The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-09-08
PARDOING CRIMINALS.

Nc LII
come to the aid Of those papers in this
state which are advocating tie estab-
fishing of a board of pardons in order 10
relieve our governor of the very oner-
Gus duty of investigating almost every
case in which a person has been con-
victed Of a capital crime. They look
at the situation from an entirely ron
partisan and disinterested standpoint.
These papers also justly criticises the
action of judges and juries in recon-
mending to the governor that pardon
or Communication Of sentence be granted
to persons whom the latter have found
guilty of the offence charged and on
whom the former have imposed SEN
tence supposed to be commensurate
with the crime committed as developed
by the facts testified to before them.
The editorials from the two papers,
which we quote below, are to the point
and the instances cited illustrate the
manner in which judges and juries Of
ten put unnecessary labor on b gov
ernor and try to shift to his shoulders
the responsibilities which their offices
require them to bear. We have no patti
ence with a jury which convict a man
and then ask the governor to try the
case over again and say that he should
not be punished, or with a judge who,
having discretion as to the severity of
punishment, imposes a certain SEN
tence and then recommends to the gov
ernor hat the latter should make it
lighter. There are some cases where
the governor should be appealed to,
but these are very few-Such as where
the statute leaves no discretion with
the judge in designating the punish
ment and it is considered o. severe
under the circumstances Of the partic-
ular case.
The two editorials referred to are as
follows:
Governor Glenn. Of North Carolina,
has uttered n timely and vigorous pro-
test against a condition of affairs in
his state which forces its chief cxacu-
I've to devote too much time to the
consideration of petitions asking par
dons for criminals. He complains Of
the action of Judges ard i1ries in de-
handing ." the governor that ne shall
undo the work they themselves have
done in criminal trials.
According to The Norfolk Land
mark Governor Glenn cited the follow
ing most remarkable case in point.
"A man shot his wife because she
would not live with him AS h fell
her child dropped from her arms and
cried. Wounded. the poor woman tried
to reach the child and comfort it. when
I.er husband shot her again. declaring
thai sinc9 she was dying anyhow he
Woulc. finish the job quickly. Positive
teStlmorry was to the effect that the
man expressed regret that he a not
E1ileu MS wife at the first shot. as he
TO do. Tho Jury properly
convicted the brute Of muract III the
him to be hanged told him thar his
crime was one Of the foulest known.
that it had been deliberate and Ore
m%editated. and nat he must not ex-
poet to escape -he gollows'
AS The Landmark observes. so far,
SO good" but the Startling feature Of
the incident is yet to follow Before
this bruta cold be hung Governor
Glenn was fctced to refuse him a par
DON. one Of the men who asked for it
being the trial fudge who had told the
murderer his crime was lone Of the
foulest Known. that it had been delib-
crate aid preme1 itated. and that he
must rot expect to escape the gal
lows"
This is. of course. an extremely OBJ
iectiorable case: but there is not q
governor in the southern states who
Nigh. not second with excellent reason
the protest made by Governor Glenn.
1t SEEMS well-night impossible to find
a brute 80 vicious. SO criminal and so
DEGRADED that a maudlin sentimental
ity will not seek to obtain fer him ex-
ecltivc cle1nency 1t is bad enough
when the uniformed public lends
Itself to such a movement. but it is
much worse when the representatives
of the law who in compliance with
their dutv to society have found him
worthy Of death or Imprisonment re-
sort to this method Of auieting their
too tendec co~nscicnces. 1t is nluch
too frequently the case that Judges n
Jurors are so carried away by their
sympathies that they try to set aside
the vcr,1icts which their better ludG-
ments found AMI approved.