Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-03-13

1853 -
But the exigencies of the opposition To thi.
bill have seemed TO demand that the Bible
should be denounced as a relic of barbarism
and the creates, characters of Holy Writ re-
viled as freebootcrs. The Ten Command
meDts are remanded TO the myths of prehis.
toric time, and the greatest prophet of Israel
| Is disposed of as THAT old fIlibuster Moses.
, | expected to hear 4 rebuke of this desecra-
ton from that member of the opposition,
whose province il is sometimes to interpret
Scripture from the sacred altar. In order to
defeat this bill is it necessary that you should
trampie on all that is grand in divine history
and sacred in human thought: | believe in
the divine origin of the Ten Commandments,
and do not readily consent that they be
wrenched thus ruthlessly from their connec-
tion with the thunder and flame of the sacred
mountain. ''Fhou shalt not kill'' was a
| primal law of God, and ''at the hand of every
mans brother will | require the blood Of
man was no less the primal penalty for the
protection of human life against malice, re-
venge and passion and for the preservation of
the race. 1t has become fashion with some
minds to belittle and revile the sacred Scrip
lures | turn to its pages and get much more
OF sound political philosophy and wisdom in
single sentence than is found in many
speeches on this floor. Because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily.
therefore the hearts of the sons of men are
fully set within them to do evils an utter
ance of moral and political ethics that the
legislature of Maine may well profit BY in
dealing with crime.
But the most startling and conclusive ar.
gument for this bull is found in the evidence
produced in this debate that at least four of
the most atrocious murders of the last three
years have been committed by men who first
weighed the penalty.
Mr. Powers Of Houlton-W the gentle
man from Rockland inform the House what
proof there is that any murderer weighed the
penalty before committing the deed?
Mr.. Hail. will answer the gentleman to
his entire satisfaction. 1t has been shown
that Lowe, after numbering his brother in the
night ry a cowardly blow, to gratitv his
malice, confessed the crime and at the same
time stated that he wanted a home at the
State Prison; that the miscreant of Weeks
Mills said when found out-''You can't hang
me-"
Mr.. Robinson of Read6eI1-Merrill, it is
said, did make that remark but not until after
he was arrested.
Mr.. Ha!l-Of course he didn't. Would
ANYBODY Suppose he would make it before?
Mr.. Heath of Augusta wish to say in
regard to Merrill that he did make that re-
mark. And know f.om the makeup of the
man. from his stolid and british disposition
that Imprisonment is no punishment for him.
MIR. Hall-These are two instances. An
other is that of Smith who went out ten miles
from Rockland in the night, with pistol in
hand, to slaughter his wife and child and
wife's mother. His cringing and cowardly
soul would have shrunk and trembled at the
thought of the gallows, and | believe the
death penalty would have stayed his murder
Gus hand. When arrested he said, "You can
only put me in prison." But there is yet an
other instance, that of Scribner. Mr.. Hall
here produced and read from a copy of the
stenographer's minutes of testimony taken at
the trial, wherein it was shown that Just be-
fore the double mIrder committed BY him,
Scribner, in conversation, said that if he
should kill his brother when he was threshing,
the penalty would be "only Imprisonment for
life"
With this startling evidence that the mis-
creants who contemplate murder, weigh the
penalty-that those who have murdered in
the last two wears weighed it, and that their
diabolical acts were Influenced by it,-can we
hesitate for moment to place between inno-
b,t2 Shall s,;lI otber I,vas ha sa,.,;6nad h.,
our exnerimen, of do;no w;,hou, Tho dos Il,
penalty to CRAFTY morbid and mawkish sem
timenfp
This ,uas,;on forco. i,s.ls r,o, ,,,. mi,
science II commando mo 90 ln,v I,.nnn,
.vn;d 7 500 NM, S,a,. wh;oh g.. -, a"u.
onioved comn.r.,ive ;rn,,,;,, fr..n, 5aads os
violence becom;no consn;cnnv. Gov cr;,nas "f
nameless enorm;,y see her fair fame AGAIN
and again stained with blood 7 ro.d of
crimes too revolt,np for r.be.rs,l of n;ne,oan
bloody murders in tbroo yo.rs - a sand;sh
pess r;v.Iinc tho d,els of ,h,. Thnns &C r..
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