The Portland daily press., 1874-01-23
Dress Coat and Kid Glove Murderers

To the Editor of the Press: ~
There is a general feeling of astonishment at
the direction the capital punishment agitation
has taken. If understand the bill introduced
in the Legislature, it embodes the ideas set
forth in Hon, Geo. F. Talbots last letter to the
Advertiser. 1t does not propose to hang all will
full and deliberate murderers, but only some OF
them. Messrs. Goddard and Talbot, the capl-
ital punishment pair, seem to have antlcipa'eu
a lack of popular enthusiasm in support OF
their demand for the gallows, but nave imag-
ined that they could save sonaethang 1rom the
wreck and alleviate their feeling of chagrin by
seeing somebody hung They are like the old
LADY who congratulated herself at the end of
discourse by too liberal parson, on the infer
ence she was able to draw that perhaps .fe,o
people would be damned any way But what
curious selection Mr.. Talbot makes! We have
all thought and read much about class distinc-
tions but surely none so arbitrary and invidious
were ever before formally proposed. The class of
murderers with malice aforethought he pro-
poses to save from the gallows is that 1 have
described in the heading to this communication.
He refers by name to Sickles, Hiscock, Stokes
and Miss Maunk. He even pays warm trl-
butte to their sterling worth OF such persons
he says that we are mot surprised to find in
them good social qualities, a distinct and vicid
moral sense. generally deoorous life" He
conceives it hardly possible that circumstances
could ever provoke them to a second offence.
One might, he AYERS, travel across the plains
alone with Stokes without fear of being
knocked on the head. But such brutes as Har-
ris-they are the men for the hangman! In
general those wilful murderers-for we desire
to state Mr. Talbot's position with entire can
dor,-"whose acts alarm exposed and timid
people for their own safety must be effectually
taken care off, those wlo Commit great
wrongs against society, but excite no general
apprehension and no unqualified execration,
may be punished with view to their reforma
ton and ultimate return to society,"" Here's
sentimentalism for you! Put Daniel E. Sickles
and Edward s. Stokes, with all their advantages
of a respectable origin, liberal culture and high
political and social standing into prison for
their reform and ultimate return to society,""
but strangle boys like Clifton Harris who are
black and brutally ignorant, and who have
grown up under the ban and curse of their fell
low men! Reform the man for whom society has
already done all it can do, and hang the man
whom society has predestined to ignorance and
crime! Was ever such mOnstrous perversion
of Justice conceived before? What is it butdis-
criminating in favor Of a good coat.a good edu-
cation and aristocratic associations? Under this
code Prof Webster would by this time have
been restored to society and poor innocent Luth-
er Verrill would have been hung!
I think that society can be well protected
from the murderous tendencies of men like
'Sickles, Stokes, Walworth and Hiscock, with
out hanging them. They may be placed where
they will have no opportunity to pursue "mur-
der as a fire art, ION future occasions. But they
constitute exactly the class in respect to which
the argument againstcapital punishment has the
least force. Their characters are already form :
ed-their intellects and their moral nature have
received all the culture that is possible. They
are. some of them, probably exceptions to the
almost universal rule that moral diseases may
be eradicated. On the contrary the very men
whom Mr.. Talbot would hang, are those who
can almost certainly be restored to moral SAN
ity. Whatever good qualities and instincts
they man have, have been studiously repressed
and stifed,-all their evil passions have been
cultivated and encouraged by the circumstances
in which society has placed them. Meanwhile
they have been left in a state of complete intel
lectual darkness. 1t hanging is to be tried
again, theirs is the very claim from immunity
which society cannot with justice refuse. 1t is
not their crimes that have rendered murder
fashionable and contagious. No one is inspired
to emulate their example. There is nothing
fascinating about these vulgar animals who
hack and hew their victims. 1t is the
gilded murderer who performs his butch
cry with grand dramatic airs and postur-
ing, who kills like the hero of a melo-drama
and has his fine phrases ready for his audience
like Booth, that has spread abroad the mania
for bloodshed. 1t is not SO much that these
men havenot been hung as that they haze not
been punished or restrained in any sray that has
done the naischief. The outrage has continued
already too long, and now Messrs Talbot aud
Goddard propose to hOnzize 81
TROMPE LA-MORT.