St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-02-22

A lew years ago lnelS was q
cution in a New Jersey town and WITHIN
"a hours of and after the fatal hour, tour
foul and bloody crimes had been enacted
within the state, and one almost within
the shadow of the gallows. Nothing
could more fully illustrate the talsity OF
the theory of fear.
If the fear and the horror of bling judi
cialIy killed wot Id preveLt crime then the
disgraceful and horrifying scenes recent
ly enacted at Glasgow, Scotland Jersey
City and Auburn, N. Y, would forever
abolish this great crime. The New YORK
Press contained the following from Gas
COW: civilian McEwan, who was hang
ed yesterday, had his head torn nearly
offand drenched the gallows with blood
The New York Worlds news item on the
Jersey City execution, said, "HalIingers
death was more brutal than the crime Tor
which he suffered. Hangman Van Hlse
adjusted the moose so loosely that the
knot slipped under the chin and the scene
was most horritying. Father Finn'gan'
the spiritual adviser of the condemned
turned his back on the dying man anu
wept bitterly. DR.. McGill, the othciatlng
physician, said, "This hanging was an
outrage on modern science; Hallinger
was tortured to DEATH" But as.horrloie
as these cases seem, they bear no COM
paris on to the frightiu butchery commit
ted at Auburn, N. Y, states prison on
the person of William G. Taylor. Edlson'
the great electrician, says: UNLESS the
advocates OF electrocution are prepared
to kill their man with an axe, ii the ma
chinery fails, then execution by electricity
had better not be tried" Taylor was
placed in the chair, the power was turn
ed on, the machinery failed, they had no
axe; and the gasping, grooming hall muir
dered wretch lay for an hour breathing
in half conscious agony, w hen finally the
city electric light power was attached
and the remaining spark of life was
snatched from him. What commentary
on our civilization.
Then there is in nearly every case that
dreadful possibility that the condemned
may be innocent. Is circumstantial evil
dence reliable? Many claim that circum
stantial evidence is the very strongest,
but when we learn later, as the great
state of Maine has learned, that an inno-
cent soul has been sent from the gaIlows
or chair to it's long reward we pause in
: horror and demand some REFORM
, Judge Wing of Chicago says: "Circum-
} stantial evidence is unreliable and should
} ALWAYS be construed in favor of the de-
| PENDANT. In these days murders are COM
E mitted by courts more atrocous than
: than any committed by an Individual
What a declaration from one learned in
: the law. What must be the anguish OF
} an innocent soul who stands on the gal
lows or sits in the death chair, sent
: there by the unjust verdict of jury.
I'm that dread moment. how frantic the sou
f Raves around the walls of her clay tene
mentS.
} | Runs to each avenue, and shrieks Tor nelp
But shrieks in vain
q Man should never assume to do that
+ which if unjustly done he could not re-
? store. Man gave not life, and once taker
=. can never restore it. Cicero tells us tina
. "iustice consists in doing no injury tt
f man"
e Our Jury system is exceedingly defec
tive aud only the slightest investigation
$ is necessary to reveal the truth of Shakes
n peare when he says:
l. THE jury passing on the prisoners lii
Nav in the sworn twelve have thief or tw
d Guiltier than him they try"
u The great state of Maine abolished tn
y death penalty in 1876 and there has bee
L a steady decrease in hon1icidal crime:
Z Until the year 1904 Maine had neithe
{, a murder or an execution. Swiftness an
Is sureness of punishment are the true d'
~ terents of crime, not the possible barbara
" severity.
'r Let a good sober and sane discussio
IT, OF this question be had among our peopl
u let every man make his sentiments know
Ut to his representative to the next genera
u assembly, and then l am confident thu
AZ we shall have upon our statute books
Is law that will in fact express the w
and wish of the people of the state, al
Oh the best judgment of the enlightened ar
vs. law abiding people of the Comma
W. wealth."
WILLIAM H. JEFFREY.
,th East Burke, VT, Feb. IS, 1905.
,.. Mayor James E. Bur Ike was nominate