Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-04-11
The "Death-Penaity."

shall not cease my opposition the death-penaiy
untl am convinced Of the iRIaibflfV qI human judy
ment''-Ld Fdvette in The French Chamber Of Peers.
Messrs Editors Having heard so much said
since the reprieve Of Phair, in regard to his case
and the penalty Of death, feel impelled to avail
myself OF your columns, not TO argue the point,
but 10 present few facts for the consideration Of
the thoughtful have nothing to say touching
"mawkish sensbities," "sympathy with the
murderer" etc, except that every one Of what
ever he may be accused is entitled to sympathy
so lar as right and justice IL concerned, nor have
anything to say concerning that opposite spirit
which thirsts for blood and demands since one
has killed, some one else must die and so seizes
upon any one on whom suspicion falls, as the vic
tim only to add that, in the conversations allnded
to, have listened to several who were 70 over
whelmingly imbued with this boodthirsty spirit
that they are unfit for jurors in such case as no
mans life would be safe in their hands-they
would be too greedy for sacrifice, and to obtain
one would be 80 anxious not to lose one that
they would see wrong where none existed, and
even convert " virtues into vices"
That which most arrested my attention, and has
moved me to write this article, was the expression
repeated over and over again with increasing en-
phass, and which constituted the chief reply to
arguments on the other side: "lf man kills
another, hang him, d-n him, hang him" Now
1t is in relation to this u that am about to talk,
and not to discuss the right or wrong of hanging
but taking 1t for granted that II il right to hang
man II he kills another wantonly, what Of the ifp
What shall we do with that It IL upon Thu
little word u, implying conditions and contingen-
cies, that the facts present are designed to bear
teaching us to give it due consideration, to be
cautious, and not indulge In "hot haste " IN
arriving at conclusions. Some OF these facts arc
already known to every reader; possibly some
who will read them are familiar with all OF
them, and only restate them in order to " stir u
their pure minds by way Of remembrance" and
call attention anew to them
Between 1890 and 1850, beside the executions
for piracy under United States law, there were
nine for offences against state laws After life
had been taken and could not be recalled it wa.
satisfactorily ascertained that four Of the nine
were innocent young woman was hung in
| Hudson, N. Y, for the murder of her sister :
| legitmate child, the mother swearing the muir.
der upon her sister; but subsequently on her own
| death-bed, confessed to having given the poison
with her own hand, and purposey leaving the
child in her sisters custody.
Linkon Felter and one Shufelt crossed the Mo.
hawk river, at Hoffman's Ferry, n " in a
canoe together; one returned the other did not
Some days afterwards the body of a man was
found in the river at Schenectady -the wife Of
Shufelt was sent for, and she recognized the body
as that of her husband, swearing to the patche,
| on his garments as having been put on with hel
own fingers. Linkon Felter was arrested, but
before it was too late, the missing man returned
| young man named buckingham, who was a
student at the Manual Labor school in Whitesboro
| N. Y, was missed from his clearinghouse, and
could not be found Parker as hote-keeper il
the place. was arrested for his murder on the oath
Of negro who swore to helping Parker remov,
the body about midnight, from the hay-loft, ant
I place it in wagon, to which was attached grey
horse that was stopping there for the night
and that Parker hired him to drive it down t.
Utica, and throw the body into the Mohawk ri
yer from Miller's bridge, giving him five dollar
for the job. Upon the arrest of Parker, such wa
| public Indignation and the excitement ran Sc
high, that the populace gathered at his hotel, cut
ting down the sign-post, throwing bottles, decant
ers, tumblers etc, into the street, and indulginl
in such other acts of violence as they could. ex
pressive of vengeance. Al large reward was ffereC
for the body but, as it could not be found, ant
nothing further coming up AS evidence against
Barker except the finding of blood stains upor
the hay-loft stairs, and in the wagon at the tim,
Of his arrest, he was admitted to bail after
few weeks; and about six months afterwards
| young buckingham came to himself on board
vessel going down the st. Lawrence river, bound
from Quebec to Liverpool.
few years ago, a wealthy farmer who hat
| vowed vengeance against the Troy and Saratoga
railroad for the killing OF some OF his cattle which
they refused to pay for, was arrested for placing
distractions on its track, which threw off train
resulting in death to some on board. At the trial
two Irishmen, stimulated, doubtless, by hope o
obtaining the reward thousand dolars-tes
tilted to seeing him put the distractions on tn,
track After their testimony was given, one o
the leaders Of the Einigrant Aid Society testified
that these two witnesses had just crossed the At
antic, and were in Ireland at the time of this oc
currence, and confirmed his testimony by hi
books and other vouchers But for the untirin.
personal effort of the prisoners counsel, his lif
would have been sacrificed. The false witnesse
we're tried by the same court, convicted of per
jury, and sent to the state prison in Clinton
New York
One Stone was convicted by certain court, O
firing IA barn, and was sent to state prison. Al
ter two years service there, boy OF fourteen
years, on his deathbed, confessed to firing tn
barn; testifying that Stone had nothing to d.
with it, and was not present. The next winte
the legislature appropriated five hundred dol
lars to pay Stone for the service he had nvol
UNFAIRLY and innoeently done the state, Had i
been a dwelling house instead of barn, his lif,
would have been taken from him, which no legis
ature could have voted back.
There are great many similar cases ON record
but refrain from further quotations. except tt
refer to case in your own state-the Boornes
sentenced to be hung in Manchester Bennington
county, for the murder OF their cousin, Colvin,
deed confessed by one of them, the penalty TO
| returned day or two before the time fixed anC
by his presence in life and health snatched from
the halter the lives of two innocent men
As all of these cases have occurred within