The Portland daily press., 1874-02-07
The Opposers Of Capital Punishment
AUGUSTA. Feb 2. 1874

| AUGUSTA, Feb 2, 1874.
Editor of the Press:-I notice an article in
| your paper to-day. headed "Correctory,' and
| signed bv sc. w G''-whom take to be "my
lowing is an extract
another misstatement of your contributor
is the assertion that the opponents of capital
punishment do not desire-the pardon of MUIR
derers now sentenced for life,- but on the con-
trary. demand great restriction of the pardon
ing power Now everybody knows that in
Maine this is conspicuously untrue. In his an
nual address of 1868, Gov. Chamberlain refers
to the persistency of these very gentlemen in
urging the pardon of Thorn, one of our worst
murderers. and complains that the torrent of
abuse heaped upon him for not yielding to
those demands of gentle spirits far exceeded in
virulence their concentrations of the negro as
sassin, Harris That Gov. Chamberlain did
not mistake his men is demonstrated by the
final success of their efforts four years after
when his successor, a prominent apostle of the
humanitarian school, surrendered Thorn to
tn anti-capital punishment legions, headed by
that veteran captain of their host my FREUD
the Rev. Mr.. Quinby, of Augusta, editor of the
Gospel Banner"
Permit me to correct tie above by saying
that what Mr.. G. pronounces ''conspicuously
untrue is true to the very letter. sThe'oppo-
nents of capital punishment do not desire the
pardon of mprderers now sentenced for life,
as the writer in previous number of your pa
per signed "Trompe" correctly asserted but on
the contrary as he affirmed, ''they demand a
great restriction of the pardoning power" 1t
is true that this was the coloring given the af-
fair by Governor Chamberlain in speaking of a
single case in his message of 1869, but without
the least foundation in fact. And to listen to
the remarks of Mr.. G. and his co laborer in
1.-THE cause of humanity''-the Hon. g. f. Tai
bot-before the committee in their efforts to
make it appear that their long drawn
out slaughter house bilT' was con-
ceived in the spirit of love, and coutain-
ed all the elements of Christian affection and
justice, one wond suppose that the opponents
of capital punishment in Maine had no otner
business to attend to-, but to employ their eff
forts in liberating murderers from prison. Mr..
Talbot 90 represented and said that he had fire.
quently heard Of the Christian gentleman who
had proceeded himu,:-alluding to the writer of
this-as being IN Thomaston and vicinity on
this business and in pursuit of names of petit
TONERS to liberate those guilty of murder
Now the truth is, have never been in Thorn
aston, or any other place, on such an Grand;
and challenge either or both of these gentle
men to show single case in Maine where the
opponents of capital punishment as a body. or
in distinction from the friends of capital pun
ishment. have ever made an effort for the lioer-
alton of murderers. There is no such case on
record. Mr.. G. calls the writer Of this ssvet-
eran captain of the Maine ant-capital punish
men. host" an office l should be delighted to
fill if "were worthy and we'll qualified" DC.
cupying the position do in bis estimation. I
ought to be allowed to know something of the
facts under considerations and as just now
asserted, 1 challenge any man to show single
instance where men have moved for the liber-
alton of the murderers because they acere opposed
to capital punishment! And, further. chal-
lenge Mr.. Goddard or any other gentleman to
show more than one instance in Maine where
an effort has been made through petitions circu-
lated general for the pardon of any murderer;
and that was the case of Thorn who was SEN
fenced to death, but whose punishment was
committed to Imprisonment for life.
And in his case hundreds of men and women
in different places, signed for his pardon, who.
in principle were in favor of hanging. The
very sister IF the man whom Thorn killed, and
petition for the liberation of the murderer of
her brother, because she was personally know
ing to all the facts in the case and said in let
ter addressed to the Governor, that Thorn, at
the time of the MURDER was tool in the hands
of the wife Of her brother who was bad wom-
an, and was as really guilty of murder as he.
The first movement for the liberation of
Thorn, of which heard, was the result of
lengthy communication written by himself in
a Rockland paper and subsequently re-publsh-
ed IN several Others among them the one of
which am editor. Warden Rice and bis hui
hatS
Thor 1ach Were the circumstances of the case,
fao t." 81. should be pardoned. | published this
-; ao., anu general effort was made for nett
Iioners, an 40 the result was that the names of
nearly lZOO0 persons, among wbon ,n",.a a. y.
OF Two ex-Governors, several iuSaas WE I euose
and OF clergymen of all denomin to, lawyers,
sent me from all sections of the State were
senued the petitions 10 Gov. Chamberlain pre- pre-,
hi' Council, accompanied by statement tn nf
the facts in the case. But no heed was given
to the prayers of the people; and that was the
end of the effort made for the liberation of
Thorn SO far as had any knowledge.
Last year-four years after the death of thus
movement-having no knowledge of the Gov
errors Intentions. never having exchanged with
him word on the subject, learned by the pa
pers that Thorn had been pardoned out of pris-
ON after an Incarceration of almost THIRTY
YEARS, by the noble Perham, and his excellent
Council, and afterwards learned that this was
done by the a Twice of the warden of the prison.
and because the better Judgment of the Gov.
ernor and Council prevailed in this direction.
and not because of any outside influence
These are the facts in the case. and vet Judoe
Goddard is pleased to say that in consequence
of the persistent efforts Of those of the human
tartan school for four years, ''Thorn was sur
rendered to the anti-capital punishment legions.
headed by that veteran captain of their host.
nv friend, Rev. Mr.. Qninby' editor of the Cos
pei Banner" The reader can see how little of