St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-25
THE RECENT EXECUTION.
1t Causes Rev. H. Nj. Simmons to
Preach a Powerful Sermon.

1t Causes Rev. I'll. Nj. Simmons to
Preach a Powerful Sermon.
At the First Unitarian church yester-
day morning Rev. Ii. NJ. Simmons
preached on 1.-The Lesson of Lent"
with the following interesting preface:
Many ministers will probably take the
recent execution for their text to-day,
and emphasize its warming. If murder
ers were sure to be executed, the warn
ing would be great: but, with only Ole
in twenty of them hung, the gallows
ceases to be very forcible object lesson
even in Sunday school. The true ser
mon. then, will not say much of this so
uncertain danger, but dwell on the
Surer laws that do punish every GRIM
inal, whether he is hung or not. AnX-
iety, fear. terror are Furnishing him all
the time, worse than any sheriff. The
criminal in +. E. Hale's story pictures
this perpetual punishment, and says
preachers should not say so much about
the end of the transgressor, but take
the text as it stands, The way of the
transgressor is hard" The worst tor
ture is not what the human law may
bring at the end, but what the divine
law does bring all along the way.
And the divine law not only thus
terror, but is putting to death the best
that is in him, marking his very face
with meanness and bringing on him the
contempt of his fellow men. Not the
uncertain gallowS, but these surer pun
ishments, make the true text. Indeed,
it is doubtful whether we have gained
much by the gallowS in this ease. Here
were three of the meaneSt of men MUIR
dering for few dollars-selfish and
cOwardly wretcheS, compared with
whom the Chicago anarchists. dying for
a cause, rise almost TO the dignity of
heroes. Had we a perfect criminal sys-
TEN, they might have been sent to prison
at once, to stay there till death and per-
haps do little besides to repair their
wrong. But hanging must be done
with caution, and their ease has dragged
along nearly two years. 1t is said to
have cost us some $4,000. The news
paper reports of trial and execution,
with printing and pictures, must have
cost as much more, and have
not been of very high educational
value to the community. The
criminals themselves are said to
have read the reports with Zest, and to
have greatly enjoyed the nOtoriety. For
public interest. Their vanity has been
tickled by the thought that their pho
tographs were getting into the ladies'
albums. their troubles into the ladiea'
hearts, and the salvation of their souls
was the subject of much tender female
interest. Their death was celebrated
by the gathering of a larger crowd than
gets into any church, and their funeral
by another. Judged by the depraved
criminal standard, they have really
been allowed to have quite glorious
success. Two of them have indeed
died-as everybody must-but the
meaneSt of the three has gained his Ell
tire freedom. Whether we have made
society any safer will be seen in the
criminal columns of the next six months.
My own opinion is that the only party
which will gain anything by this great
outlay of money and public interest is
the dime museum. / am not at all
sorry that two of this Infamous trio are
going to be safely buried this week; but
l hope that when the other freed one
commits his next murder he will be
buried at once in the states prison,
without such outlay of public money
and female sympathy, without so much
glory for the criminal and bad reading
for the community.