The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-06
Capital Offenses Are Reduced
From Sixty to Five.
AND THESE ARE MODIFIED
To Preserve Ship "Constitu
ton" in the Navy Yard.
sANoulLLvs LIFE SENTENCE.
Senator Call Calls for the Papers and
Demands His Immediate Release
AS to GOWNS Death--The
loud Mail Bill.

Washington. Jan 5--Ihe Senate pass
ed the House bill abohshing the death
penalty in large number Of cases. The
measure is in the line of recent State
laws abolishing capital punishment and
applies the same principles to Federal
offerses, although the change is not ex-
tended to total abolition Of the death
penalty. The present laws which have
come down from Colonial times, have
sanguinary aspect and prescribe death Tor
sixty offenses of various character, Ihe
bill passed to-day reduces these offences
to five, viz, treason, rape, murder and
two offenses applicable to the army and
navy. In all other offenses hard labor for
life is substituted as the maximum pun
ishment, and even in cases of murder
and rape, hard labor may be substituted,
if the jury states in its verdict, without
capital punishment" As the bill has pass
ed the House after a long crusade by
Representative Curtis, of New York, and
is amended but slightly by the Senate,
1t is likely to go TO the President when the
minor disagreements are arranged in con-
ference.
Mr.. Hoar (Rep., Mass), called atten
ton to a petition Of unusual interest
which he presented 1t was from Charles
Francis ADAMS, president, and others, of
the Massachusetts Historical Society,
urging that the old ship Constitution be
permanently preserved and placed at the
Washington Navy Yard, where, like Nell
sons famous frigate, Victory, at Ports
mouth England, the ship be used as
Naval museum.
by Mr.. PETER. of Kansas, '"I'o improve
the banking business and by Mr.. Shoup,
of Idaho, as to alien ownership of lands
in Territories.
The first reference to Cuba was in two
resolutions offered by Mr.. Call Dem,
Fla The first requests the President to
send to the Senate, in secret or open ses-
sion as he may deem best, all reports re-
lating to the condemnation to life impris-
onment, in chains, by the Spanish author
tiles at Havana, of Julio Sanguilly, an
American citizen. The second resolution
recites the circumstances of Sanguilly's
trial and condemnation, and directs the
Secretary of State to demand his imme-
date release"
The resolutions went over, Mr. Call
stating that he would make some remarks
on them.
Mr.. Pettigrew rep, S. d., offered a
resolution which was agreed to, asking
the Secretary of the Treasury for infor-
nation as to the Bering Sea seal fisheries,
and particularly asking information as to
why only $1,000 was yielded to the gov
ernment in 1885, for the privilege Of tax
ing 10000 seal skins
Mr.. PETER then addressed the Sen
ate, reading from manuscript on his reso-
1y1tso Ma
sion. The resolution recites that where
as the result of the recent election did
not show a majority of voters favorable
to any one monetary policy that a com
mission of five members be created to
investigate the entire monetary subject
and report within year. Mr.. PETERS
speech dealt largely with the heterogen-
Gus character OF our various kinds of
money and of the uncertainties of the
present financial system.
At the close of Mr.. PETERS speech his
resolution was referred to the finance
committee.
A message from the President was re-
ceived transmitting the report OF the
Secretary Of State concerning the death
of Charles Gown in Cuba. 1t was
In response to the resolution offered by
Mr.. Cali reciting that Gown was a Uni
ted States citizen who had been killed by
the Spanish authorities in Cuba. The
message was brief and formal in trans
uniting the report.
The documents furnished show that the
department took up the report Of GOWNS
death as soon as received through the
newspapers on the 18th of August last,
fnstructing Consul General Lee to In
yestigate and report by cable. Later a
perenptory demand was made for in
formation by Consul Lee. The Spanish
authorities reported that Gown had been
wounded in battle and had died in conse
quence Of his wounds, but as this report
did not conform to the information re-
ceived from other sources by General
Lee he was repeatedly instructed to press
for q satisfactory statement of the facts
In transmitting the report Of GOWNS
death the Governor General of Cuba fail
ed to give the name of the officer in the
Spanish army, declaring that GOWNS
death was the result Of a wound received
in battle. This circumstance brought out
quite a sharp letter from General Lee
to the Governor General in which he said:
Il am now directed to say to you that in
view Of the facts in my governments
possession tending to show the killing Of /
Gown after ne was taken prisoner, it
does not consider the report Of your sub
ordinate a satisfactory account of his ]
death. / will have also to request the |
name OF the officer making the report in
question as well as the name of the place /
at which it was written"
Replying to this, General Weyler gave
General Ochoa as the author of the re-
port and Jarusco as the place at which it /
was written. To this information Gener-