Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-06-04
Danger of Committing Death PEN
alties,

When the Legislature was importuned
to commute to Imprisonment for life the
death penalty imposed on William Buzzell
| and Mrs. George Marsh for the diabolical
murder of the latter's husband by means
Of poison in order that they might enjoy
their Illicit relations without restraint, it
was urged by those opposed to this propo-
sition that. when life Imprisonment had
been substituted for the death penalty
in connection with this guilty pair, the
next step would be to ask for pardon on
some trumped up excuse. The Legislature
granted the appeal for legislative elem
ency, and now even before any one of the
| opponents of the committing of sentence
in this case expected in all probability,
the preliminary steps are being taken to
secure a pardon for Buzzcn.
| If ever man deserves to hang it is
the black hearted scoundrol who com
mits murder i'll order that he may con-
sumatc his invasion of the sanctity of n
home. and Buzzell seems to have com
bined these two crimes to a degree which
for the time being melted righteous in
dlgnation in the breasts of all who were
coSnizant Of the facts in the case. That
he should now he receiving encourage
| mcnt in seeking n pardon so soon after
receiving Legislative clcmency is a sad
commentary on existing conditions.
Saddcr still is the productivity that. even
if the present effort to save Buzzcl from
the just penalty of his dastardy deeds,
proves failure. he and his friends will
persist until a time is reached in the not
distant future when tho circumstances
will conspire to make his endeavor to
secure freedom a success. Our common
wealth has had far too frequent illustra-
tons of the manner of procedure in cases
of this kind. and Of the success attend
ing attempts to defeat the ends of justice.
The trouble is that the crime for which
criminal is sentenced fades from the
memory of the people as a whole. and
sooner or later there comes a time when
any tribunal or public servant, called TO
pass upon an appeal for clemcncy, has
practically only one side of the case to
consider so far as present evidence is
concerned. The criminal and his friends
| secure petitions, signed as easily and as
promscuously as arc the great majority
of such petitions, and bring all sorts Of
influences to bear upon the executive or
tribunal to secure the extension of the
desired clemoncy. The great public has
nothing to offer on the subject not be-
cause it is Indifferent to crime, hut be
cause it has forgotten about the specific
| case; and not infrcQuontly the first in
timation to the great majority of people
that any project of this character is on
foot is the announcement that a pardon
has been granted to such or such a one.
If there could be practical certainty
| that q murderer sentenced to States
prison for life would serve out his SEN
toncc, except in very unusual cases, much
of the opposition to the substitution
/ Of life imprisonment for capital
punishment would unquestionably dis
appear, and it is the success of just
such efforts as arc being instituted in be-
half of Buzzell that create the suspicion
that the Communication of the sentence of
murderer to suffer death is simply a step
preliminary to his ultimate attainment of
freedom. 1t is not presumed that muir
derers sentenced to prison for life
will suffer unnatural deaths, and
sickness is no excuse for the grant
ing Of a pardon, in such cases any
more than are various other pretexts,
1t is to be hoped for the sake OF the cause
of justice itself and the faith of people
in our agencies of justice as we'll as for
the protection of the sanctity of the home
| that Buzzell may pay the full penalty of
his crime that has been left to Him by
the Legislature.