The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-08
A GUARANTEE,
CRY OFFICIAL PAPER.
SEATTLE. FRIDAY, DECEMBER q.
THE KENTUCKY HORROR.

THE KENTUCKY HORROR.
Justice may well turn away her face
from such Q spectacle as that present.
ed in one of the states of the most civ
ilizsd nation In the world. The lynch
ing Of the confessed murderer at Mays
vile. Kentucky. was attended by bru-
talities which went beyond anything of
= like character within half a century
at least. Men have been burned TO
death before, and the iynching In Texas
about a year ago was almost as hor-
rible. but Kentucky is now entitled to
the infamy Of having surpassed oil other
states IN celd-blooded cruelty.
The crime for which the miserable
wretch suffered such torture was a.
hideous as could be conceived. but there
Is no reason to doubt that the law
would have been respected and he would
have suffered the punishment prescribed
for murder. 1t Is true that the law can
infiIet no other punishment than DEATH,
1t does not recognize such tortures as
those to which savages resort. nor does
1t specify such crime as that COM
mitted. Murder is the worst offense,
and 1t will be admitted that the crime
Of which the lynched man was guilty
exceeds In blackness the mere taking
away Of life. but in spite Of all the
provocations given it must never be
admitted that there is any justification
for the revenge taken by the people of
Maysville.
In the most orderly of communities
there are crimes committed which
tempt men to personal vengeance. They
are not always such az can be brought
within statutory definitions, and for
that reason seem to cali for the sum
mary reprisal of private resentment.
Sometimes the process of the law seems
so disheartening that community will
permit itself to express indignant
threats of a short shrift and stout
rope. but such temptations must be re-
sisted if We are to maintain higher
standard than that of savagery.
1t is very unlikely that any Of those
who participated will be punished. The
entire populace seems to have taken a
hand, and 1t would probably be unjust
to blame one more than another. If
5 the ringleaders could be identified be-
on
attained absolutely without doubt. the
entire country would be benefited They
should not suffer more Imprisonment
than would be sufficient to impress men
with the certainty of punishment.
1t seems harsh view to take, Strict
justice requires that the husband of
the murdered woman, who seems to
have been one of the most conspicuous
offenders, should be included in the
number of those convicted. yet every
man and every woman will feel that,
with the mangled and desecrated body
of his wife before his eyes, and his kind
ly confidence In her murderer so shame
AAAS eSaSSAb SIC phShN NC pCEhiitcu "
hide behind the spreading wings of the
angel of mercy. Keen as sympathy
may be for him, perhaps no man can
fully comprehend the depth OF sorrow
and the fury of anger which must have
combined and taken possession of the
mans nature. II must have seemed to
him, to use a commonplace phrase. that
hanging was too good for such villainy
as that which had entered his home.
IL appears cold-blooded to tell one
who has suffered as he must have done
to go and bury the hIdeous thing which
was once his wife. and then sit down
patiently while society inquired into the
circumstances and assured itself that a
crime had really been committed, that
the guilt of the accused could be estab-
lished by rules OF evidence. and that the
necessary fornalities attending such
proceedings had been regularly OBJ
served.
Human nature will extend its SYM