Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-30
Delicacy about Hanging WOmen-A
Correction,


In many quarters there is q growing
to infict capital punish
ment upon women. There is something
decidedly illogical in this, but the great
masculine heart is determined to yield to
sentiment at all hazards. Where a
woman unsexes herself and yields to
brutal instincts, common sense would
suggest that she ought TO be treated pre-
cisely like man under similar circum-
stances. As the things stands now, a
woman can murder the male biped with
perfect impunity, and the stronger sex
will stand, hat in hand, almost apologizing
for any inconvenience she may suffer
through an observance of the forms OF
the law.
There is a struggle going on in
Pennsylvania just now to save Mrs.
Whiteling from the gallows. The New
York World, of the Goth instant says
A great effort is being made in Penn.
sylvania to prevent the execution OF
Mrs. Whiteling, the woman who poi
soned her husband and two children. 1t
is said that no woman has ever been
hanged in the keystone State, and senti-
mentallists are putting forth strong exer-
tions to save the life of Mrs. Whiteling.
The Peace Society and other organiza-
tions are actively at work in her behalf.
The Board of Pardons has refused to
interfere in her favor, and the whole
weight of the movement of ber friends is
thrown upon Governor Beaver.
The World is mistaken in the state
ment that no woman has ever been
hanged in Pennsylvania. In 1869 oi
1870 the notorious Mrs. Grinder, who
after her conviction of murder fol
which she had been arraigned, confessed
to having poisoned twen:y-one per
sons, was hanged in the County Jail a
Pittsburgh. Probably since the celebrated
Lucrezia Borgia there has been no such
wholesale poisoner as Mrs. Grinder
She was not impelled to her murders by
any feeling of enmity toward her vic
Tins. She simply liked to see people
die. She told the story of one of her vic
tins, who was particularly strong anC
healthy farm hand, and quite handsome
withal. His extreme vigor was being
discussed, and she thought it would bt
nice to see him dead. She poisoned hin
and looked upon his dead body the mex
day. Strange to say great efforts wer'
made to save the life of this inhumai
monster.
A curious thing about this wholesale
murderess was that when she was exc
cuted her hair was clipped short to sdmi
of the easier adjustment of the moose
Her body was procured by Pittsburgh
undertaken, who embalmed it and KEEP
it for years in his cellar, where it wa
frequently inspected by the curious. Ii
a short time very luxurious growth o
hair was noticed, and it kept on growing
until it was several times the length o
the corpse.
/ Why an effort should be made to sav,
such monsters from the penalty of thei
crimes puzzles normally constituted peo
pie. When woman sacrifices her Sc,
and imbrutes herself, she ought to lose ,on
J would think, the interest which properl
attaches the weak and helpless. The cas-
of this Whiteling woman is made th
more atrocious by the poisoning of he
own offspring. Mawkish sentimentalit
attains pretty pass when unnatural ant
infamous crimes create an active sym
pathy. A poisoner, in especial, on
would think, ought to be ruled out of al
chance of exciting the interest of peopl
who have any pretension whatsoever t
good sense.