, 1873-03-24

iife.' '.' ..',- ia
o1act ...tJ ~
fellow-man God is sa,....., ... *. L.
brothers. blood orieth unto mo from. 49,: s:''..
Mature does not teach men that It a wrong "
take tho lifo Of fellow-1nan, but tho law Of God
declares land He who from sinai's flaming
summit uttered tho great command, "Tlou
shalt not kill" Himself aff11eB to the law its
penalty. The protection of human society, 1t is
frue, Is subordinate end, but 1t is not tho only
wrong-loer, The murderer doservos to die. No
other punishment IL adequate. The 1ifo Of man
is too precious thing to put in the same cate.
Fey with any oter 11 The esmo q
deserves tho awful penalty that divine and hn-
nan law has affixed to 1t. Wo sometimes lcar
It said that tho death penalty is relic OF bar
barism, q remnant Of tho II dark ages. Nothing
when capital punishment was inflicted without
warrant, and for ofrenaoB altogether diBpropor-
| toned to such penalty. But the highest sya-
toms Of jurisprudence recognize, what this Oldest
mont, that lifo shall atone for life. It is
just; 1t is equitable it is part Of that moral
system Of rotributiye Justice BY which tho Al
SR ns mans 'btsfbs beo b maa sbs
hiH blood be shed"
The principles involved III this subject arc
being alfted and investigated more thoroughly
every dey: No more more alarming indication Of tho
could be imagined than tho general insecurity Of
human life. II tho highest OF all crimes against
the individual may 60 unpuniehod, what imnlu-
nifty may not DO expected by criminals OF less
Tho last few yeara have Witnessed reign Of
1awlessness and violence iu tho largo cities Of
this country that would not DO tolerated for
month IN any Of tho capitals Of Europe. Ruff
fans and criminals have boRsted OF their fmpu-
nifty. Murders average two or three week in
the commercial metropolis OF tho land. II is
time to put All end to thia roign Of terror; md
every upright man nB we'll aa every Christian,
eztremo penalty Of the la'o upon every offender;
so ''0o much 1"' notes '''' o. 1''I that for
which William Foster, on Friday last, paid tho
| was committed. Il WAS without the lonst provo
cation, and without Hinglo oxtenuating circum-
atnnce,-a homicide as cowarlly as it was brutal.
Yet 80 great IL tho Generalization Of public
sassn waa made tho object OF widespread
sympathy, aud heroulean efforts were put forth
to save him from tho murdoror's doom. First,
all tho resources Of tho law wore exhausted.
uical resorts by which the execution of Justice is
80 ofton obstructei. Aftor ali these legal de-
fenBos Ind boon exhausted, appeal was nude to
the pardoning power; and m army Of wealth,
bear upon tho Executive Of the State, such
az has rarely intarpoaed to snyo tho
life Of murderer. Unlike most condemned
criminals, William Foster Was Of high social
rospeotabiity. Petitions, large In number, and
imposing in the character OF those who signed
them, wore forwarded to the State capital. Enl-
mont lawyers, judges, and clergymen united in
Tho jurors. who bad been constrained, uudor
oath. to declare the prisoner guilty, prayed TINT
| he might DO saved from tho conaequonces OF
TINT terrible verdict. Even tho wife Of the mur-
dored victim united in the plea for mercy.
It seoms to mo that tho awful eacrodneas Of
Law, OF JUSTICE, WIS .novor 10 atrlkingl dis
played. In ono mans handR rested the deolBion
Of life md death. Mercy plcad for life, but jus
Dix had allowed his peraonal feolingu to control
bis Judgment, the decision would have boeu
different. uo must have felt tho aolo1nnity OF
the caao. At tho very moment tho decision wns
Europe tidlngs Of tho loath Of his own sson in
Paris aud, In bis personal bereavement, ho
could Bympathizo With tho anguish Of q father'a
heart. But GOV. Dix know That this was d
nothing to do. Az an executive officer lie WIS
aot to administer the law and execute Justice !;
and with great wisdom and llrmncsH lo decided
that tho low must tako its course. Ho felt that
1io; and every enlightened conscience will np-
| provo the decision.
It III to be sincerely hoped that the ofroot of
this distreHHful execution may be to check tho
| 6plrlt OF lARleb6ueAa ana Vl0lGncG tnfouRn0nE
tho whole land. It ought to deepen our Benso
Of tho value of human life. It ought to burn
into the conscience Of thotnrbulont, and vicious,
and dangerous element Of society the conyic-
tion that they cannot assaasinato and kill with
lmpunity,
Whom GOV. Dix declares that "oycry man
who strikes o murderous blow at tho life Of btu
fellow must bo made to feel TINT his own Is in
certain porll" Ao IL but repeating tho divine
law, proclaimed 4, 600 years ago by tho voice OF
God himself, :" Whose sheddoth mans blood, by
| man shall his blood ba she'd"
1 CORRESPONDENCE.
Rev. John Wood, Pastor qf the Ninth Irestpttrtan
Church. Ellis Avsnus, Chicago, ~:
REVEREND AND DEAR SIN: Tho undersigned
eloquent exposition OF tho crime OF murder and
the penalty to be inflicted therefor, delivered
this morning. Alta time when tho weak sontl-
mentality Of many good men leads them, In their
| avn,unthy for the criminal to loBe eght of his