Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-06-03
GALLoWs LITERATURE.

The Territorial Enterprise indorses our
demand for the suppression of gallows
literature, and the blotting out of the con-
victed murderer from public view and
mention, by his complete seclusion and an
execution in such privacy that only the
record can be published, Z" Number Thirty
was hanged Yesterday" Referring to the
San Francisco Chronicles spasm of indig-
nation over Majors deathbed piety, and
It's suggestion to exclude the clergy here
after from the prison cells of the con
demned, the Enterprise says
Better. in our judgment exclude the report
cTS from not only the prison cells but from the
gallows upon which murdcreTs are made to cX-
plate their crimes The wretched twaddlc of
red handed assasSinS about their conversion and
translation to everlasting glory would never be
heard outside their Jails were II not for news
papers ike the Chronicle and its contemporaries
treating the last hours of condemned criminals
as affair of tremendous public concern. On
the day following the execution of the Los GatOs
murderer at Oakland the San Francisco jour
mails surrendered nearly their entire space to
disgusting recital, down to the mlnuteSt detail,
OF every incident connected with the hanglnanS
work The reporters assigned to the duty OF
from life seemed TO engage in lOathSOme lit
crary contest to decide which of them could
most wildly call up i'll the readers mind the re
pulsive scenes attending the Judicial strangling
of a wretched felun. His appetite. his clothing
his last sleep. his theological views, his CHASTITY
iOkCS-iu fact the most frivolous incident of Il
personal chuUCtCr-werc related, together with
"a lot of maudlin scntimcniality originating in
the reporters inner consciousness which is in
terjected into the dTcary recital If any moral
effect is % be expected from the policy OF hay
tod f4rft -rf a. an
tirely destroyed by the long drawn out scnsa-
tional reports published after the event.
There would seem to be no reason why
reform in this matter should not be insti-
tuted on the assembling of the next Legs
Iaturc. 1t is a very simple matter per
fe,1ly constitutional, and warranted 10y the
example of other countries to provide that
the convicted murderer shall be inacce,si-
bic to all but his immediate relatives; a.,
wife and children, his counsel and his
clergyman, and these in common with the
prison officials, should be liable TO punish
ment for acting as mediums for communi-
eating to the outside world any sensational
facts relative to the condemned. The
prisoner should he given no opportunity to
pose tragically, or to play the role Of
martyr, or to aesail the Court that tried
him, except by the regular methods Of APP
peal. If We are 10 make murder detcst-
able, and murdcrcrs Infamous, We must
punish for the crime promptly and with
certainty, and afford no opportunity what
ever to the murderer to defeat the very
end and aim Of punishment. OF course the
license Of the pres, must he rebuked by
affirmative statutory provisions, and the
publishing of sensational accounts be rem
dered impossible by commanding the Off
GERS Of the law to close all avenues of
information.