Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-10

hitherto as the country most prolific of of.
fee. seekers, and as the nation, too, where
the taking of human life was the least
thought Of But could America match
England in this scramble for the privilege
of strangling men by sanction of law? /
shall refuse to believe that she could, for
though in a matter of honor they are all
too ready with their pistol, and in their in
dignation at some forms of crime, do not
scruple to string the perpetrators to the
nearest lamp post, l cannot think that very
many of my countrymen are sufficiently
brutal to adopt the calling of a human
butcher as a means of making a living.
One of the applicants states, as his crown.
ing qualification for the 4ace, that he
-" would hang either brothers or sisters, or
anyone else related to him, without fear or
favor This wretch ought certainly to be
selected, and somebody should see to it
that his operations within his own family
began at once-upon himself. Society
would surely be better off without such
monsters as
THESE BLoOD-THIRSTY TWELVE HUNDRED
Would-be hangmen have shown them.
selves. But one paper points out that this
would like the place I" 1t used to be a
subject of melancholy wonder" observes
the Globe, "that any person could be base
enough to be willing to fill the post of
common hangmsn. OF persons who are
,viiiing to fill given post, it is rot over
estimating the case to say that, as a rule,
not one IN thousand is eager enough to
lu fpr I clu
uninvited applications have already been
sent in, we must wonder in future, not
that only one, but that million and a
quarter OF her Majesty's subjects are
willing to make living by the moose.
For charity's sake we will hope that this
estimate Is over.drawn, and meanwhile it is
satisfying to think that the office, despite
the many eager applicants, may after all
remain untitled. There is great opposition
on the part of decent people to a system
that makes one man, hardened wretch
though he may be, the slayer OF so many
of his fellow creatures, and it is by no
means unlikely that the American plan
will be adopted, the Sheriff taking the re-
sponsibiiity and summoning to his assist.
ance at the execution whoever he may
cqose. In dropping from Marwood and the
public executioner to
o'DoNNELL, THE ALLEGED MURDERER OF
CAREY,
Do not think that wish to bring the lat.
ter into disrepute, or to prefgure his final
doom. In common with many others, l
had sort of admiration for the latter
when first heard of his deed. 1t seemed
to have about it an air Of romantic cour-
age, and If the first aspect it presented had
been preserved, the perpetrator would
have taken rank as one of the most self
sacrificing of Irish patriots. But if O'Don-
nell is only crank, after ALL or if, as his
present sttitude would Indicate he hoped
to get the credit for the deed without suf-
fering it's consequences, the romance of the
affair is completely spoiled Great pre-
parations, it appears, are being made for
his defense, and a big fund is
being gathered to pay counsel.
But do the Irish Americans, who are
subscribing to this fund, know that
they might as well throw their money into |
the gutter. Are they aware of the differ |
enoe between the Courts of Justice here |
and the average criminal Court IN the land |
of their adoption? Has no one informed |
them of the way the English Judges have
of
SITTING DOWN ON COUNSEL
Who propose to have things their own
way, and of charging juries to pay no at
tention to what these gentlemen may have
said in a prisoners defense? A million
dollars provided for the defense of the
slayer of Carey would not make the differ
ence of hairs breadth in the result of
his trial. That will depend not on who
speaks for him. or how long they speak, or
what they say-but upon whether or not
it can be shown Ia evidence that he shot
MIS- man with intent to kill On, they have
4 wonderfully simple and cold blooded
way of doing things over here!
O'Donnell's career in America was
typical and quite promising one for
ong time. He began at the bottom of
he ladder and was fast climbing up, when,
LAS, he made misstep. First laborer,
hen cattle herder. than ssloouist, then
'wner of mining stock and finally bond
lolder. Such was his history in that great
country. Unfortunately, however, the
'onds held were Fenian bonds and he never
called on them. Otherwise he might ,
low have been in Congress, where, | am
ure, he would have had much easier
ime than the hsrd-hearted wardeus of
english prisons will allow him.