The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-02
GIVING THE SKATE Il BAD NAME.


Wallace in West Virginia, brings out
the curious fact that since the State was
created nobody has ever suffered legal
capital punishment within its bounds,
while the number Of informal hsnglngs
and shOotings by organized mobs, seek
ing to execute volunteer justice, may De
counted by scores, The Wheeling
!Standa1 says that during the past four
years nearly dozen irst-csss lynchlngs
have been carried out in different parts
of the State, and that nobody hiss ever
suffered legal capital punishment IN the
State since its creation. Ii THIS SORT o!
thing is TO 90 on, West Virginia might
as well abolish her criminal courts.
1t seems TO US that the editor OF
paper like the Standard should never
make statements which throw discredlt
upon the State in which he lives, unless
he knows what be is talking about, and
has some facts to base his article upon.
The cool audscity with which the
statement is made that nobody has
ever suffered legal capital punishment in
the State since its foundation" is alnios.
as remarkable as its want Of yeracity.
That the editor of the STANDARD should
be so ignorant of what has transpired IN
his own State is singular, and is certainly
repreheusible. 1t would have been
worth his while to have investigated this
matter before he wrote the article re-
ferred to, for the most triGing research
would have shown him that ne was ut
terly mistaken.
In January 1865, DANIEL GRoGAN'
THOMAS BoIcE and MORTIMER GIBoNr,
were sentenced TO be hung in Wood
county. An appeal was taken to the
Supreme Court, and they were rcsen-
fenced in july 1866, and hung shortly
afterwsrd. They had murdered man
named ABRAHAM DEEM, BoICE and
GIBoNY being the principals,
and GRoGAN the accessory. A
man named SHAFFER, was also
hung in Wood county several
years ago, for the murder of q Mr.,
LILIENTHAL. In Monroe county, the
murderer OF WEI. HUNTER, was also
legally hung, about 1869 or 1870. ELIHU
GERGG, of Preston county, who was
convicted of arson in 1869 and sentenced
to be hung, burnt the jail in which he
was confined and made his escape, or nc
too would have swung from the gallows.
Another man who saved his neck by
breaking jail, WIS GUY MILLER, who
murdered STEVEN SoUTHALL in Lewis
county, in 1878. He was sentenced to be
hung, obtained an appeal, and was re-
sentenced.
SO much for the statement of the
Standard, and so much Tor ITS facts
The publication of such Gn assertion
as that which the Cleveland pa
per comments upon, is greater
injury to the reputation Of the State
than the lyrching Of JOHN WALLACE by
the Burton mob. There are times when
the human passions are suddenly and
powerfully aroused, and the reverence for
law is overwhelmed and offences COM
milled. The State, as q State, should
not DO blamed for this, provided
it does all that 1t can to bring
the offenders to justice after the deed has
been committed. But when paper,
which claims to be one of the leading
journals of the State, and to be cognIzant
OF all thst transpires within its limits
thst is of Importance, gravely
s .ates in an editorial that al
though the State government has
been in existence for fifteen
years, it has been so depravei as to walk
hand in hand with murdorerS and 9TH
ers who should have been hung, and to
have allowed each and every one OF
them to escape from suffering the penal
ties of their crimes, then it is time FOR
others to judge harshly Of West Nlr-
ginla and to pour upon her hcsd 3 storm
of indignant and scorniul criticism.
How can we blame outsiders for think
ing poorly Of US. when home paper,
that should have our interest and we'll
being ct heart, makes such an atrocious
uLterance? The fidelity OF our bench !
and bar, the good serse and love of order
of our citizens, the probity of our Chief
Executive and the honor of the
sovereign State itself, are alike i'm
peached by such ialsitying of the truth
The efforts of private citizens are of
little aysil in endeaYoring TO elevate the
reputation of their State, when news
papers do their best to drag it down.
There is no excuse whatever for this gross
injustice to our people and it is the duty
Of the Standard to study up local his
fury and strive 20 repair the damage it has
done or in future to leave all such lm-
poriant topics as this alone and conane
Itself strictly to editorials on tho war in
Europe where there is no danger Of its
doing any harm:
THE NEW BISHOP OF RICHMOND.