Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-01-02
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

isih1eHt Edcn ulHereu IN MS cDolce as 70
the mode of dying. Hanging, however, was
generally denounced as 'cold blooded muir
der" A French paper urges the adoption
of electricity as the most certain and expe-
ditious mode Of capital punishment. The
German press is advocating it also. The
horror which is associated in our minds with
the act of strangling human being has al
ways had the effect of lessening the chances
of conviction. Because, after ali it is not
the enormity of the punishment, but its GER
tainty which deters the commission of crime
The severity of hanging as punishment,
the grim terror which invests it, the
sense of mental and bodily torture it inspires
were originally designed to act as salutary
restraint in the prevention of crime Of a
capital nature, but have resulted in render
ing conviction so difficult as almost to give
to the murderer immunity for his offence
II is now in the present condition Of the
public mind surely defeating Its own end !;
hence the importance of revising our crimi-
nal law relating to this method Of execution.
1t is idle to attempt to arrest the strong ten
dency Of popular feeling or prejudice in this
matter. We may denounce the juries as
sentimentalists who refuse to bring in YER
diets of guilty. We may deplore the increase
of sensiblity and false sympathy and the
decay Of robust manliness. We may point
out TO juries with all the eloquence and logic
VIC posses that they have nothing to do with
consequences, but must be controlled by the
facts and evidence without regard to the fate
of the criminal, and yet we find that juries
are composed of men who reflect the cur
rent aspect of public sentiment, and are
sure TO be influenced in their opinion by
prevailing prejudices and theories 1t is ne
cessary, therefore, to make an effort to wisely
adjust our criminal jurisprudence to conform
to this existing prejudice to the present mode
of execution. Hanging as mode of pun
ishment originated when peoples sensibili-
ties were less acute, when men were Of ruder
impulses and less polished tastes, when pun
ishments Of all kinds were more cruel and
severe, when the theory of pure force char
acterized not only all governments but all
relations of life. But hanging now has be-
come with the growth of civilization and
the rapid spread of humanitarian doctrines
intensely repugnant and revolving to the i'm
agination of large majority of the people.
Many advocate the abolition of capital pun
ishment entirely, and though this theory is
condemned andderidcd, yet tits by no means
certain that this plan would not have the
desired effect provided whatever mode of
punishment was substituted therefor was
inflicted with never-failing certainty. II is
the hope of eluding the vengeance of the
law which makes murderers Of many. The
laws can never be effectual in restraining
crime so long as the DEGREES of justice are
loosely enforced. The temptation to COM
init crime always bears just proportion to
the opportunities Of escape. There can be
| no safety or protection to community in
the severity Of the punishment Thus, too,
with crimes Of higher order, such as strike
at the life Of sovereignty, and designated as
"high treason" In McCarthy's History of
Our Times" he says, that so long as attempts
on the life of the Queen were dealt with as
acts of treason and punished by death,
they were invested with seeming dignity
Of martyrdom TO morbid vanity or crazy
fanaticism. But as soon as public whip
ping and imprisonment were introduced the
Grimm xro 1tuacfaI Of, ts ,har t.,
nifty, and the impulse or vulgar love of
notoriety, which prompted these attempts,
received lasting quietus. It, therefore,
may be inferred, where the act of the assas-
sin does not spring from fanaticism, that
this mode of punishment is just as effect.
ual as any, as the object of killing crimi-
nal is not to avenge crime or inflict un.
necessary pain, but 70 suppress lawless-
nessand preserve the peace and security of So
ciety. Atpresent these ends are very far from
being attained. The public peace was never
SO often violated, public security endangered
nor crime so enormously on the increase
If it were made positively certain that a
person who committed murder to-day would
be tried tomorrow and shot the next day,
this would strike terror to the criminal class
es. But why is this not true of hanging
So would 1t be with electricity, If not vigor-
ously administered. We have seen that
when the punishment is one which excites
general terror or false philanthropy, juries
hesitate and judges are complacent. The
philosophy of the question resolves itself
into the necessity Of making our penal laws
accord with public sentiment, so that the
punishment comes upon the eyil-doer with
the certainty Of fate, and celebrity that con-
centrates the indignation of outraged society
A train that started from Edinburgh 10
Dundee, Scotland, on Sunday evening last
had reached Firth of Tay, on which Dundee
Is situated, and was crossing the long bridge
that spans that broad and tempestuous Ca
tuary. tremendous gale was blowing,
and as the train Numbered over the great
portion Of the structure was broken out
by the wind and waves and the railroad
coaches were precipitated into the FIRTH
The number OF passengers in the train
is variously estimated from $50 to 200 per.
sons. II is believed that they woro nearly
all men, probably merchants and clerks.
Not soul was saved. Nothing was seen
Of the cars, but several mail bags were wash.
ed ashore four miles from the scenso Of disas.
ter. II isthought that the cars neither fioa,ed
nor were carried far from the wrecked
bridge, but that they sunk instantly At the
time of the disaster the gale was 80 furious
that steamboats, were unable TO reach the
bridge
Gen. Garfield says be is not disposed 10
conform 10 q bad custom which has pre-.
vailed al Senatorial elections in Ohio for
some time, requiring candidates for senate.
risl honoH to 90 10 Columbus. establish a
headquarters and personally solicit the votes
Of members Of the Legislature. The Gen.
eral says he shall not do this unless his
friends make him believe that his neglect "a