The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-03-17
WAS KAMPP lsESpOSslBl,E2

WAS KAMpP REspONSlBLE2
The Spiritual Adviser OF tho slan Recent,
Hanged ut Charleston Says Ito Was No
Legally Hanged.
To ne Editor " nc ldieiigencer. t
sln:--You said In your paper Of til,
S.h inst: g.'
There has never been my doubt as 10 tho gull
Of the nun fnnph hanged In Charlrsiou yestcr
1ay. lle dcliGeintcly hacked TO pieces Two o
his ch'ldtcil; Tho question OF his sanity wa
faheu, hlit there was not enough In II 10 say,
his meek. Governor Fleming did exactly rIgh
not 10 inicficrc. 'N~'' ''A"
To mo this sounds go provokinpiy pos
tive TINT l cannot reirain from Gskin,
you what opportunities you have Ind O.
showing anything concerning Felix
ka'npf. Please allow me TO assert, on
the contrary, that from tho beginning
there was aud tad been, and Is now, a
urn conviction among our best citizens
that Felix kampf waB not guilty OF muir.
der In the degree meant by tho law,
when 1t DEGREES capital punishment. liz
was not thus guilty, first, because his
mind was defective. DR.. Cotton, DR.,
Ewing, Dr.. ffoGue, Mrs. James NJ. Payne,
Mr. l.. A. Martin, Mr.. WIN. McCorkle,
Mr. John Slack, sr., Mr.. Henry W. Rey.
holds, and number Of other intelligent
citizens who had known Kampf for years,
had had him in their employ, had cou.
verscd with him and observed his con.
duct, arc Of opinion that he was not per.
tectly sound Of mind. My own oppor.
families for studying him were probably
better than those Of the gentlumeut men.
toned. From tho dny after my arrival
in Charleston, in 1856. | had been nc.
quainted with him. His rude. cultural
idiom was familiar TO me. I hal often
met him ana held short conversations
with him. From the day OF his sentence
10 death cav him two or three hours
every week. During the last week Of
his life | cav him every day. With u
view 10 observing the capacity Of his in
tellect and measuring the degree Of his
moral accountability, | prompted him
to talk upon many different topics. For
hours after my interviews with him
thought over his conversations and rea-
soned with myself upon them. Now,
Mr.. Editor, I want TO be on modest man
and l want 10 lay no claim to expert
knowledge on the subject OF mental dis
ease, but I hesitate not onet instant to
declare that after such opportunities OF
studying man, l nm capable OF know
ing whether he is u simpleton or not.
Felix kanipf was not a lunatic, but he
was simpleton. II you will look in
Wharton's Treatisei on Homicide, page
554. you will sce'him described, and YOU
will see also what should have been
done with him. When went with Mr..
James NJ. Payne to Governor Fleming
to ask him to commute the death zen.
tence to life imprisonment, ! was con-
WINGED that the Communication would be
only just, first, because the man was not
{ally accountable. Secondly, because
his act had not beea premeditated, but
had taken place in ecuflle in the hea.
Of violent passion.
Felix kampf was no. euilty go as to de-
serve death because, in the second place,
his deed had not,been premeditated. That
flashes OF Temptation to do something OF
the kind may have come into his queer
brain several times and that he may
have expressed them in words, is posi-
bic. lido not know that he really had
these, but l can see that he may have
had them. His chagrin ut his daugh-
ter's bad behavior had lasted for months.
But OF continued, cool generalization
OF the crime l believe he was incapable.
You are wrong, then, when yon say that
he deliberately hacked his children to
pieces. Had the boy not inteeiered in
The scullls between him and the girl, he
would not have injured the boy. This
nobody doubts, He had no intention
either OF injuring the girl It'll she reused
his gigantic rage by her language and
threatening demonstrations. When a
man is on the eve OF his death he eau
have no motive for histrionic role. On
the evening before Kampfs execution,
l was with him in the corridor of the
second floor OF the jail. The deepest
dependency / had yet Witnessed was
on him then. He was an object to excite
pity. He paced the floor, moving bis
hands up and down passionately, while
tears rolled down his face. Among
other things, he said in tone OF despair:
"Who wonld have thought when | left
my cabin that morning to 20 to my work,
that the day would end rs it did p This
does not go TO prove that his deed was,
premeditated. -7lF ta6 i,r7;1T I
I shall never be satisfied that Cover.
nor Fleming was right in no. interfering.
l shall always believe that tho Governor
allowed human life to 20 by default.
There are instances, und consider this
one Of them, in which, alter all formal
tiles OF law have been scrupulously CON-
piled with, legal justice is simply an
atrocity. There is higher law Of
humanity that should override it. .4
Felix kampf had been fairly tried,
but the jury knew nothing Of him be-
GAUGE his counsel knew nothing OF him.
The evidence that should have modified
his sentence was shut up in, his own
darksomc head and he had no speech
in. which to give it. He was u iorsaken
being. His own countrymen' felt dis
eracud by his deed aud left him to his
fate. lie had no money; lie had no
English, and worse yet, he had no
brain. Public opinion wanted him con-
demned. Justice was in spasm, be-
cause criminals had been egcaping pun
ishment Tor years. Here was one who
apparently was IN atrocious criminal.
This was the situation. Felix Kampf
fell m easy victim. He made his peace
with God, however, aud ascended the
scanold gaily but without brayado, the
only bright ray that breaks into the
dark ecene. JosEpH W. SrENGER. s
Charleston, ". ra., 1890. f5s