Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1880-10-02
THE KILLING OF BElIERY.

E s
Our New Orleans contemporary,
the Democrat, condemns IN very
strong terms the lessees Of the peni-
Tertiary for permitting their guards
to summarily shoot down convicts
who pass beyond the linesin attempt.
ing to escape the punishment which
they have been sentenced to endure
BY our courts, in order that society
may be protected against attacks on
persons and property.
Next to capital punishment, the
sentence to hard labor is the direst
penalty to which q human being may
be subjected. This fact is recognized
the world over. Everywhere, too,
the discipline established over con-
victs is Of the most rigid nature. We
agree with our contemporary, when
he says that convict has a perfect
right to break away from his keepers
if he sees an opportunity to do 50.
The Democrat says Of Berkery:
"He was in sight Of liberty, and
took his chance to run for it,
So he did, after having made one
previous attempt to regain that pre-
cious boon. And after passing be-
You'd the guards at a run, OH his
second attempt, he paid the forfeit
with his life, in accordance with the
inAexible rule which he, Berkery, as
every other convict, no doubt, knew
to be in existence.
We are not prepared to discuss
the advisability Of keeping the con.
victs within the walls Of the peniten-
tiary. 1t is certain, however, that
whether the guards are stationed at
the watchtowers around its precincts
or whether they are placed around a
camp in the open field, the rule las
always been, so we are told, that
after the guards have summoned to
halt any prisoner attempting to es.
cape, it is then made the duty Of such
guards to shoot them down.
Certainly, this is rule that shocks
the kindly feelings OF ones heart
However cruel this may be, thost
who are appointed by the State to SCI
to the enforcement Of a sentence tt
hard labor, as the penalty for the
great wrongs perpetratcd against So
ciety, must choose between letting
the prisoner escape punishment ant
re-entcr it scot-free else they mus
hold the convict through the fear tina
! his very life is llazarded in a run TO
freedom.
The annals Of the penitentiary re
veal tho fact that many guards hav
been assaulted and killed BY convict
in their attempts to flee. There ar
widows and orphans in Baton Roug
} of guards whose lives were taken IN
3 der such circumstances.
How, then, can the sentence I'M
: posed OH felons be carried out owe
8 beings convicted Of attacking tn
i property or the lives Of their fello'
men.
4 We remember distinctly that Will
f a prisoner of war, though guilty Of n
+ other oftense than that Of servln
E our State as a soldier, while c0nfine
in stockade on Norris Island, OF
= posite Charleston, Il rope had bee
f stretched around the prisoners cam
!. to mark the line of 1emarkation,
which and beyond, we were to /
r. shot down, without summons, by Il
guards stationed on the parapet; am
!. on one occasion, in the presence OF Il
). lieutenant Of the guard, while q lot
" prisoners had incautiously approach
ed the rope to purchase some articl
~ from a suffers wagon, the sAtin
70 fired among the crowd, fortunate
D. without effect. In answer to the n
Ia tests Of the prisoners, the officer 4
~ piled: "You all know the rule;
i. your fault if you have violated
" the sentinel has only carried out
to Instructions" Yet, the prisoners We
Of making no attempt to escape.
to 1t may be held that such rule "
nj q hcartless one. Still, it was impos
he upon six hundred Confederate Office
ts. and gentlemen.
r. The rule for the violation Of viii