The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-21
FIFTEEN YEARS A LIFE.

Inc IeRlslhture VI NEW lOih wv ho' w.
lieye In life sentences any more than the
people of that state do In hanging. Sharkey
declared that changing for murder was
played out" and then endeavored TO make
his declaration good by running away,
evidently believing that he who runs away
may live to commit murder another day.
The New York Legislature say that shut
ting man up In prison for life, for the
little peccsdillo of killing another,is 'play-
ed out and that there may be no loop hole
of escape from the truth Of the declaration
as now seems probable will be the case
with the truth of Sharkey's assertion
have fixed 1t by law. They have passed
bill, which now only awaits the governors
signature to become law, declaring that
all persons now or hereafter confined in
any of the prisons of that state, under SEN
tence for the term of the natural lives OF
such convicts, who shall have obeyed the
prison rules, shall not have committed an
assault, attempted to escape, been guilty OF
any disordcrly conduct, nor committed
any act that would, in law, be a INSIDE
meanor, shall at the expiration of the
'term of fifteen years of uniform good
conduct and obedience upon certificates
of the proper officers to that effect, be re-
leased from imprisonment,b by the governor,
'during the probationary period of ten
years" and at the end of said term OF
ten years, if such convict shall not
have been convicted of any crime, land shall
have behaved himself generally, he shall
| receive a full pardon with restoration to
citizenship.
Another section of the act extends its
provisions to persons confined in prison for
terms Of twenty-five years or upwards. 1t,
in effect, limits the period of human life,
so far as the law can effect it, to fifteen
years. It says to the courts, you may, In
terms, sentence murderers to life imprison
ment, but you only mean fifteen years. I,
says, you may sentence convicts for the
term of twenty four years, eleven month";
and thirty days, and your sentence will bt
respected but add another day to tha
term and you reduce it ten years. 1t re
duces murder from the most hcinous Of
crimes and places it on level with mer'
ofTenses against property. Its effect mus
be demoralizing TO the administration o
criminal justice. The great argumen
against capital punishment was that it wa
almost impossible to convict man of
crime the punishment of which was death
The legislature of New York, recognizing
its force, altered the long-established defn
ition Of murder, made the taking Of huma
life under circumstances which formerl
constituted it murder in the first degree
lesser crime and punishable only by lif
imprisonment. The good effect Of thi
law-if half loaf is better than none
was at once apparent. AS its first fruits
young Walworth was convicted and sen
to prison for life, the sham plea of momer
tary insanity was shorn of its strength, an
some punishment began to be melted out t
the assassins of New York. But this Ia,
will, it seems to us, change it all. TIL
same sckly scntimentality will mllitat
against convictions when the penalty is til
gallows, while stern sense of justice wi
lead othor ju,o.s to hesitate about aSi1'
ing to verdict which will only result
turning a murderer loose after only fe
years confinement, to again prey upon II
community. What good effect it will hay
upon the convict, during Imprisonment
is, also, problematical-but New YORKER
will have the opportunity Of finding out