The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-02-23

| enoko against the proposition. The
! House finally declined TO reconsider the
! vote.
The clghty-fve pension bills were then
| to be acted upon as special order but
I'm view of the fact that the bills had
| not yet been returned from the printer
they had TO 20 over.
TAX on APPLE BRANDY.
House bin No 2lq. compelling distillers
! OF apple brandy TO pay a license OF $40
! annually. Il they distill less than forty
! gallons. then came up as special order.
! AIr. Saunders spoke briefly against the
| measure while Mi Willard. OF Fairfax.
! advocated its passage. The bill was then
! passed by a vote OF Il TO p.
Senate bill No. AZ. authorizing the con-
| solldation Of the Richmond and Peters
! burg Railroad Company and the Peters
burg Railroad Company. next came up
! as special order.
Mr.. Parks. Of Page, briefly spoke
| against the amendment offered by Mr..
| owen. OF Manchester. which compels the
! company 10 pay taxes to Chesterfield
| county. He stated that the company was
willing 10 pay $1,000 into the state trea-
! sury for taxes provided no county taxes
/ are imposed upon them. the Richmond
and petersburg Railroad Company haN-
! ing been heretofore exempt from taxa
! ton II the amendment was agreed TO-
| then the company did not care for the
! bill.
Messrs. Diggs. OF King William, ana
| Wallace. of this city, spoke il favor of
the amendment which was then agreed
10 by a vote of Al 10 p.
CAPTAIN Parks. of Page, next moved 10
| dismiss the bill. The motion was oppos-
! cd by Mr. Diggs, while Mr.. Cooke, OF
| Norfolk spoke in favor Of it. The bill
was then dismissed by vote OF So TO IL.
EXECUTIONS AT PENITENTIARY.
House bin No. 4c2 was the next special
order, in regard to the execution of prl-
| soners sentenced TO death in The peniten-
| tiarv instead Of in the city and county
iails Mr. Mann. of Nottoway, stated
the original bill had been drawn by Mr..
| Henry r. Pollard, Of this city, and was
| introduced by Mr.. George c. Bland, OF
| King and Queen 1t was then taken
| charge Of by the committee on courts or
| Justice who reported it TO the House IN
| three companion bills Nos. 1862 463. and
| 4c4
The first one provided that the super
| intondent Of the penitentiary shall be the
| executionor Of the sentence OF death' the
| second bill provides for a place in the
| penitentiary where the executions are to
| take place. and the third bill makes pro-
| visions that persons sentenced to death
shall be taken to the penitentiary in the
| same manner as convicts are now taken
| there who are to be imprisoned.
! Mr. Mann spoke at some length, eX-
| planning the provisions of the three bills.
! lie pointed out that If the bills were
| passed. there would be no more bunglng
! i'm cases where persons have TO be exc
| cuted and great deal Of money could
| be saved TO the State. He had ascer-
tanned from sherins that hangings cost
on the average at least from fifty to
hundred dollars. An objection had been
raised that it would be too expensive
| for the relatives of the executed persons
TO have the body brought back from the
| penitentiary and ha suggested therefore
that the State could well afford to pay
for the transportation of the body and
| yet save a great amount of money.
Mr. Craig. Of Rockbridge. stated he
| had IN his possession a letter from a
| sheriff, stating that one execution in his
| county had cost sG3l60 and Mr. Walker,
| of Northumberland. added that he knew
Of a hanging that had cost nearly 500.
HUMANITY AND ECONOMY.
Mr.. Diggs of King william stated that
| Mr. Bland, Of King and Queen. the pa
| tron of the original bill, was absent and
| had requested him to make a statement
| i'm regard to the measure. 1t had been
| introduced, he said on account Of the
| enlightened Christian sentiment which
| prevailed in that county. and it had
two-fold object, humanity and economy
| The two hangngs that had taken place
! in that county had cost 800 and $3.50, re-
| spectively. while an execution at the PEN
! itentiary would not cost more
than fifteen dollars. including the
| transportation Of convict from
I King and Queen county to the institution
! and TO hang him. one Of the two men
| executed there had hung on the galiows
for twenty-five minutes before life be-
| came extinct. 1t was the unanimous sem
| aiment with the sherins in Virginia
| rather to throw the fee Of five dollars
to which they are entitled for hanging
10 the winds than TO accept blood money
! DR. Winston. of Hanover. who spoke
| IN opposition TO the measure, said the
! death sentences was established in this
| State not so much 10 punish crime, as TO
! set an example TO those who are left be-
| hind. If all persons who had been SEN
| fenced to death were TO be removed to
| the penitentiary, then the prime object
| OF the capital punishment was defeated,
| and this would be a step I'm the direction
| of abolishing the latter. There were GER
tain crimes for the punishment Of which
| death sentence had been fixed by law.
| II this bill should become law the
| convicted person would either never
leave his section OF the state or lynch
| law would become more common. There
| had been two executions In Hanover
! county, one which took place fifteen years
ago, end which did not cost the Com
monwealth $l5. II had very wholesome
eject. for for over year not single
| case was known where a negro molested
| the hen roosts. The second execution
took place on December q. 1897. and II
also caused but little cost 10 the state.
lie was In favor OF giving such execution
/ sufficient publicity TO furnish that exams
PIE which the law intended TO supply.
While Or. Winston was speaking the
Chair was vacated, the hour Of 2:SO
O'Clock having arrived.
MANY PENSION BILLS.
When the Chair was resumed on mo-
ton Of Mr.. Upton ID. Jennings, OF Lynch
burg. the eighty-five pensions bills re-
ported by the Committee on Finance
were taken up and passed. A general bill
was then passed, providing that the
Auditor Of Public Accounts shall issue his
warrant for fifteen dollars for each one
OF the benehciaries mentioned In these
eighty-hve bills, provided they present the
proper certificates from their respective
county judges.
The following are the bene6ciaries
mentioned in these bills:
Mrs eden. widow of James s. Oden
wounded Confederate soldier: John ~
Blanks disabled Confederate soldier Of
Gay Mays. a widow OF Clay NAYS. a
1 80 a I