New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-02
TEN TINES REsPTTED.

The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has just
saved from the gallowS two persons condemned
to death for murder, under circumstances Of pc
culiar interest. In each case the sentence was
committed to ono Of imprisonment for life, and
in each the history Of the crime seems 10 raise
at least a presumption that even this penalty
Is greater than natural justice would dictate,
whatever may be the legal difficulties involved.
The first case, which is remarkable in the an
nails of criminal jurisprudence, is that Of
negro, who has been during the last three years
eleven times under sentence OF death, and re-
Spted ten times to whom the death warrant
has been read at least three times, and for whom
the gallows was once erected. The meaning OF
all this Is that one person after another became
convinced Of his innocence, and q long fight
was kept mp to save him. He was about to be
executed Last year at the time of the great biz
zard, and the lawyers who were setting of for
Harrisburg to urge a respite were snow-block-
AIDED in Philadelphia. 1t looked for time as
IL the storm would hang him, but they made
their way through with only a few hours to
spare and won him new chance for life.
The crime was the murder in November,
1886, of kindly old Quaker, John Sharpless,
living in Delaware County, who was lured tn his
barn with a story about traveller in distress
who had met with an accident The search for
the murderer aroused intense public interest.
Nearly fifty colored men were arrested at differ
emit times in Philadelphia alone. Several months
afterward Samuel johnson was arrested, and
convicted mainly on the evidence of one Pritch-
ard, q professional all-around criminal. Then
~ TIM giDOnlar auigOdpg nf this
interesting case, The rewards offered were
large, and the police officers quaTelled. c. 0.
Beasey appeared as counsel for one OF the.
claimants careful examination of the evil
dence convinced him that Johnson was not
guilty, and from purely humane impulse
which does him great credit he took up the
cause of the friendless negro and fought 1t
along for years, securing repeated resplteS' and
finally this communication Of the sentence In
these efforts Mr.. Bcasley had tho sympathy OF
a number Of prominent citizens. but he haA
served throughout without reward The ac-
count of the case as given in the newspapers,
would indicate that the proof against Johnson
was far from convincing, but the Board Of
Pardons evidently did not feel justified in doing
more than to commute 10 imprisonment for life.
The other case involved strong prcsump-
ton of temporary insanity, though neither tho
court nor the Board acted upon it, The Grim
inal in this instance was woman who seems
to have been driven to desperation By the bru-
tally Of her husband. She was twelve years
his senior and chronic invalid. He regarded
her as q burden, and told her so. and finally
announced the day on which he should leave
her. She is believed TO have loved him fCndly.
She was unable 10 work. and anxiety a. to her
future undoubtedly helped TO prey upon her
mind. She killed him with q razor the last
night they were 10 live together and then at
tempted her own life the manner OF doing
this, az well az the acts themselves. when taken
together, suggesting a disOrd@red intellect. The
authorities practically approved the commuta-
ton, but there would seem 10 be good deal
more law than justice even in the life sentence
We complain much OF the laws delay in deal
ing with criminals, and there is much to com
plain Of But IL has at least one good feature
il sometimes saves innocent persons, or those
whose full guilt il not clearly established, from
the gallows There Is boast in England that
a murdcrer's body is likely to he in quck-imc
a fortnight after the crime, but they sometimes
come to suspect that the body in the quick-limc
is the wrong one.