St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-24
ABOLISH HANGING.

If the bill to abolish capital punish
ment, which was recommended to pass
by the house in committee of the whole
Yesterday, provided merely for doing
away with hanging aud substituted some
less revolving form of execution. 1t
{ would be wise measure; but it is diff
cult TO see how any of the lawmakers
of Minnesota can favor wiping out capt.
tai punishment. If sentence for life
meant life Imprisonment, or il reason
able per cent of the life convicts served
out their sentences, there might be
some excuse for this bill.
The records OF the Saltwater prison
show that not more than half of per
cent of the life conyictS have died in
prison. No matter how revolving the
murder may have b zen, and strong The
proof and sentiment against the accused
were at the time of the trial. with rare
exceptions, every murderer, after he
has been in prison few years. is granted
executive clemency and free inside of
fifteen years. One of our governors OF
few years back, during his official
career of five years, committed the SEN
Several OF these narrowly escaped lynch
ing at the time of their crimes, and in
every one of the cases the guilt was
proved cOnclusively at the trials, not by
crcumstantial, but positive evidence.
No matter how revolving the murder
may be, and clearly it is proven, after
the man has been in prison several
years, and the prosecuting attorney,
judge and the original evidence is out
of the way, friends will step to the
front, and, with the assistance of keen
lawyers, appeal to the doubts and SYM
pathy of a kind-hearted executive in
such way as to secure a pardon. 1t
takes stronger man than the average
governor to turn a deaf ear to the
pleadingS OF mother. wife or daughter
of murderer. The pitiful entreaties
ARE generally enough in themselves to
lead the mind into condition for ac-
ceptlng anything which shall throw
sufficient doubt upon the question of
guilt to warrant extending clemency.
In this state there Is no danger of
jury cOnvctingIOne of murder in the
first degree unless he is guilty; there is
only danger that it will turn a guilty
man loose. There is nothing to fear of
legal murder.
1t is an unaccOuntable sympathy
which goes out to the man VINO is
guilty of deliberate murder, and would
save him from the fate of his victim.
He has in cold blood deprived an inno-
cent and law-abiding citizen of his life
to crafty his fendish malice, and what
plausible reason can there be for saving
the life OF such a devil lncarnate? Ii
there were danger of innocent men be-
ing executed, the case would be differ
ent; but no well-informed Minnesotian
Will claim that there IS.
An absence of capital punishment pro-
notes lynch law. and that is dangerous,
and destructive to good government.
Capital puniShm ent should net be
abolished; but some other mode of
execution might well be adopted. Elec-
trOcutlOn is less revolving than hanging.
But that is not altogether satisfactory,
for it does not always do its work surely.
Pure pruSsic acid causes instant death
with only small quantity placed upon
the tongue. 1t is so speedy in its action
that 1t does not seem possible for
twinge of pain to follow. But probably
the easiest and least repulsive method
would be by administering chl0rofOrm
or some other pure an8 ithetic.
1t is greatly to be hoped that the house
will think better of the matter when the
bill comes up for passage, and certainly
that it will be killed in the senate.