The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-04-01
StatesvilIe Landmark.

StatesvilIe Landmark.
Discussing the re-establishmnnt OF
the guillotine in France Ia machine
to cut off folks heads) the Presby-
terrain Standard quotes statistics to
show that after the abolition ofcap-
ital punishment in France in 1871
the numbers of murders began to in
crease and the increase was SO great
in recent years that the restoration
of the guilatine was necessary as
matter OF self preservation. Continu-
ing, the Standard says on this sub
iect:
"At the risk of seeming savage we
must say that we rejoice at this res
toration of the guillotine. We be-
lieve i1 capital punishment. We be-
lieve that our country is suffering
badly for hangings. Apart from the
Gospel, nothing would work more
for the salvation OF the country than
q goodly number Of well-conducted,
well-considered and well-timed hang
ings. Be it understood that we want
10 hangings by mobs, made up for
the most part of brutal ruffiaDs; nor
are we particularly concerned about
the hanging of poor, ignorant ne
groes who have neither friends nor
money to interpose in their behalf.
The kind of hangings that would do
good is where a capital offense is
clearly proven against a man of
some standing, who has money. and
who has employed shrewd and I'M
scrupulous lawyers to exercise their
talents to the utmost to defeat the
ends of Justice. There are plenty of
opportunities for such hangings, of
opportunities that are going to
waste Opportunities OF this kind
are afforded by men who have killed
their wives, killed them with circum-
stances of aggravated cruelty; and
by men who tote a pistol around to
defend their "honOr," and who have
killed men to avenge a petty insult.
eve believe in capital punishment
because we believe in the Bible.
That old book speaks out in no I'M
certain sound: Whose killeth any
person, the murderer shall be slain at
the mouth of witnesses. Moreover, We
shall take no ransom for the life OF a
murderer that is guilty of death, but
he shall surely be put to death.
That is plain enough, but that snot
the end of the matter. God proposes
to have a reckoning with those who
trife with that requirement. so ye
shall not pollute the land wherein We
are; for blood it polluteth the land;
and no expiation can be made for the
land, for the blood that is shed there
in, but by the blood of him that shed
it. We verify believe that God has
a controversy with our land because
it is polluted by the blood that has
been shed therein for which no expia-
ton has been made. Let us have
some hangings that will mean some
thing, that will make the man who is
capable of taking the life Of his fellow,
think seriously about how it would
feel to have q halter around his neck
and his feet dangling in the air with
no support in reach. Such seeming
cruelty will be great mercy toward
the innocent"
In these days when there are SO
many silly sentimentalists who des-
ignate capital punishment as a relic
of barbarism and talk about "cruel-
ty" while the brute who has mania
to kill goes abroad and kills almost
with IMMUNITY, it is we'll to ponder
these sensible and timely utterances
of the Standard. Similar doctrine
should be preached by every news
paper and from every pulpit