The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-08
THE DEATH PENALTY.
Speaking of Carlyle Harris, Pastor
Halleron Says 1t Should
Not Be Abolished.

The Rev. Daniel Halleron dwelt on the
recent refusal of the Governor of New
York State to commute the sentence of
Carlyle w. Harris. at the Simpson M. E..
Church last evening. The remarks
were a prelude to the topic Of the even
ing. His main text was taken from
Psalms. viii. "a, when I consider Thy
heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the
moon and the stars, which Thou hast err
dained; what Is man. that thou art mind
full Of him? and the son OF man chat Thou
v~isitest him?"
The text Nh. Halleron treated In a salts
factory way. In the prelude on Car lyle
w. Harris, the pastor spoke in full as fol-
lows:
I'VE are in the last stages of a scene
that has attracted more attention than
anything that has occurred III the last de-
caue. namely. the efforts to ecu the re-
lease of Carlyle w. Harris from the pun
ishment Of d crime which was revolving
In character and clumsiIy conceived
through defective knowledge of medical
science. From the pines of Maine TO the
palms of the Carolinas, and from the At
lantic TO the Mississippi. petitions
for executive clemency have been
y lOA1QbC0sa oAOtdOSS hICA nave 1CtI
the counters. ladies have waded through
slush, exposing themselves to danger in
their work. Three courts have been APP
pealed to. The Governor of New York
State has been deluged with petitions.
Finally a referee was appointed, a gentle
man Of large legal requirements and in
every way fitted to give an impartial
hearing to newly discovered evidence
which was submitted to the Governor,
n he read and reread every item III
that examination. Further he talked
with persons competent to render an in
teilegent opinion on the case and after
the most mature deliDeration decided
that there was no ground for executive
cletnency and the law must take it's
course.
PcoR HELEN LIFE.
1.-THE closing moments of Miss Potts's
life were brought again into prominence.
Seldom have we read anything so toucn
ing. The girl lay dying, but somewhat
unconscious Of is. Her teachers and fell
low pupils were beside her. 1He
night wore on in silence. The hum of
She grew weaker. housing herself she
said, on. girls, / have had uch lovely
dreams. / visa they would 60 on for
ever. l ha We not really been asleep, only
lying here DOING. Oh, girls. / think 1
am going to die. I never felt like this
before and SO on. Her voice was choked
with emotion. Then her teacher advised
quiet. Her last words were, Look every
lew minutes and see if / am still breath
ing
THE DEATH PENALTY.
sShould the death penalty be inflicted
for tbs commission Of capital crime? This,
l need not say. is an old question, but
comes up every time an execution lakes
mace. Some think it is brutal that the
q afo iruuNac tba RIGHT of the GraQfnrs
believing that He who gives life is alone
competent to take it. That no good is
wrought by it. But the world is deprived
of possible benefit which might accrue
from the life OF the cufprft. The life con-
tinement would ii everyway safeguard
society, and meet the ends of justice. 1t
is d relic of barbarism and should be
abolished by an enlightened age. Such,
Ia condensed form, Is the argument OF
persons opposed to the death penalty.
Under a Theocracy aud from the
earliest communication of God TO man
blood was demanded for blood. A place
of asylum was afforded for the taking of
life through accident. But the ancient
cities of refuge hurbored no individual
who was pronounced guilty of deliberate
murder. Such was the law urder a
Theocracy. The more you examine the
Divine methods the more convinced will
you become that they are best for us now
under all conditions. There are W
principles lin the inf1iction OF the
death penalty-protection Il prevention.
1t is singular buS true that crime
produces crime. The man committing
one crime will usually commit another,
much as he may protest the horror of the
deed. The murderers that escaped from
Sing Sing will in all probability commit
murder again, as the chances are ia that
way. Society is never safe while such
men live. Modes of escape will be planned
and, though they may have failed, the
rogue will linger while life lasts. III their
death is society absolutely safe.
1.-the death penalty is the most effec-
tive deterrent to the commission of muir
der known. Life is sweet. The fear of
r%etriDntion holds back the knife. Life is
conserved by this penalty. The taking Of
one life saves twenty others. On the
ground of humanity the death penalty is
Imperative. Wherever that penalty has
been abolished capital offences have in
creased. We all sypIpathizs with Hope
Ledyafd, the non-de-plunle of Mrs.
Harris, who Is an able speaker and writer.
Yet for the prevention of such diaDolical
crimes as that for which her son is
charged, we say Let Carlyle Harris
der