The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1891-08-22
THE LAWS DELAY.

nearly two years to hang Chris Young
for the murder of Stephen Ferguson.
TO convict proved to be 10 difficult
matter. The evidence was incontro-
vertible and strong. 1t was such as to
leave no shadow of doubt in the minds
of the jurymen that the killing was by
Young's own hand. The only extenua-
ton in his favor was that the deed
was done in the heat of passion.
Young was drunk, mad, frenzied. He
sprung upon his victim as the hungry
tiger springs when it seeks the life
blood of its prey. He siezed him with
the arm of a giant, and held him fixed
rs in the grip of Il vice. Then, with
his strong right hand he relentlessly
drew his knife blade across the drawn
muscles of his victims throat and with
one powerful, determined stroke, al
most severed the head from the body.
Was this murdcrP
The witnesses testified to the fact.
Young himself confessed the deed. He
even showed how it was done, and
offered 10 go and finish the job if fin
nishing were necessary to Steve Fer
gerson's death.
The jury said it was murder-mur-
der in the first degree. The verdict
received the sanction of the entire COM
munity. That ought to have been the
end of it. But it was not.
Young's attorney had defended him
we'll and faithfully. Had done all to
avert the doom of the accused. His
sympathies were aroused to the fullest,
and he determined to secure Il COM
mutation of punishment if possible.
Motions for a new trial were filed. The
case was taken to the supreme
court and a new trial granted. Again
the entire case was fought over. Every
resource of argument and fact was
brought to bear against the state. But
in this case, to nc avail. The second
trial resulted as the first one. The
jury did not believe it was right nor
best to reverse the verdict Of its pre-
decessor. II did not believe that a
man has the right to fill himself with
liquor and with passions all aiame,
strike down n fellowman with as little
compunctions of conscience as are
possessed by a Zulu Indian.
Bat the laws allowed other delay.
The convicted murderer had other loop
holes of escape, unless guarded by the
closest vigilance. The supreme court
be again appealed to. The appeal was
made but was fruitless. Where next
could this mar, whose hands were red
with the blood of murder turnP To
the governor. That officer could par
don or he could commute. Then he
was saved. But Chris Young's fate
WIS SttlCu. hC SoNCi Souiu hoJ
see extennation, in the kind of drunk
enness Chris Young had been guilty of
He could not see q fit subject of mercy
in one who had shown so little himself,
and he refused TO interfere.
The question comes up. Are our
criminal laws the best the wisdom of
man can contrive? Are they sufficient
for the needs of civilization? Is there
not danger in these long delays of the
law? Is there not peril to society,
menace to the state in technicha lities
that permit the guilty to go unwhipped
of justice so long?
How often do we see through the
operation of II criminal code murder
crs escape all punishment, save, posi-
bly, the stings and lashings of a finally
aroused conscIenceP How often, in Il
struggle between hed-handed crime and
the state, is the latter vanquished?
Is there not something wrong hereP
Would il not have been as well for
Chris Young to have been hung in accor-
dance with the first s%entence? Would
not the state have saved been humiliation
IN expense? Would not society be freer
from those outbursts that bring togeth-
er mobs and courts of lynch law, were
our statute laws better drawn and then
more exactly, more rigidly, more
promptly executed?