The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-12-15
CAPITAL. PUNISHMENT.
Shall II he Abolished From the
Laws of Our Country

Whose sheddeth mans blood, bymar
shall his blood be shed.
For IN the image OF Ood mace NJ
man.
These are the words ascrlDed 10 tht
DEITY, by the writer OF the book OF Gene
sis, who, 1t is generally supposed was
the great law glver Moses, but behold q
greater than Moses is here, and says
"fc have heard that 1t hath been SAD
an eye tor an eye, ana tooth ior d
tooth, but say unto you, love you'
enemies. whatsoever ye would that
men should 40 unto you, even 90 ye Sc
unto them.
Christian irlends' mere seems 10 DC
| conflict otauthority. Moses says VINO
SO sheddeth man Dlood by man shail MS
Dlood be shed. NhrlSt says ye nave
heard 1t SAID an eye Tor an eye put
say love your enemies ms diScfep'
ancy, II 1t exists we may surely pe.ieVe
VIII DC imaue pam 10 us Whcii our Hhile
MINDS become more near 10 lhat OF INC
| nniiite one VINO ihspireu tue WOrus o,
Moses out surrey pcnu'rS lnat o!eSsTG
conSummatlon IL sutllces thi'L we Snoulu
ASK whlch Is the Sreater' "ll'Gh ol Inc
two are we christians most oouno TO
oDey'
Marx you however that we say, ~, a
connect OF authority seems TO exist we
10 10 ilot ackiloWlcuSelhIl suei! - lne e"s''
OpscrIe the reason give" III "''''"'S,
TOT III !l'e i'''Ise " "ou' ti'tu' III I'''''''
IAN we justly "e'l'!T !S, '""' 1t Is III "eNu' u
win the GlVine VIII as mere .eNp'rsseu'
that the Sherlii under authority OF Tue
law SnouIo de'aCe ana ueStr"y tie ln'"SG
OF Eod, as 1t eNiStS' however plurreu ail',
deiaced' III inc person ol the convicted
I'uruerer: we hl'S'' s"lc!E SNT l,''S "
reasonable DOUBT even II we h'u u"
h'Eher authority 10 support INC uouo' ,
Iut suCn "esurely nave 10 cur 'l's''",, ~
tue Two coil'na'iuS Oh WHICH n'"S an
tHe law anu Ine PoPiC.s' "'e 'oNT "
Nou' ana loVe 10 our ie'ioW 'lleH' i|oEe
10 man. we may larry say because te Is
maze Ill the image OF '"u'
Men mlnds are changing on thlS as
on many other SUBJECTS. ne crueltles
whlch past ages viewed WITH Co"ipiai-
Sance' "Tulq not now lot one Iilo"'e'it oe
tolerated. Just SO untll recently II WAS
rare thing to hnd man wiling 10 OPP
pose the doctrine Oh Calhtal pt'uiSi'ii'Gnt; q /;
Now there is scarcely a jury impanelled
IN capital case, but that we near inc
remark. MI - is opposed 10 caPiIa
punishment therefore we may expect a
mlstrlal'
A few years ago executions were zone
IN public the argument heing that tne
horrors OF the scene would prevent tne
recurrence OF crime; now II IS unlNcrsalIE
acknowledged that such scene is not
Denehcial, Dut terrioly Drutaii|'lS u Inc
ordinary behoIder. ne law Is executed
III private, as thouSh II were ltSelI
ashamed OF its act. =,
Formerly men ana women Sloaeeu
over the bloody Euiilotine OF FRANCS or
the equally beaStIy decaPltatl"nS OF Eng
land. How. great the change OF to-day
when one OF our states at enormous eN-
penSe, substitutes electriClly ior lhe nor
rlDle natter aslt TOOK tne place oi the
more horrible axe IN oTder that crllill-
laIS may DC put I" ueath without pam
surely ttlS iilu'cateS So uee'ueu " eii"t'Se
III PuDl'c oP'nioh' tnat sonie now hEl''S
may nope tosee caPItdi punishment ""ol-
ISheu.
AT present perhaps the expression OF
TINS nope may DC Ill advance Oh PupIi[
OPINION. we DelleVe, however, that u
every CHRISTIAN man IN ASneViIie VIII
aVail hinlSeil ol Wnat " us nds peeii
H.; a,lI' ' ,,,'U g. ,,,aaI. Ln si;i i,
~ .I''' ,:.:.. t,'t "9 Iii ,',.'I,. La,.a
,,,,.,,,,Iti,; ,;o., j., .La r,oI;,,nor end
So.nN ':.I,a i., ~ Wv Lan,t
us ''.,I .n'i "N'""' wa
'",' S"'' 'I I ,;,.,,., r,, ,,,l,o ,,,os
nds ' w.. 'cu ca e. h;s nn'r ;r,o,ro " ;S
,T,a IL wv ,,,1,s 'S ,,o n"m ,,,dnr i,, tlo -
49, nf h,o;,, ,,,h;,e" he
..sLnJ ,a,,,a ft LIaoI :" fha S,,nrn,,,, c,,,,rt
Ill. a"t, l,;o L;,,,- IL. ;s 49,, ~,
,'ns. e ,,'s;i,i, @ Co.. I ha,.;,Io r,,nG,
usN ~ 20 ;, Va ;Lani5 ,',I,
-. - 1,a;,I, a,,a,. ,,,,'l,.,
orrselveS ,irresnonsihle ," Are we nor
tu certain extent responsible for the
condition in which this moor creature is
found to-dav2 Do NOT ynur hearts bleed
nc Won look unon his diseased form The
kind nhvsicion is mirist erinp tn his bod
,Iv ;nfrm;t;es to what nuTnose2 That
his life NAV Inc proIonged until the day
of his execution, The PRAYER comes in
Voluntarily, irresistiblv from our heart
MAY God so direct this mans ailments
that his death from natural causes may
save the State from the crime of his legal
murder"
We repeat. that we believe that public
sentiment is becominp onnosed tocanital
punishment and the sooner thisis recop-
nizcd, the more sure will be the conviction
of criminals. How often is it urged,
truly, at is better that one hundred
guilty men should escape, than that one
innocent man should perish ?" We all
acknowledge this, and therefore, men
whom we know to be guilty escape, be-
cause a conscientious Juror has reason
able doubt, which he is right in Straining
to the utmost to save the lille OF human
being.
Ifthe law was that i'll all cases now