Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-08-18
FLORIDA.

JU-IUU
August came in rather warm.
Sea-island cotton is ripening.
Snakes are scarce in Marion county.
We have some specimens of the
"boss" grasshopper. One makes a very
. respectable meal for a kitten.
Ferd Jet is happy. The alligator
that he killed measured eight feet and
two inches.
Some member of our reading club
will be asked to prepare a paper on
the best method of discriminating the
roach. Suggestions from outsiders
accepted
Florida chamelions are very nuner
Gus. They are harmless species o:
Lizards; still the sensation is not
pleasant, when one, becoming too IA
miliar, takes a position on your shoul-
der, and when you strike at him, runs
under your collar and down your
back Ee- .sE I
At the last meeting OF the Stephens
Debating Club, the following officers
We're elected L. NJ Aver, NJ. d.,
President f. p. TURNKEY. V. P; Ed.
Eaglelost and J. II. TURNKEY, Sec'tys.
Lines are first cousins TO lemons;
they are smaller than the latter fruit
and very prolific. Many prefer the
ade made from them to the best Sicily
lemonade. In making ade from LINES
the fruit must be peeled.
The verdict in the Polk case, as seen
from Il Florida standpoint, is just. 1t
Is a verslict that should be carried out
There is sickly sentimentality which
not only excuses. the crimes Of crimi-
mails in high life, but covering up their
guilt, would leave them rs heroes The
Polk case, in some respects, has shown
the weakness and insulliciency of en-
acted law, and revealed many OF the
loop-holes through which those, whose
guilt no one denies, can escape from
punishment. 1t is strange twisting
and turning OF statutes that will enable
even an astute lawyer to argue that
while "the facts are destructive to the
prisoner" the law is with him"l The
facts say the man is defaulter; the |
law says-"well done, thou good and |
faithful servant II is time that
Tennessee was having laws, so ex-
pressed, that no LAWYER would be cum
ming enough to so turn them as to
justify the defaulter that is within her
territories Again a demoralizing |
false sympathy appears in the endeavor
to make the great defaulter mentally |
wrong" The truth is, it is not so
much 4 case of mind as of morals. |
There is no doubt about his being |
morally wrong According to a cor |
respondent of the CD, the evidence |
of his mental weakness" is, This ac- |
tlons during and since the trial. He |
seems to have lost all interest in every |
thing, and it is sometimes with diff
Guilty that his friends can attract his !
attention" The case properly stated |
would be, that man, carrying such a
load of guilt, knowing that his acquit
tai would be an outrage on the people |
OF his state; impressed with the eter-
nal iniamy he had heaped upon an
honored name; conscience stricken |
because of trust betrayed knowing |
that Independent of the verdict he |
was doomed, would not only be taken
up with the cogitations of his own
mind, but would not be overly anx-
iOus to receive attention from the |
friends whom he had wronged
Our great curse Ofo the present day |
is the gloritication of crime, the hero
izing of defaulters, the neutralizmg OF
criminal law. The safety of the coun-
try demands the punishment OF all
criminals concerning whose guilt |
there is no doubt. Justice should
stand rs impartially at the mansion
of the rich rs at the cottage of the
poor; be us ready to punish the learn
ed us to condemn the ignorant. We
all should pity Polk; should pity his
friends; but neither Judge nor jury
should for their pity falter.
Yours truly,
J. NJ. 5.
Lake Weir, Fla, Aug. 6, 1888.