Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-07-14
NINE YEARS IMPRISONMENT,
SENTENCE OF THE MURDERous POLICE
MEN.


The Philadelphia Times of the 9Th
alludes to the disposal Of two rowdy
policemen, as follows:
The policemen, James Mervinc and
Frank Barclay, who were convicted Of
murder in the second degree in having
shot George Alexander, were sentenced
on Saturday morning. On Judge
Lynd's asking them if they had any
thing to say why sentence should not
be passed upon them, Mcrvine replied
"Well, Judge, l am very sorry that
this thing happened. If | had not
been drinking man this thing wouldn't
have happened" "I say the same
thing" added Barclay. Scarcely q
month ago." then said the judge, "upon
one OF the most frcqucnted streets Of
the city, one of you with blackjack
and the other with revolver assault
ed and shot down an Industrious, un.
armed and unoffending man, robbing
the Commonwealth Of a useful citizen,
desolating happy home, and stripping
a wife of her life companion and pro
tector. For this conduct, in itself as
cowardly as it was deadly, there has
appeared but one cxtcnuating circum-
cumstance---you were both so much
under the influence of intoxicating
liquors as to be unconscious of the
enormity of the act that you were
perpetrating. 1t is to be hoped that
you may not ever have known what
you were doing. 1t is fortunate for
you thatt the law of this Commonwealth
is so tender Of human life and so com.
passionate for human frGlty that il
does not visit murder thus perpctrated
with death. But II Furnishes, and
Furnishes severely. 1t punishcs that
the criminal may be reformed it pun
ishes that the criminal, it not sus
ccptiblc Of reformation, may be pre-
vented by penal experience from re
pcating his crime it punishcs that the
penalties Of the law may deter others
from the preparation Of crime. From
your appearance, from the responsible
calling in which you were engaged
from the good character given OF you
and from the fact of your mental con
dition on the night in question, the
court has felt free to assume that pun
ishment is not needed for either Of the
first two purposes just mentioned. As
long as your memories can recall that
pale, heart-brokcn woman, as she SAT
here day by day, or as she identified
her dead husbands clothing, stained
and clotted with his blood, shed by
you, or as she was carried, fainting
from the court room, as long as you
can picture your victim enduring those
two days of torturing pain, gasping
and dying from wounds received at
your hands, it is not likely that you
will ever again be tempted into drunk
en- revcls. But though you may never
thus sin again, the welfare of society
the security of human life, requires
that through you others may be taught
the perils of such indulgences as you
have been guilty of, Drunkards mus,
learn that even they cannot kill theiI
fcllow-mcn with impunity, however
incapable they may be at the time o.
realizing the nature of their act. In
adjusting your sentences this necessity
has been the sole consideration. And
now, July 3, 1875, tho court adiudgc'
and orders that you and each of you
undergo Imprisonment in the STATE
penitcntiary for the Eastern district o
Pennsylvania, for the term of min,
years. The utmost extent of the law
would have been twelve years. ~