The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-10-15
ARGUMENT
FOR MERCY
Reasons against Hanging
Mrs. Mary Rogers.
ST. ALBANS MESSENGER
Not Because She Doesn't Deserve
Il but Because Hanging
Is Out Of Date. :.
ST. ALBANS MESSENGER

The St Adams Messenger of Thurs
day made a strong editorial statement
OF the reasons why the sentence OF Mrs
Mary Rogers should be commuted
from hanging to Imprisonment forliie.
1t is as follows:
While considering the bill to CON-
mute the death sentence of Mary M.
Rogers to one of Imprisonment for
| life, the lawmakers doubtless will be
counseled to take pity on the woman,
to give heed to her sex and the horror
with which every man worthy OF the
name shrinks from contemplating the
putting to death of weak woman.
Sentimentalism as basis OF pleas for
mercy will also be INDUCED, no doubt,
and persistent resort will be had to
playing upon the emotions and softer
| feelings of the men that hold the lifeof
this wretched creature in their hands.
The Messenger does not believe in
capital punishment, but 1t will have
no part in seeking TO influence the
Communication of the death sentence on
Mrs Rogers own account. ltbelieyes
that the death sentence should be com
muted to one of Imprisonment for life,
but not because Mrs Rogers deserves
any pity or because she is woman.
In other words The Messenger does not
consider that Mrs Rogers own per-
sonality or the circumstances OF her
crime have any bearing on the case at
all.
This paper would not have the case
discussed upon that ground, but on
the broader, higher ground that capt.
tai punishment is wrong, no matter
who is to be the victim.
There Is no doubt that Mrs Rogers
is guilty of as foul murder as ever
shocked the sensibilities of the state.
There is no doubt that she is wicked |
woman, a cruel, heartless, hendish |
creature that, like Delilah of old,
could with her wanton smile entice a |
strong mans head into her lap, only |
to bind and deliver him over to his |
death. All this she is, and men may |
Justly loathe her as such, but the duty |
of society is only to protect itself, not
to revenge itself, and when it has shut
the murderer up in prison and taken
away all possibility of pardon, it has
protected itself all that it ever can.
Going one step farther and putting
to death the wretch already helpless
and harmless is not justice, is not self
protection-it is revenge, it Is the
of vengeance that is
not satisfied until it has had an eye for
an eye, a tooth for tooth, blood for
blood, life for life. Leading out of
his cell the condemned man, the shack
led wretch no longer terror to any
body, no longer a foe to society or a
menace to its safety-leading such a
man out to the scaffold and deliberate
ly putting him to death in the name OF
The law is, to The Messengers view,
only fearfully tragic exhibition of
The blind unreasoning spite and rage
such as actuates the little child to
rush under his heel the plaything
hat has already broken in his hands.
The Messenger will enter no plea for
mercy for this woman on her own ac-
count, but it does ask the lawmakers
% commute her sentence on Vermont's ,
that this state may be spared I
he barbarism of another execution for
rhine within its borders. We have {
,utgrown capital punishment, gentle ,
nen of the Legislature, our civilization ,
10 longer demands it, we aresafe with 6
nut it, and if we still needlessly cling s
o the rude justice Of coarser age, il Z
re still continue to take human life 7
7hen we are not obliged to do so to 7
ave our own, we may we'll pause to 7
onsider just how true to our civiliza- Z
ion we actually are, we may we'll ask
ourselves how much more justification
,e have for the judicial murder than 81
be felon had for taking the life of his I
ictim in the first place. 81