The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-07-29


serton that imprisonment for life" would,
also, be an absolute restraint of murderer,
and render IL impossible for him to again
commit murder. If life Imprisonment
could be obtained, this might be true, sub
jcct to the same exceptions that may and,
sometimes, do arise from carelessness or
neglect in guarding prisoner; and these
exceptional cases are as apt to occur under
the one system as the other. Is there, after
all, any such thing as imprisonment for
life," as the term is used and generally un-
derstood? 1t is true that there may be ex-
ceptional instances we have one, at
least, in Vermont--and there are others
caused by death at an early date after
confinement in prison. But if these excep-
tional instances should be used to prove
the fact that Imprisonment for life is a
reality and not theory, then the fact
would follow that criminals were impris-
oned for life for the lesser grades of crime,
such as forgery, counterfeiting, larceny,
and even for breaches of the peace and as
tiers into criminal punishments, so far as
they are inflicted to deter others, is GER
tainty. 1t was to secure this certainty of
punishment, that the new law in refer
ence to degrees of murder was passed at
the recent session of the legislature of New
York Under the old law, there often hap
pened cases of killing, for which the gal
lows seemed too severe Il penalty, and the
only choice being between that, an acquit-
tai, or three or four years Imprisonment,
| Justice was not secured. The first result
of the new law was the conviction of
Frank Walworth, and his sentence to I'M
prisonmcnt for life He has now been I'M
| prisoncd some three weeks and already, as
a telegram informs us, an application,
men in the state of New York." has been
| made to Governor Dix for his pardon.
| The simple fact that such an application
| has been made illustrates how little worth
a life sentence is as an example or warning
to others. 1t shows in what light such a
sentence is looked upon by people gener-
| ally. There is not the first element of GER
tainty about it, 1t is a sentence that can
he annuled at any time, and is expected
by the criminal, his friends and the public
| to he so set aside at an early date.
The facts, also, bear out this expectation.
| G. w. Hastings, than whom there is nc
one more familiar with, or who has done
more for, prison reform in England, dnr-
| ing the past few years, in paper on that
subject, says that, in that country, there
lis practically no such thing as imprison-
ment for life" although such sentences are
passed. the prisoners are uniformly liber-
ated" sin the event OF good conduct for q
number of years. We alluded to the fact
some days since, that the ''average dura
ton of life sentence" in Massachusetts
is only seven years, and that fifty per cent
of that class of prisoners are pardoned
while forty per cent. were, in like manner
released in Ohio. Under the old law, il
New York, defining the degrees of murder
the punishment for murder in the SECOND
degree, rs now, was imprisonment for life
physician of the Auburn prison. says that ,
person convicted of murder in the seeont
degree, ''attended by the most aggravatin;
circumstances, who has powerful friend
| or plenty of money. s'hns ton-fold NOR
chance of pardon than poor wretch fount
guilty of petty larceny This will b,
found the universal experience, unless i
may be in states where the pardoning pow
er rests with the people, through the legisla
ture, instead of with the chief executive of
ticer We need not more than refer, il
this connection, to an argument, founde'
upon humanity, against life sentences, an,
that is, if life imprisonment could b
made absolutely certain, and it was under
stood and believed that such sentenc
meant what it purpOrted, the terrible ours
of insanity would he the doom of by ia
the larger proportion of this class of con
victs. Even now, fifteen per cent. MOI
of these criminals become insane than O
all other classes combined. Remove a
hope, and humanity shudders at til
thought of the number of intellects tina
would thereby be wrecked.
During the discussion of the last inter
national penitentiary congress, VaucheI
Cremieux, of Switzerland, said, in sui
stance, that the security of society fcrbad
the liberation of an assassin or man col
demned to imprisonment for life, addin
'thc possibility of release would rende
society uneasy We believe that he state
an unquestionable proposition, and it is fc
this reason that we are opposed to the abb
lition of capital punishment. We woul
that it were otherwise; that the safety {
society, as, also, the well being of the il
, dividual prisoner, could be assured by til
, absolute certainty that criminal so SCI
fenced should be restrained for life, an
> that Il lifetime, he it longer or shorte
might be afforded to the unhappy convit
for repentance and reform. We know
however, if we judge of the future by IL
= past that this cannot be so and if
could, we have the terrors of insanit
, staring us in the face, making the resu
more appalling 10 humanity and more al
> horent to our nature than all of the real
, fancied horrors or brutality of the scaffol,
:
t CRUELTY TO ANIMALs.-The society {,
e the prevention of cruelty to animals, offe