The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-08-20
President Roosevelt an Criminal Assault and
Lynching.

President Roosevelt On Criminal Assault and
Lynehing.
An associated press despatch from
" asIington, dated August s, says:
President Roosevelt has declined to
interfere in the case of John w. Bur-
| ley, negro confined in the jail of the
| District of Columbia under sentence OF
death for the crime of criminal as
sauIt, the victim having been little
] girl four and half years old. The
president has Greeted that the SEN
tenee of the jury be carried into effect
on August 26, as deereed An appli-
cation was made to the president TO
commute the sentence of Burley to i'm
prisonment for life, it being alleged
that the prisoner was OF mind so weak
as to be irresponsible for his crime.
The subject was referred to Attorney
General Moody. He investigated the
case and reported to the president to-
day fully as TO the facts.
| In rejecting the application for the
Communication OF Burleys sentence,
President Roosevelt made the follow
| ing memorandum:
| WHITE HOUSE. Washington, Aug. 8. 1904.
| 1.-THE application for the commute
| ton of sentence of J Ohm W. BurIey is de-
| MED. This man committed the most
| hideous crime known to our laws, and
twice before he has committed crimes
| of a SIMILAR though less horrible char
acter. In my judgment there is no
| justification whatever for paying heed
to the allegations that he is not of
sound mind, allegations made after the
| trial and conviction. Nobody would
pretend that there has ever been any
/ such degree OF mental unsoundness
shown as would make people even con-
slider sending him to an asylum If he
| had not committed this crime. Under
such circumstances he should certainly
| be deemed sane enough to suffer the
/ penalty for his monsJrous deed. [ have
scars sympathy with the plea of in
| sanity advanced to save a man from
| the consequences of crime, when, I'M
| less the crime had been committed, it
| would have been impossible to per-
suade any responsible authority to
commit him to an asylum as insane.
Among the most dangerous Grimm ais,
and especially among those prone TO
| commit this particular kind OF offense.
there are plenty Of a temper SO tend
| ish, or SO brutal, as to be inconEpa att BILE
with any other than a british order of
| intelligence: but these men are, never
| theless, responsible for their acts; and
nothing more tends to encourage crime
among such men than the belief that
through the plea OF insanity, or any
| other method, it is possible for them
to escape paying the just penalty of
their crimes. The crime in question
| is one to the existence Of which we
| largely owe the existence Of that spirit
| of laWlessness which takes form in
| lvnehing. It 10 crime SO revolving
/ that the criminal is not entitled to one
particle of sympathy from any human
being. It is essential that punishment
for it should be not only certain, but
as swift as possible. The Jury in this
case did their duty by recommending
the infiction OF the death penalty. 1t
is to be regretted that we do not have
special provision for more summary
dealing with this type Of cases. The
more We do what in us lies to secure
certain and swift justice il dealing
with these cases, the more effectively
do we work against the growth of th at
lynching spirit which is so full of evil
omen for the people, because it seeks
TO avenge one infamous crime by the
commission Of another Of equal in
fanny.
'.Fhe application is denied and the
sentence will be carried into effect.
'sTHEODORE ROOSEVELT. p