Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-02-05
TeiephOne In office connects with all City
and County Lines.
Friday. February 5, 1904.
HOW MAJESTIC is THE LAW.

One of the largest, and We believe
one of the most weighty petitions ever
sent from this county to any COVER
ner of this State on any subject, was
the one asking that the sentence of
John Kennedy, the youth now in our
county jail condemned to be hung, be
committed to a life sentence in the
penitentiary. But the Governor has
declined to interfere, he has refused
for reasons seeming good to him, t.
show such mercy, and on the 18th
day of this month that boy will be
hung in our jail yard In Stanton. On
this petition were seven of the jury
who tried Kennedy, on it were
the names of many Of the most infiu
entail and conservative people Of this
city and county, on it were the names
of every editor in Sta unton, on it were
names of men who went further than
petitioners generally go, they added
to their names written personal pc
tition. One of these was a man who
has held the distinguished Office of
Northumberland of Virginia. On
it were also clergymen and many per-
CONS of high official position.
In many parts of this country SEN
tence to the penitentiary for life is re-
garded as equivalent to death penal
ty. In many parts of the United
States, boy will never be hung, if
under the law another sentence can
be imposed. In some of our States
the death penalty is not looked on with
favor at all, and in others the State's
witness is always granted some ameli
Grafton for his services to the State
But in the case Of Kennedy none of
these have weighed. N either youth,
evidence, nor the petition of citizens,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, has been able to relieve this
county of the disgusting, demoralizlDg
spectacle of a public hanging. We
have been asked in this connection
whether petitions ever amount to any
thing? We answer We do not know,
we think they seldom do. We are
duly prepared to say that this one did
not. If two not overly heavy persons
outweigh four hundred. and on the
principal announced would have out.
weighed four Thousand. we are ready
to retire from the petition business
We learn that Governors seldom like
to interfere with verdlcts of juries or
the opinion and desires of officials
Our Governor has been influenced, he
states, largely, indeed almost entirely,
by the fact that County Judge Chalk
ley and Commonwealth Attorney R
8. Ker both held out strongly for
hanging. We are sorry they could
not view this matter in another light,
but they have not, they have urged,
as we hear, that the hanging 60 on.
Their personal feeling and their sense
OF official duty are both theirs, to ex-
ercise as they please, and it is, not for
us to say aught, so we bow to their
wishes as gracefully as we can. But
We do firmly believe had either of
these two shown any lenlency or the
slightest disposition toward commute
ton. the Governor would on this &C
count and his own deep anxiety to be
merelful, to say nothing of the petit
ton, gladly have committed this SEN
tence. However, when these two Off |
GERS, who possibly have never sinned |
on the one side; and 400 petitioners,
ONE OF whom we know have sinned,
on the other, were placed in the bal
ances OF justice and weighed, the
scales were tilted to the side of the
officers, and the doom of Kennedy was
sealed. Those who spent SO much
time and labor in their efforts
to prevent the sickening feast
prepared for February 18th, deeply
regret they had not known that
on these two hung "all the law
and the prophets. 1t would have
saved them much time, much trouble,
much needless doubt and fear. and
some expense. Had these 400 citizens
OF Staunton and Augusta, who deeply
meant what they did, and who unques
tionably voiced the sentiment of
large majority of people of this city
and county, who are never for blood
when, in their opinion, the ends of
Justice can otherwise be met, and we {
believe who voiced also the sentiment
OF the great railroad corporation which
had run down this ignorant and mis-
guided youth. believed that two men {
could have shut the door of compass
sion in their faces and barred it, or
like Herod's daughter demanded the
victim 3 head. they never would have I
put hand to paper, or ventured upon ;
80 hopeless and mistaken course as to
have sought to interfere with their I
ideas OF right, justice and law. The (
petitioners, however, have the pleasing
of knowing that this blood
is not on their heads. They have done {
what they could, and have washed
their hands Of it all. They tried to
save this community from the most
and un wholesome sight in
all nature, but could not.
Now that it is closed incident; now I
that we must have hanging and
else. we invite the public to c
be present. Come one, come all, and
behold scene the like Of which has l
never before occurred in this great
Valley, much less in this great coun- I
~, the hanging Of bog. Come G
md see your laws vindicated, 9
ally vindicated, see their terrible
look upon this thing desig.
, .ted 1.-The end of justice" and see 7
low you like 1t. Do not stay at home. a
Ehs law was made not so mach 10 8