The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-01-09
The Doom Of Stokes.

murderer's fate, 10 stand in the gathering
shades Of eternity telling the slow hours
that mark the approach to q terrible death,
| that the hardest heart must feel for the
condemned throb Ct pity. Young, &C
| tive, intelligent, educated, and yet shut
out from freedom and happiness by the
| gratings Of the condemned cell. and count
! ing the pulses Of life that will so soon
be stilled forever. What q picture of
| anguish
| But the law, human and divine, says
! "thou shalt not KILL" The man whom
| his pistol ball just one year ago sent to
his last account, had Just as keen desire
to live, and as much right to the enjoy
ments of life, as did his slayer. The laws
of society impose penalty as terrible as
the crime. Murdcrers are executed, not
| because they have murdered, but that So
ciety may be safe. They are compelled
to furnish an example for the warning OF
dangerous men-an admonition that if
| they kill, they too must suffer Else
| would red-handed murder walk the streets
| continually, and no one would be safe for
| an hour. A dangerous IaXness has crept
| into the administration of the criminal
| law All over the country. In New York
| city during the past year nearly fifty muir
| ders were perpetrated. and not one OF the
| criminals is vet punished. The murderer
of Fisk, knowing this, has laughed at the
| trials he has undergone, feeling certain of
escape
We believe that The good Of the COM
| munity will be promoted by causing not
| only Stokes, but ali the other atrocious
| crimes Desperate men OF all grades of
| society must be made to know that human
| life is too sacred to be sacrificed for their
| revenge or spirit OF gain. We think the
fate of Stokes is sealed, Appeals will be
| made to executive clemency. But Gov.
| Din is a soldier, accustomed to the stern
with a pledge TO rgidly admister the
| laws. We see no chance for the con
| demned man. Let us hope that the terri
| bic warning of his fate will not he with
out its effect, and that the intervening
| time-so much greater than he gave the
| victim that lies in his bloody shroud-may
| be used in wise preparation for the event.
| The Machias Union copies an article on
the subject OF the Legislative lobby at
| Augusta, which concludes as follows
| These men watch the various bills and by ev-
tolling their influence manage to get engaged to
procure the success or defeat of a given bill,
and then set to work to tOrestal the action OF
| the members by misrepresentation, or log-rol-
ing or other corrupt means. one of these lob
| bylss was heard to boast, at the close of the
| session, last winter, that he had made $500
ceat of expenses in this ncfari0u- business
| Belfast journal.
| Our Machias friend is mistaken in
the source OF the article It did not
| originate in this paper, nor should
| we fully endorse the sentiment of the
| above .'Nefarious" Is pretty severe
! term to apply to any calling which does
not incur the penalty of imprisonment for
| lite. While we think the laws would be
| quite as likely to be wise and sanitary,
| and the public interest as we'll cared for
| without the presence of the distinguished
| body TO which allusion is made, the evil is
not IN unmitigated one The persuasion
| lists OF Augusta, as a feature in its winter
life, could not be dispensed with except at
the expense OF seriously impairing the
| symmetry of legislative life II the say
! age purposes of the writer OF the above
| extract (and we think it originated in the
| Progressive Age) could he carried into
effect, think what would be lost with the
| Punishment of those very courteous and
engaging gentlemen. Imagine our ork
county friend, whose tenderly persuasive
| eyes look out from above that elegant
| moustache, reversing his gold headed
cane, and announcing that the epstles to
] Timothy must in future by directed to
Biddetord. And Samuel, fro m the other
| extreme of the State, who brings with
him the breezy freshness OF Quoddv Head,
! whose quaint humor is a perpetual feast,
! ana whose laugh doeth good like a medi-
| cine-tancy him sorrowfuly setting his
face homewarA And Seth-these gentle
| men generally have Scriptural names
who eXhorts for Waldo, from whose lips
persuasion falls like honey, and who has
| ready anodvne for conscience lacerated in
voting 70: his measures-think that no
more should he haunt the ante-roonl, and
| in argument
Betwixt the north and northwest siden
And with them would 60 the sprightly
| gentleman who serves Uncle Samuel as
| the local impersonaton OF his dignity and
/ power, who has his domestic hearthstone
in the ancient town OF Waldoboro, and
| who in the matter of fees and Influence is
| sad TO be ''WaX tc receive and Marble to
retain" Moreover, to the lobby forces
has just been added q very able gentle
| men from the circle that for several
| sessions nightly gathered about the glow
| ing anthracite fire, on which was set
vessel that did not exactly contain, like
the witch's canldron, 'eye of newt and
toe OF frog" but an attractive mixture
which the slanderous stigmatized as rum
punch, Are al! these 10 be things of the
past? No !-perish the thought Rather
let the lobby be made coordinate branch
of the government.
The ship R. c. Winthrop. from Antwerp,
Just arrived at New York, passed through
a great shower Of meteors, when about
100 miles north of Madeira. 1t was on
the night Of Nov. y. The shower began