The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-02-14
ENFORCEMENT OF LAW.

Judging from the tCne OF o"i otaIe
exchanges, the great question: now
before the people of this state, and
which seems to be absorbing public
attention, is whether Brown anil
Johnson. the Portland robbers and
nurderer~, should meet the sentence
pronounced upon them by the courts,
after fair and impartial trial. Like
all questions, there are two sides to
this, and arguments, pro and con, are
found in editorials and correspond
ence in nearly every paper in the
state
In discussing this question, many
persons lose sight of the law in such
cases, and claim that the killing of
young Joseph, was {" accidental y on
the part of the robbers, Brown, John
son and Swards. 1t may be true
that the shot fired was only intended
to scare the boy away-but the law
provides that a'person, while commit
ting a robbery, intends TO commit any
deed, even to the taking of lite, that
may be necessary to accomplish that
purpose. The O'Shea robbery was
one Of the most daring and cold
blooded affairs that ever transpired
in our STATE. Three ruffianS, in broad
day light, enter a place of business,
an inoffensiye old man is brntallv and
murderously assaulted, and left for
dead : his safe is robbed. and while
the robbers are escaping with their
booty, shots are fired by them. one of
which instantly kills a little boy, who
happens to be across the street at the
time. The offenders are caught, and
instead of being lynched, as they
richly deserved. are given fair and
impartial trials, in two courts, with
able counsel. After the announce
naent of the decision of the supreme
court, Gov. Thayer granted a re-
prieve, or respite, of the sentence Of
death until the 2l>t da Y Of March, in
order to give the doomed men time
to- prepare for death.
"Law is-a' terror to evil doers," :"
only. And, although the abrogation
of the death penalty finds many sup
porters, we are inclined to doubt its
propriety. To such lawless, hard
ened wretehes as are now focking to
cur state, the penitentiary even for
life, has but little terror. This has
been fully demonstrated in the cases
of Brown and johnson. So long as
they had hope of escaping punish
ment, or at least the probability of
getting nothing worse than the pcni-
tentiary, they were bold, impulent
and defiant. Should they, by any
quirk of law, or misconceived sympa-
thy, escape the death penalty, it
would embolden others of their kind.
The rigid enforcement Of law is the
only safeguard to the commonwealth.
The execution Of its penalties is not
vihdictiveness-not for the benefit of
the condemned-but as terror to
others, and for the prevention of SIM
liar deeds.
If the law is wrong, or too severe
in its penalties, amend or repeal it;
but while it is upon our statute
books, let it be enforced. Petitions,
numerously signed, we understand,
have been presented to the Governor,
asking him TO commute the sentence
of Brown and Johnson to imprison-
naent for life-which is equivalent,
Judging from the past, to only a few
years in the penitentiary. A letter
from His Excellency 10 the friends Of
the doomed men, indicates, clearly
that they need not make any calcula
tiens upon receiving communion o.
sentence, and Will, in all prability, ex
plate their guilt upon the galfows or
the 2lst day of March 1879.
A patent outside consumptive, published
by the Radical State Printer, cringingly fiat
ters the Oregonian in two line puff, and the
rlsult is that Scotty has spasm of delight