Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-04-08
Capital Punishment or Life Emprison-
ment. whicfs? - - Written Courier by y. 81

reasonable doubt to be guilty OF
murder in the first degree should he
be executed or imprisoned for life at
hard labor in penitentiaryP Peo-
pie almost everywhere in the United
States divide on this question. Plau-
sible and weighty arguments are adj
yanced on both sides, and the advo-
Gates of both views seem equally
earnest and sincere. The liberals,
both in church and State, quite gene
rally seem to oppose capital punish
ment, while the conservatives quite
generally favor it. AT the risk of
being considered unsympathetic by
Quixotic sympathizers, we will ven-
ture upon short defense of capital
punishment for the crime of murder.
1. One of the frst revelations to
Noah after the flood was "Whoso
shedeth mans blood, by man shall
his blood be shed, for in the image
of God made he man." That law
had great significance at that par
ticular time. There were giants of
iniquity before the flood, and "the
earth was filled with violence" at
the time that God revealed to Noah
his purpose to destroy it with gene
raj deluge. The Cain spirit of mur-
der made such rapid progress that,
in the line of Seth that maintained
the worship of God, there were left
but eight persons to find safety in
the ark when the flood came. 1t
seemed. necessary for the ultimate
good of the race that man should
have such an object lesson as warn
ing for all time to come. To fur
nish such an object lesson may have
been part of the divine purpose in
permitting Cain, the fratricide, to
live. But one such lesson was
enough. The Gains of the future
must suffer death in a legal way by
the executors of the law. That
seems to be the meaning. God, who
gave life to Cain, had a perfect right
to let him live, though murderer,
and he had perfect right, after his
purpose, in letting him live was seen,
to order all murderers like Cain to
be executed.
Q. The Mosaic law is in harmony
with that revealed to Noah. The
decalogue, while forbidding the tax
ing of life, does not say murderer
shall be executed. Some argue from
this that capital punishment, as well
as unlawful killing, is prohibited in
the moral law. But this is quibbling.
The civil laws of the children of
Israel had the same author that
framed the moral law, and they re-
peatedly enjoin punishment by death
of murderers, and of some others
guilty of crimes of a lower grade.
Moses in Exodus 21:12 says: "He
that smiteth man 80 that he die
shall surely be put to DEATH" In
Exodus 21:14 he continues, eff a
man come presumptuously upon his
neighbor to stay him with guile,
thou shalt take him from mine altar
that he may die" In Numbers
35:16-21 he says: eff he smite him
with an instrument of iron 80 that
he die, he is murderer; the muir
derer shall surely be put to death.
And if he smite him with throwing
a stone wherewith he may die. and
he die, he is murderer, the mur-
derer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he smite him with a hand
weapon of wood wherewith he may
die, and he die, he is murderer,
the murderer shall surely be put to
death. The avenger of blood him
self shall slay the murderer; when
he meeteth him he shall slay him.
But if he thrust him of hatred, or
hurl at him by laying in wait, that
he die, or in enmity smote him with
his hand that he die, he that smote
him shall surely be put to death, for
he is murderer the avenger Of
blood shall slay the murderer when
he meeteth him." Even a city of
refuge, provided for the accidental
man slayer, afforded no safe retreat
for the wilful murderer. He might
fly to one for protection, but when
his crime was discovered, he was
taken thence and put to death. Lis
ten, eff any man hate his neighbor
and lie in wait for him, and rise up
against him, and smite him mortally
that he die, and feeth into one Of
those cities, then the elders of his
city shall send and fetch him thence,
and deliver him into the hand of the
ayenger of blood, that he may die"
The Mosaic code was very rigid.
But it was the best that could he
devised for the age and people for
whom it was given. The children of
Israel were then nation of newly
emancipated slaves. Their bondage
in Egypt lasted near four hundred
years. Its demoralizing effects were
so great that all who left Egypt
under Moses, except Caleb and
Joshua, died in the wilderness on
account of their rebellion and un-
belief. Their children, inheritine
many of the iniquities of the fathers,
still needed rigid laws for their GOV
lernment in Palestine. 1t took then,
and still takes, long years to elevate
emancipated slaves to high state
of civilization. Stern laws, rigidly
enforced, were absolutely necessary
then, and we can see no reason why,
in like cases, they should not, with
certain notifications, still have a
place in our criminal jurisprudence.