The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-05-31
Total of six years. .14.71O

| We haye no means of knowing how
far this table may be accepted as ac-
curate; but, taking 1t as approximately
correct, we find that in this country
during six years murder was legally
punished in only one case out of about
twenty-seven, while in about one case
ont OF fifteen it was revenged outside
of the law. In more than $4,000 cases
it went without capital punishment, if
it was punished at all. Perhaps many
OF these were homicides not legally
punishable by hanging ;but the number
of actualmurderers actually swung fro N
the gibbGt must have been proportion
ately small. We have only To read
the reports OF trials for murder aud of
the legal distractions pnt in the way
of the execution OF the death penalty to
sec that such is the experience in fact.
Even in Ehgland, ont of l766 cases of
| willful murder reported by coroners
during the ten years ending with 1888,
only 672 persons were brought to trial,
and OF these 373 were acquitted or
found insane.
These statistics justify the staten ent
of the late Ser9t. Parry. of England, Il
competent witness in this regard, that
"thcrC is nothing more difficult than to
obtain verdict OF gully from Jury
where the charge is murdern FIRE.
qucntly, as he said further, when an
English jury finds that il can not ease
| its conscience by bringing in verdict
OF mauslau@htcr, il lets the prisoner 90
free. On the other hand, and as OK
| planatory of the reluctance OF the juries
| we have the conclusion of Sir James
| Macintosh, a cool and careful Obser-
yer, that, taking long period of time,
one innocent man is hanged every
three years" The late Chief Baron
Kelly figured up that from 1902 to 1910
no fewer than twenty-five innocent
men were sentenced to death, and
seven OF the number actually executed.
The reason of the uncertainty of the
application of capital punishment is
therefore not hard TO find. 1t lies in
the human nature of juries; and be-
cause of it the chances of conyicting
murderers become so much less than in
cases of other crimes. Even in En-
gland, whittier we are told TO look for
more certain and swifter Justice, there
are only 10 convictions out OF 100 COM
initials Tor murder, and OF the 10 about
II on an average, are found TO be insane
In cases oi crime other than capital the
prOportionatc number OF convictions is
ScVenty.siX.
This table tells the story of the results
of the abolition or practical disuse of
capital punishment'in Europe:
BClgium-No executions since 1868
Number of murders ten years before,
92l; ten years after, 703.
Finland-No executions since 1921.
Murders extremely rare.
Holland Capital punishment abolish
ed lS7O, with decrease in murders, de-
spite Increase of population.
Switzerland d-Abolished 1874. Since
re- instated by two or three cautons.
Prussia-trom 1860 IS, out OF lSl
condemned to death, only one cXecu
ton UI0dcD.
Portugal-Capital punishment abol-
ishcd.
Rumania-A bolishcd.
Tuscamy-NO execution for fifty
years.
Russia Capital punishment retained
onIy tor treason and military insubOr
dnlatiom.
In these countries the death penalty
is in use so rarely that il may almost
be said to bc discontinued:
Nustria-FrOm 1909, OF SO6 death
sentences, IL executions.
Norway From lS69-7S, of il SELL
tcmccs, , executions,
Sweden From lS69-7S, of 32 sen.
fences, executions,