Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-06-23
THE STAIN OF KENTUCKY.
Bishop Smith Recalls Ms Fight Against
the Fashion Of kaHslaughter.

Jay ou NuC douiuu VI mtuNlduIlltT II
that State. The venerable bishol
said, 1T is a fact that the State has
fearful history of UNPUBLISHED murder
Every portion Of her soil and ever,
year of her history has been furnished
by these acts Of mistaken chivalry buI
real brutality" The bishop theI
related an effort of his to make head.
way against it. He said 1T exist.
to-day as it did forty or more year.
ago, and there really seems littl,
hope Of making Roadway against it
l attempted it once and the attempt
brought me in contact with Jane.
Guthrie, who was secretary Of
the treasury under President
Pierce, aud one of the finest
of Kentucky statesmen. Our meet
ing came abeut in this way. As
Bishop of Kentucky in the course
OF six or seven years | had become
somewhat acquainted with the greater
number of the populOus counties, and
having during the ten or twelve previ-
Gus years been familiar with like por-
tons of Massachusetts, and Vermont.
| was painfully impressed-indeed |
was absolutely shocked-by the great
number of fatal tavern and street
broils, resulting chiefly from each
party being armed with concealed
weapons, and still more shocked that
so few of the survivors met with con
dign punishment-for | had heard
that for twenty years there had been
but one mar hung in Connecticut, and
he the only one who had deserved it
according to law. The number of un-
punished homicides in Kentucky was
dreadful. | wondered if anything
could be done to lessen it. The first
step, evidently, was to ascertain, with
a reasonable degree of certainty, how
great it was. Poor as | was-eyery
letter costing then, in 1895, twenty
five cents POSTAGE addressed a writ
ten letter to each county clerk Of the
then n.nety-One counties, asking him
to inform me of the number of hOmi.
cides in his county for each Of the three
preceding years. | received replies
from onlythirty-three counties. Making
these the basis of a general estimate.
it appeared hat each year there had
been one hundred UNPUBLISHED homi-
cides in the State. Armed with these
documents and with a very strong
feeling on the matter, | sat down and
wrote IN earnest article, with which |
proceeded to Frankfo fort, had it printed
and copies distributed TO the mem
bers Of both houses of the legislature.
A few days afterward | applied
to Senator Guthrie. who was
then chairman of the judiciary com
mittee Of the house, for permission to
appear before them on this question.
which was cheerfully granted. and the
day and hour we're appointed. I was
listened to very attentively for half an
hour, when the chairman, turning to
me very eourteously, remarked, Why.
bishop, you have made out a much
worse case than we expected, bad as
we well knew it to be. YOu appear
before US, of couse, to ask for further
legislation on this painful subject /;
permit me to ask what you think of
the criminal code Of this common
wealth.
A very excellent code indeed.
only a little too severe, perhaps. in
certain cases better a milder code if
only faithfully and impartially admin
istered Take for example a recent
act Of the legislature of the State of
Georgia on the subject Immediately
before US, As the legislature eonsid-
cred it hopeless to attempt to pass a
law against going armed they made it
a pe%nitentiary offense in the case of a
survivor Of broil if it was found that
he was armed beforehand for the feud
or broil, and it is said that it proved
quite a check to what was before only
too common
But, persisted the chairman, If
the fault is not in the code where does
it lie2'
"'0h?' | replied. no jury can any
where be found who will bring in a
verdict of guilty of anything worse
.han done in a state Of delirium" or
in self defense" or in effect. justif-
able homicide =
but, continued the chairman
one would think that public senti-
ment would compel juries once in a
while to do right
Yes, when a negro out Of revenge
kills a white man or a man of the
lowest class out Of mere cussedness
Kills his wife; rarely in any other
case
What, then, is to be done p per.
sisted the chairman. Who has the
moulding, forming and correcting Of
public opinionE Who but parents.
teachers, editors and above all the
clergy? You come Here asking for
legislation. In my turn | appeal to
the conductors of the press and to
the. clergy of every religious denomi.
nation to dwell on the value of a
single life, the enormity Of the crime
OF murder and the duty of grand
jqries, Of ell jgries in criminal cases
and Of all judges and administration
Of the Jaw to do their duty without
fear or favor
~ felt tho ground surely but ut.
terly slipping away from under me
and not an inch left for ne 10 stand
upon; Rising abruptly making a pro.
found bow, | retired, exolaiming
Gentlemen, good morning | have nOI
another word to sayl
And thus it remains to this day
and dags il will continue while moth
ers and wives, daughters and sisters
and other high spirited ladies' con.
tlDue to use such vehement eypres.
Sons ~ these III any man dear /,
ne, did qOt FaseBt an insult. | wouIc
never speak To lip again Is long as
iivedl Never