIation with an introduction by Chief Justic,
Chase. Mr.. Livingston, about fifty year
ago, In obedience TO the Legislature Of Louisi
ana, undertook to prepare q system Of pcna
law for that State, the excellence Of whicl
was acknowledged by Benthan and Jefferson
and has been commended by the leading jurist
Of every civilized country In the world. Tn
work has been printed in England, Franc,
and Germany, and, as Mr.. Chase says, 'it
will live as long as the punishment OF crim'
and the reformation OF criminals continue Il
engage the attention Of Legislators and phi
lAnthropists." The distinguished author vii
he remembered by few Of our Oldest inhab
itants rs United States Senator, q membe
of Andrew Jackson's Cabinet and Ministe
TO France. In one OF the preliminary report
to the different branches Of the work Nj
Livingston took strong ground against III
death penalty. Chief Justice Chase, In hi
Introduction, says that the day is at last a
proaehing when his broad and compreheI
sIve views viii not only be appreciated, bl
realized" To-day we shall only make fe
extracts upon one special branch Of the que
tIon, viz, the ineficieney Of executions
prevent murder. He says, and 1t Is as true Z
to-day as 1t was at the time he wrote;
"Nurder and those attempts to murder vhic
are cApitally punished have Increased In some 4
the United States TO q degree that not onf
creates general alarm, hut, by the atrocity wit
which they are perpetrated, nx stain on the nj
tionAl character which IL will be extremely din
cult to efface.r "The idle curiosity whlS
draws so many thousands TO witness the exhit
tlon OF human suffering at the executions, Il
Ievity with which the spectacle Is beheld, demo
strates the demoraliElng and heart-rending {
fects, while the crimes committed at the vel
moment OF the example Intended to deter fro
the commission show how entirely inefiicle
tits. One instance Of this Is 80 remarkable IN
cannot omit its detail. In the year is39 p'
son named John Lechler v-as executed at Lanca
ter, In Pennsylvania, for IN atrociOul murde
The execution was, as usual, witnessed by an In
mense multitude; and OF the sanitary effect II hi
on their feelings and morals we may judge fro
the following extract from q newspaper printed
the neighborhood: 1t has long, says the Juhlcio
editor, been . eontroVertsd point, wheth
public executions, by the parade with which th'
arc conducted, do not operate on the yicIo
part Of the community more ss Indictments
than examples deterring from crime. What b
taken place In Lancaster would lead one to
Ileye that the spectacle OF q public execute
pnoiuces less reformation than criminal pI
psnslty. While an old offence was atOned Il
mora than q dozen new ones were commlttt
and some OF capital grade. Twenty-elght perso
were committed TO jail on Friday night for dive
offences at Lancaster, such as murder, Arcet
assault and battery. 4e.. besides many gent
men lost their pOcket-b0OkA, where the pic
pockets escaped, or the JaD WoaId have ov'
nowed. In the evening. rs one Th0maa Bur
Uas going home, he was met by one Wilson, vi
whom he had some previous mIsupderstandn
when Wilson drew knife and gave him dive
stabs in sundry places which Gre consider
mortal. Wilson was apprehended and comm
ted 70 isIl and had the same Irons put on b
which had scarcely been laid on long enough
Leehler TO get eoll.' Wilson vas ono OF :
crowd who left his residence expressly to "
mesa the execution and IVES Afterwards convict
Of the murder"
See how eurlOusly criminal history, VI
other history repeats itself. The man Wrigh
who has been indicted for the murder OF u
Polish pcddler couple Of months ago 10 th
city, was q spectator at the two preeediL
executions, and within a couple Of days u
murder Of which he Is accused was con
mitted.
Again, Mr.. Livingston says
"DrVen from every other ground, they dl
supporters OF the death penalty defend Il
peculiarly applicable to the case Of murder. III
allow abandonment Of II for other offences Is
proof Of the gradual advance OF true principle
and the pertinAcity with which IL Is adhered
m thiS shows the force OF early impressions Al
InVeteTa,e prejudice even In the most enhgh
enod mlnds; yet that prejudice must In tin
VIeld 70 the evidence offered by the PRAGUE
results which have attended this innlcuon
sss at IL commonly advocated on the prlt
ciples Of Vindlctiye Justice and can De win
due regard 70 facts on no other. The mu
deneF deaeryea death lie that sheds man