The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-24
Ritl,n,ond 1ispatth,
..,nNr,ay MARCH q. 1878.


Tic hanging CT the rria!ina' FOSTER '''
c,r.book murderer, under the circumstances
: which surrounded him during his 'as' a', :
viii undoubtedly produce a temporary ~: =,
iug Of opposition TO capital puh,>"'"." s,r.
& New York city and State. ihe '''s'"' ~ =
th., n,ny,.rb are always in TIC wrong
ss..,,,,ne f.r,y who was killed months ago i'"o
S,>o.,, fn..c,ftcn before the time came 10 MUS
E,,srrp: and, besides, the uhlafaiic'co
efforts that were made TO secure coh''',ue'-
,,,n Of his sentence had interested the whose
o,,,munity either in Fosters behalf or
o,-,;,st him. He was barbarouSly hanged, ac-
20 ding to the Tribune, instead OF being pu
e. deat;, in scientific manner with the anu
Of the guillotine or the earote; and thai
p.per proposes that hereafter criminals sh;'"
be done to death with chloroiorm. II says:
"Tba whole question lies here. We pre-.
tend that criminals are hanged to prevent
them from committing more murders, ahl,
cncnnd TO warn others from cNu by tic!I
i cr,mnie Neither OF these objects arG for
war1lel by the torture Of the CONDEMNED.
He can bc as cilectualy put out OF the way
hy \ dose Of ci.loroform as in any more VIZ
lent way, and sudden and mysterious
death. in strict privacy, wohid lnpfc:S-
n,ucb more powerfully The Imagination o!
the dangerous classes than that conScnr'i
brutality of the sibbet which has been for
ages the contempt Of the cunning aud the
triumphant theatre OF the oStcntatlouS crluil-
nal"
But the criminal who is rot hanged in sight
OF the public Is never hanged. lie escapes
through the walls Of the Jail, or opens ITS
doors in mysterious manner, or slips oui
through the roof. He becomes hero O!
the PAUL CLIFFORD aud JONATHAN WILD
class. "Sccing is bciicrIng' with the
masses. They are not TO be deceived by
suborucd doctors. nor briocd JACK kkrcnES.
nor interested spectators, into the belle! thai
the escaped man has been hanged. They
didn't see it. That is answer enough! to 81!
testimony that is offered to convince them o!
his death. And 50 the lesson which the cH-
ccution is intended to teach is not learned.
So much as to the "strict privacy which
the Tribune thinks should characterize all
executions.
AS to putting criminals 10 death il some
other way than by hanging, there l. Juch
to be said III favor OF some better iEc:hod.
The horrible brutalitlcs that too Often rem
der hanging more like the Sara@c'S manner
of executing his enemies than the Chris
tian's mode Of executing 4 judicial sentence
upon criminal. call aloud for ii law which
Shall prevent eilcc.ually all such b!uTs upon
our civilization. The sheriff who has IL
hang 4 man twice has almost nleli.cd hang.
ing himself.
Nevertheless, there is uAquc;tionaJly too
much sympathy wasted upon murdcrcrS
aud other criminals nowadays. There
seems to be no other than capital punish
mcnt which will deter certain persons from
the commission of the most incXctlSab!c and
intclerab!e crimes against society. We
mourn in time Of peace over the cructiicS
of our forefit.ers in England, who used TO
hang men for stealing; and as soon lis war
comes on we enact laws providing the death
penalty for countcrfciling the national cur
rency. In 4 word. we find tl;at the circuIl-
stances being the same, Our conduct will be the
same us that of our ancestors. If, then, we
abolish the death-penal!y to-day, we shall be
certain to restore it next year or before long.
The reasons that impelled the men OF 1850 10
inl!ict it will insure its iuGiction in 1860.
The strongest argument that we can think
of in it's favor is that all nations and tribes OF
men resort to it in times OF peril. Another
Is, that under our system Of trying crimi-
mails, the jury almost always has upon il
some men who are not willing to 90 to the
extent Of the law aud intlict the highest
punishment denounced against any given
crime. They wish TO temper Justice with
mercy, as the phrase is. These men would
20 for imprisonment for term Of years il
the extreme penalty prescribed by the law
were Imprisonment for life, And so down.
wards. The retention of the death-pen;ty,
therefore, will at least have the good effect OF
securing the sufficient punishment of many Il
criminal who would otherwise escape with 4
shorter m-that is, in States where, rs in
Virginia, the jury is allowed discretion in
finding 4 verdict.
On the whole, we shat. do well not to for
get what the witty Frcnchmln said when he
/. was asked to come out in favor Of aholiShing
the dcalth-penalty: with all my heart"
said he, .but let mesSleurs the murderer,
set the example"
IT