The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-21

Judge Powers, DIR. Utter, Judge
| ROyie, II. Ii. Stephens, Judge How
| at, Arthur Brown and G. S. Varian
| Every community has its quota of
citizens who consider the infection of
the death penalty barbarous custom.
1t has its quota, too, OF those who be-
lieve the necessity remains for a
strict observance of the Mosaic law.
The first class point to the fact that
while capital punishment was in the
early ages penalty in most countries
for even trivial offenses, it has come to
be inflicted only in cases of murder in
! the first degree and treason. This is
| granted as right and proper by the
"other side,' but it is maintained that
| it must be resorted to in aggravated
criminal cases. The statistics of muir
der in the states of Maine, Wisconsin
and Michigan, where capital punish
ment has been abolished, are dis
puted. Many claim that the ratio is the
same as before the adjustment of the
extreme penalty, others are equally
sure that the number of homicideS has
greatly increased since that time.
Rhode Island and Iowa made the ex-
pertinent and returned to at least a
partial Endorsement of the former code.
and Minnesota. after the experiment,
shifted the responsibility upon her
juries. Every new execution brings up
the discussion which is renewed with
greater zeal each time. the disputants
always being strong in their convictions
as to the correctness of their own
views and the utter falSity of those Of
their opponents.
Salt Lake city is no exception as
scene of such discussions and the exc
cution of Enoch Davis on Friday fur
nished a theme for many and long dis
cussions. A desire to test the legal
and ministerial pulses at the height of
this mania of debate, led Herald
reporter to make some calls yesterday
with that purpose in view.
CHIEF JUSTICE MERRITT
said little but that was to the point.
convicted of murder in the first degree,
he should suffer the extreme penalty
of the law. unless, of course, new evil
dence is discovered. which is favor
able"
ANGUS M. CANNON,
president Of the Salt Lake stake, favors
the adjustment of capital punishment.
In many instances Imprisonment for
life would be a more severe punish
ment than death This is true of the
who shout "vive Ianarchy,"
while one of their number is suffering
the death penalty. Il would rather
see ninety-nine guilty men go unpun-
ished, yes. thousand of them, than
that one innocent man should suffer-"
said Mr.. Cannon. He then narrated
the circumstances of the conviction and
execution of man of his acquaintance
in New Jersey. 1t was learned through
a deathbed confession of the real GRIM
inal. twelve years afterwards, that the
man was innocent; that he
had in reality expiated the crime of
another. Since that time" he con-
tai punishment. A system that makes
such things possible is wrong"
JUDGE H. P. HENDERSON
expressed strong convictions.
1.-THE state should set the example of
holding life sacred" he said.
He dwelt upon the brutalizing effect
OF the execution Of criminals. He was
on train coming from the south on
the morning of the Davis execution and
a number of Young men boarded the
train. who were on their way to wit
those Young men returned to their
homes they had less regard for the sa-
of human life than when they
left them. 1t is a deplorable sign of
the times that people so to an execu-
ton with no more sense of the horror |
Of it than if they were starting on an |
ordinary excursion. Not many years |
ago a little woman, weighing not more |
than ninety pounds. was executed in |
New York. A trap was placed over |
an old we'll and the little creature low /
cred into it. She murdered her hus- /
band in self-defense. and it was the |
manner in which she disposed of the |
oodv that condemned her. The spec |
tacle of a life taken in expia ton of |
crime is a fearful one,
1T is not consideration for the pris- |
)ner that moves me to oppose capt. |
-al punishment. 1t is regard for So |
;iety' said the judge. In 1879 the |
legislature of Michigan, of which / was |
4 member. made an attempt to restore |
capital punishment to the penal code. |
am not familiar with statistics on /
he subject now, but at that time l was /
with them, and they proved |
% my satisfaction that in no way does /
he system of capital punishment pre-
vent crime. I consider it not a relic of |
BAR barism. but barbarism itself. The |
line is coming when 1t will be regarded /
oy the reader of future United States |
history with the same horror as the /
'eligiOuS persecution II
DR.. MABRY.
pastor of the First NJ. e. church, was |;
found at the hour when he receives i
all sorts and listens pa 1
tiently to their queries, whether they |,
be as to how an unusually large and |,
ravenous wolf shall be kept from some |,
exposed door, or how mod |,
ern doubling Thomas, who has dis |,
.anced his prototype of many centuries h
go in scepticism, may know he has ac- !
,epted the only and absolute truth.
81 am in favor of capital punishment" |
said the reverend gentleman. why? h
Because l believe in the Bible and that
teaches it. The Old Testament makes
njunctions to that effect, and the new h
loes not abrogate it, nor teach anything \
% the contrary. Then, too, when it Il
has been demonstrated that the life of
L man is dangerous to society, he for II
'eits his right to life. Our constitu-
ion speaks of certain inalienable rights L
Ind life is enumerated among them,
,ut by infractions of the spirit or let D
er of law the right is forfeited. There l.
S class Of men with whom the only II
motive is terror, and with
'uch men the death penalty is strong (
preventive of crime"
DR. Mabry spoke Of the increase In the
number of murders in those states
which had abolished capital punishment
$ an argument in favor of
S continuance 1.-THE aim of Is
ociety being not so much to
lflict pain upon the criminal, TX
,ut do that which is for its own good"
lie continued, II believe the most
nerciful means of executing the death
sentence is the best. Whatever meth
ID causes instant departure of con-
cinl1sness is the best I doubt whether |