The old Abe eagle. (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 189?-189?, 1894-09-20
EDDY'S MORAL CIRCUS.

Jim Barrett was duly launched on the
sea OF eternity at Eddy on the l4th inst.
in the presence Of crowd of the size
and quality usually present at these ex-
hibitons Of barbarism, which are so
conducted in America alone as to bring
out and give full potency to their demor-
alizing and brutalizing effects. How
much more decent the early morning ex-
ecution of France or Mexico, for in
stance, with no ostentatious preparation
before the public eye Tor days in advance
and half or more of an hours exposure
of the mock heroic victim Of the majesty
of the law-or Of lack of friends with a
pull, or a long purse-to the gaze of the
gaping and jestiug mob of men, women
and children whose animal instincts at
tract them to, and feed upon, such sights.
When man has been condemned to
death and the time has come for execu-
I tion of tho decree of the court, proper re-
gard for the interests of civilization
would dictate that the disagreeabe task
he performed as expeditousIy and with
as little of the circus parade abont it as
possible-in fact none of the latter is
necessary. Hang the man in Jail, or be-
fore daylight outside, or shoot him which
is a more simple and humane method,
the whole thing being over in five or ten
minutes with no talking from the scaff-
old and banter of spectators. Con
trast this Eddy execution, which is a
type of the usual American legal killing
outside Of New York and Utah, with the
execution of wife murderer in the lat
ter Territory last week. The officers
left the Jail before the people generally
were on the streets. drove the condemned
twenty four miles out to where a tent
concealing the eXecutioners was already
up when the party arrived. The mur
derer was seated, the command given, a
flash followed and the man was dead
without the movement of muscle. The
same decent execution sent the notorious
John d. Lee to his account at Mountain
Meadow the scene of the brutal slaugh
ter of the emigrants twenty years before
in 1877 This plan was imported into
Utah by the Mormons. 1t is not Am er
ican, though better. The New Yorh
plan is commendable as to Its privacy
and expedition, bat is an unnece s Try ap
plicaton Of the most mysterious of nat
ural forces and prostitution of one of
the most delicate and refining ramlfica
lions of investigation in dynami 8 to &
use most base and degrading
Barrett claimed on the scaffod tha
he killed his victims in self defense, i
the face of the fact that he shot Holohar
, aisle ,p in his beG and awobe barnes anC
called him to tho door where he shot
him dead without warning. To frien(
in the crowd who called out good bye ht
replied that he would engage berth 70
him down below. He had his boots takel
off saying he had been told he woulC
die with his boots on, and he would foo
em this trip. After the black cap wa
pulled over his eyes he called out to tn
sheriff to let 'er go.
1t is little short Of crime in itself t
give to a hardened and unf, cling rut
, an opportunity TO die hero in the eye
Of majority of those who see the execu
; ton, aud who forget the crime 70
, which he pays the penalty in this fnt
scene, which overshadows all that goe
before.