Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-08-13
HANG SUCH FIENDS
SAYS PRESIDENT
insanity No Excuse For Criminals
Guilty of Assault
PARDON FOR NEGRO REFUSED

Washington, Aug. 8. = President
Roosevelt has declined to interfere
in the case of John w. Burley. a negro.
confined in the jail of the District OF
Columbia under sentence OF death for
the crime OF criminal assault. the vic
tim having been a little girl 41a years
old. The president has directed that
the sentence Of the jury be carried into
effect on August &c. as decreed.
An application was made to the pres
ident to commute the sentence of Bur-
ley to Imprisonment for life, IL 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 investi-
gated the case and reported to the
president fully as to the facts.
In rejecting the application for the
Communication of Burley's sentence.
President Roosevelt made the follow
ing memorandum:
THE application for the commute
ton of sentence Of John w. Burley is
denied 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 JUS
tification 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 de-
gree of mental unsoundness shown as
would make people even consider send
ing him to an asylum II he had not
committed this crime Ucder such cir
cumstances he should certainly be es-
teemed sane enough to suffer the PEN
atty for his monstrOus deed. l have
scant sympathy with the plea of in
sanity advanced to save a man from
the consequences of crime. when unless
that crime had been committed II would
have been impossible to persuade any
responsible authority to commit him
to an asylum as insane. Among the
most dangerous criminals, and espe-
cially among those prone to commit
this particular kind of offense. there
are plenty of a temper so fiendish or
so brutal as to be incompatible with
any other than a british order of in
telligence; 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 IL 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 large
ly owe the existence of that spirit Of
lawlessness which takes form in lynch
ing II is a crime so revolving that the
criminal is not entitled to one particle
of sympathy from any human being
II is essential that the punishment for
IL should be not only as certain but as
swift as possible. 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 in dealing with these cases. the
more effectively do We work against
the growth of that lynching spirit
which is so full of evil omen for this
people. because II seeks to avenge one
infamous crime by the commission Of
another of equal infamy."