The Dawson journal. (Dawson, Ga.) 1878-18??, 1883-01-25
large enough to cover all his sins

A"'O nhoWA PERSONS, VINO nave
clamored for summary justice
when a crime was first committed
sign petitions to release the
criminal after his conviction. and
Jurors, both grand and petit, have
beensgujlty of the same inconsist-
ency. A case iii point just occurs
to me: A few years since worth
less fellow, while coming out of d
circue,cut negroes throat 70
whistling near him. The regr,
died; the fellow was arrested, a
true bill was found-I think for
murder-the case Was tried tie
prisoner convicted and sent to the
Penitentiary. A petition, numer-
ously signed, r.headeda5y nearly all
the grand jury who found the bill.
and the trial jury who convicted
him. was presented to the Cover
nor, who pardoned him. IL 1 mis-
take not he has since been in iail
charged with crime. What o con
mentary upon the execution of our
criminal lawsl All these "numer-
ously signed petitions" are of lit
tie weight with me against the 70
jurymen who, for days, patiently
heard the facts, as drawn out from
the witnesses, by able counsel,
closely watched by equally able
counsel, with an able Judge to ex-
plain the law. Then, after all
that could be said or done in the
court room, that jury retired t.
their own room and in the solitude
OF that room, with all the facts
before them, under oath to find a
true verdict according to law and
the evidence before them, with all
their leaning to mercy unanimous
ly declared the prisoner guilty of
the crime charged against him.
Justice is painted blind-a pair
of scales in the left hand holds a
naked sword.-and what Justice
demands the sword must execute!
While others may indulge their
pity the executive may not.
Justice demands her own and
to defeat its claims is to endanger
every peaceful citizen of his rights.
The convicted criminal
May be pited, must not be forgiven,
Compositions human pardon rest with
Heaven"
Every unpunished crime is
wrong done to society and tends
to weaken our respect for the law.
So difficult is it to obtain q con
viction for crime in the court
house, and when conviction is
obtained, SO successfully has exc
cutive clemency been appealed to,
that peaceful citizens almost dis
pair of justice for crime-especi-
ally for murder-anl / think one
who commits murder is in less
danger of punishment than one
who commits O simple larceny,
our liniency to criminals is wei
described by Canon Farrar in a re-
cent sermon when he says: "Our
very mercy has degenerated into
such mawkish and pulling senti-
mentality that we have no longer
the nerve to put down revolving
wickedness by the infection of
wholesome pain. Every rough
must eat heartily and lie softly;
every tramp and idle beggar must
be enabled to prey upon his neigh
bors; every loafing drunlard must
be supported by meal tickets III
stead of being made to earn an
honest living. The shield of the
law must be thrown over the muir
murs Of the house-br eaker. The
genius of tie advocate must BE-
thrown over the offense of the as
sassin."
Another Of your reasons for the
pardoning of Cox is that there ex-
sted in the minds of eminent
lawyers, jurists and others, doubts
rs to the grade" of the crime for
which he was tried, and that in the
main you conceded with them. |
shall not for one moment contest
a law point with you or any other
distinguished jurist, but | will
say that to q common mind it
seems most strange that great
crime must 60 UNPUBLISHED because
the grade Of that crime cannot be
unanimously determined. That
there was a killing none doubts or
denies, that Cox did that killing,