The Indianapolis journal., 1884-12-11
THE MIGNoEIqTB MURD4RERs.


The extreme penalty pronounced against
the survivors of the wrecked yacht Mignou-
cite WILL doubtless, cause great surprise on
this side of the Atlantic. The infeXible i'm
partiality with which justice is administered
in England is hard to understand in America.
So much stress is pat on e1tenuating circum-
stances here, and sympathy goes With the ac-
cused, so that apology is sought for the release
of criminals or the mitigation Of penalties.
The murder-for murder it was--of the boy
Parker was committed under such peculiar
circumstances and such stress Of apparent
necessity, that it would be an easy matter for
an American court to have found cause for
justification, while the. average jury would
probably not have been content short of set
ting them up as heroes Without reference
to the justification of the killing of one of the
men in the ill-starred Greedy expedition and
the cannibalism that was resorted to by the
survivors, the American public tacitly but
promptly acquitted those who came back, the
general feeling being that they had paid
even a greater penalty than could be put upon
them by law.
English courts however and English juries
presumably, are less sympathetic, and as a re-
suit have higher respect for the law and its
enforcement When the survivors of the Mig
nonette were arraigned, and it was shown by
their own confession that they had taken the
life of the boy, the prosecution was on the
charge of murder, and of murder they were
found guilty. The plea of necessity was held
to be insufficient. The lad who was killed
had as much right to live as had his execu-
TONERS. In other words, they had no more
right to kill him to save themselves than he
had to kill them. If it were made q question
of expediency, it could probably be shown
that of all those cast away the most valuable
youngest and with the prospect of longer life
than either of his sefappointed executioners.
Cannibalism is so revolving that it is quite
certain that no man will resort to it ex-
cept when confronted with actual
starvation, under which circumstances it has
always been regarded as justifable, the vic
Tins of such terrible necessity being generally
regarded with pity rather than condemnation
But the Mignonette survivors added crime to
their misfortunes. The terrible alternative of
waiting until one should die was yet before
them; but unwilling to abide by the lottery
of fate, they selfshly took the life of the boy,
and were undoubtedly guilty Of murder in
that act.
The measure of punishment meted to them
by the judge is undoubtedly excessive for
while, indeed, they did commit deliberate
murder it was under peculiar and to some
degree, extenuating circumstances. This
should have had weight, if not in influencing
the verdict at least in winning for them a
mitigation Of the sentence, and the indica-
tions are that it will. To hang these men
would be to put them on par with the man
who murders for money or for revenge. The
omission of the black cap served as dis
tinction between the two cases. Now how
ever, that the law has been vindicated aud
the stigma of crime has been put upon the
men, it is quite probable that royal interfer-
ence will come to their relief.