The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-18
O'DONNELL.

Now that Great Britain has pur.
sued the even tenor of her way il
the case of O'Donnell and presumed
to administer the law in regard tt
murder as she is in the habit Of
doing whenever her officers capture
murderer, a considerable element
in America will fall to and with in
creased vehemeDce denounce the
British government as ripe fol-
dynamite destruction. A good deal
of stress has been laid On the cir
cumstance that O'Donnell was an
American citizen, and that fact has
been brought forward prominently
as something that should make this
nation interfere in his behalf. This
is right, but the United States
interference should 60 no
farther than to see that
the prisoner had fair trial.
not according to the laws of this
country, nor by a jury of his coun>
trynen, but according to the laws
of Great Britain and by a British
jury. America did so much, and
now the matter ought to drop, and
1t probably will drop soon. so far as
the two governments are concerned,
each being satisfied that it has done
its duty to all parties interested.
Why certain persons in this coun.
try are making so much fuss over
the affair, is not because O'Donnell
was an American ciJiZen. That cir
cumstance only gives them some
thing upon which to base their talk.
The real interest in him, lies in the
fact that he is regarded as
an Irish patriot. If he
had never seen America the anti
British element here would have
been just as anxious to prevent his
execution. In their eyes his crime
was a deed to be lauded and he
hero rather than a murderer. In the
eyes of British law the exact reverse
is the case. It does not matter that
Carey, the informer, was depraved
wretch, worthy only the execration
of men; the law could not take into
account Carey's character, and en-
ploy his cowardiee, ingrstitude and
innate "cussedness" to mitigate
O'Donnell's punishment. All the
law could do in the premises was to
ascertain if O'Donnell slew Carey.
and if so, whether Or not the
deed was done unlawfully. The
law seems to have done all this
when there was nothing left for it
to do except to infict the punish
ment provided for those guilty of the
crime of murder. That jsutice was
not mistaken in decreeing ODcn-
nell's death, was very clearly dem
onstrated in the prisoners conduct
when the virdict was returned and
has since been established by his |
utterances and the developments |
concerning him. In view of what has
already been brought to the surface,
it will not surprise people to learn
that O'Donnell, with the idea
and purpose of avenging his
countryman, deliberately planned
the killing of Carey that he as de
liberately executed the plan, follow
ing the miscreant half around the
globe before he found a favorable
opportunity for his bloody work.
Now the law has done its part in
the business, and those who believe
in Furnishing criminals should be
pleased, Among men of neral in
stincts, and who entertain even or
dinary ideas of patriotism and JUS
tice, Carey's death excited pleasure
rather than sorrow. He well merl-
ted his miserable fate. Probably
the only tears shed over him came
from the eyes of his near relatives.
But, as remarked, that wretch's
execrable character does not lessen
O'Donnell's crime. The latter has
simply met the fate that he sought,
and his execution will not be de-
precated by people who respect the
,aw and are interested in its literal
enforcement.