St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-07-02
Three Executions Last Friday.

Three Executions Last Friday.
Three men were hung in New Eng
land last Friday. one i'll Massachusetts.
and two in Maine. all having been con
victed of most atIOciouS murders. Be
low we give comments of some candi,
newspapers on these judicial proceed
ingS. the more willingly because certain
people would like to repeal the dealt
penalty:
There is nothing attractive in tn,
contemplation of the death penalty, il
itself considered. The morbid desire
to witness such Il spectacle, which i.
quite commonly manifested, is simpl,
ineNplicahle on ANY other theory than
that OF Il degraded nature OF diseased
mind. +" most of lis the sight of {;
fellow being in mortal suffering hring>
Il kindred pang: and how people can
! Hook to executions a> to Il picnic, oI
! place of entertainment. we are unable
to understand. But when the death
penalty is regarded us the vindcatiol
of the law. the inliction of righteous
Ietrlhutioh. the pledge and guaranty OF
public safety. it becomes quite Il differ
ent thing: and the laws of God and
man enforce its justice and necessity.
1t is il painful and unusual circumstance
that III peaceful and law-abiding New
England there should he three murder
crs 10 meet the penalty of their crimes
IN IL singh" day: but it would have been
Il more painful. if not il more UNUSUAL
len II
permitted To escape this penalty. Ten
der >cmtimentali>tS who protest against
the brutality of the galIows look only
at one side of the question. and they
look III that through niagiitNing glasses.
What Is the life of one man OF three
men who have become Il standing
nhcilacr Ia society. compared with the
lives oi the innocent and dctrncclcSS
VIII" may III amy moment become the
victims of their mad passion or brutal
force Are the perpetrators of crime
the onl objects tor our compassion.
and are We To pay no regard to those.
VIII" are or may br the victims of it
In the case of the three men who ON
Friday cApiatcd their crimes. the death
penalty appears to have been specially
necessary and we'll deserved. Their
trials were tar and impartial; the
evidence against them plain; and the
crimes tor whlch they were convicted
ana >cl;lruc"d were attended with cir
cunu>Ianc'S at prrlliaI atIorItN. Every
thing inal legal ingenuity could do IN
then hchali wa,, done. but the proof oi
THEN gull, n:t> - umni>trkahlc that the
impartial iurirS which tried them rN-
III ,iI,.l
Moreover. in the case of Wagner and
G"Itlon. there WAS reason AT one time
Ia fear that an imUrmIou; LEGAL uuihhlr
would hc sufficient Ia battle Justice. and
'icfcLt tiir execution ot the penalty {:
AMI III ilI" Ca>" ri to>ilcN. attci all
legal cNpcdIcuJ~ NcIe r\hau~tcd. u plan
tnr his iorrIhlr release WaS made. If
either the legal cNprdient. or the plot
Of outside iIirn,t$. had succeeded in
cifrctln% the liberation of these men.
society would not only have been en-
dInGcrcd ny the presence la lis midst
oi three desperate muIdrrrrS. hut the
majesty at thc law would have been set
at defiance, and criminals every where
would have accepted the result aS Il
warrant for fresh Violence and outrage.
For these REASONS the execution of
these men l. Il matter for congrlt ula-
ton. The only way IL make law re-
>pccIrd Is 10 enforce it rigidlN: and the
sooner mHr,icrer> and WoIld-be muir
dcIcr> understand that death awaits
then crime, the sooner will the com
nI!nitN he secure from violence. The
example which has been set should he
etf"ctuallN followed. Although one of
the culpIitS attempted suicide. a> an
evasion of the penalty of the law. il
made no difference with the result
The lesson of ,hc day j. hat igmomini-
"II> death awaits the murderer. and il
Is we'll to have il rmphatically enforced.
BoSton .JoHrnaI.
II is Il horrible tale which we have To
tell to-day. of two men in full vimnr
appointed Ia die at ThnmaSton one of
them chose rather IL perish 10y his own
hand and WAS brought to til" gallowS
bleeding and unconscious But it was
II more CHASTITY tale which came from
the Isles of Shoals on the winter morn
Ing when Wagner WAS fleeing from the
ghosts ni the innocent women he had
lett dead in the cottage there. and still
worse WAS the cruel murder which
Gordon wrong Int in rhorndike upon the
bodies of his own brother. his Si>ter-i in
law. and their infant child The death
at these aSSiS>ins is Il gain to the world
which their crimes darkcnrd the man
ner Of it is mecdlrSsll rcpulsive: they
might he allowed. one thinks. to select
tor themselves the means hy which
they would choose to die But the pity
which would rescue them from the fate
they have deserved has something un-
natural and inhuman in il. \ French
adv"caic once gave up Il good judicial
appointment and retired into private
life rather than doom one criminal to
die by law. The name of that
Sott-hcartcd advocate WAS Maximiiian