The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-09-15
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

C0OSoSAN~
ssrday has set good many philan-
garopists great and smsll,t to again dis
cussing the morals of capital punish
ment. 1t is wonderful how many CO.
gent reasons are advanced against the
death penalty. To hear these great
nsn talk one would very readily con-.
clude that no man could possibly for
felt his right to live, no matter how
heinous the crime he might commit.
The main idea in taking the lite OF the
murderer is the deterrent one. The
terror of the awful doom is valuable
only that others may be induced to
seek some other means of redressing
their real or tancied wrongs. Whose
sheddeth mans blood by man shall his
blood be she'd" is the old law. 1t has
stood the test of ages and the ingenuity
and philanthropy of the world has
developed no better plan of punish
ment. The effort of the world seem 8
now to be e1erted to find immunity for
the murderer, not deterrent against
the crime, not protection for society.
This mercy for the murderer is cruelty
60 the living, to the innocent and the
vlrtuous who are about their lawful
avocations and without thought of
death. True wisdom regards the veal
of the masses rather than the indlvi-
dual, and he a blood-stsined enemy OF
his kind. The poor fellow who suf-
fered the extreme penalty of the law
yesterday simply got. at the hands OF
the law the fate he elected to mete out
to another on his own responsibility,
and that other the frail partner of his
life. He sat in judgment upon her
fitness to live from his own point of OBJ
Eervation and decided the case against
her. He needed no jury, no counsel,
no Judge learned in the law. He
(Enoch Davisl was quite competent to
decide all the equities, all the law and
all the right in the case and he de-
cided that she had won death. He
asked no help and no guild ance and be
slew her with as little compunction as
be would have slaughtered hog. He
could see nothing wrong in what he
elected to do, until it was accomp-
lished and only then when he was
Rpprehended and his own worthless
neck was placed in jeopardy.
But both the victim and the wretched
fiend himself are gone, are before that
awful tribunal where all motives are
laid bare. We would not recur to
them here and now save to correct
wrong Impression, correct a maudlin
sentiment of wasted sympathy. We
would use this horrible incident to
build up sentiment against the law
less waste of human life. If these
two people have died and the circum-
stance of the awful event Of yesterday
viii serve to protect one innocent life
from the hate, the vengeance and the
brutality of brute like Enoch Davis,
the incident was not in vain.
Anyhow, the execution was the act
of the law. The dead man had fair
trial. Had every chance to purge him
self from the awful accusation. His
guilt was clearly established and he
was called upon to vindicate an out
ragged law. II was righteous law,
invoked and all good citi-
zens are called upon to stand by it,
even dreadful though Enoch DAVIS
[ jund its consequences to be. May
God protect this fair young state from
the presence OF another feDd such as
Davis wac, but should there even be
another such, may he meet fate the
of his.