Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1911-04-08
Justice Reformed.


great States # this Union, Justice
can be 80 strained tha, It deliberately
sentences man TO life solitude 10
the penltentiarY for the crime OF
stealing t"~i. r." press diSpatcbcs
from GeorG"t""n k"ntucky ,ssy this
has been "oLe. Sucn 4pervcrsion
should arr u-r the wrath Of every
man, ~om"n. "nd chIiA. Tue courts
OF great Safe have been brought
into dIsrcputo. The victim Of ttis
| remarkahie lad cial dcliverance was
culoIcd man, ana hi, otferse the
theft Of turkey on the eve Of
Cht's' mas. Iiu", the man had sciv. q
time twice befHr' ; but NAV lhe.e not
nave been occurring circumstances
Inc Dsre facts only have reached the
Iast, out tie one fact that life i'm
P''sopment may follow such q petty
crime is sufficient to direct emphai-
&c attention TO VIDA, appears, from
mus distance, u miscarriage Of Justice
IN the great Common wealth lying
south of the Obio River.
Th" question may well be ask d,
would this verdict have been rem
dertd if the prisoner at bar were 8
white mao? Does prejudice against
color in Kentucky prevent the al.
mln's'ratlon If justice, always sup
posed to be blind; and dealing with
All c'ssses equally and fairly, regard.
lees Of social casio?
Such condition of affairs is an
outrage demanding the interven ton
of some legislative or executive
authority with power to undo
gnevou- wrong. The governor Of
Nen' ucky ls man OF keen sense Of
the right, and the Poet does not
doub! that if this case, constituting
"a it does blot upon The fair name
of that great CommoDw poltb, is
called TO his attention he will cxer-
clse tha power the constitution OF his
State vests ia him and render mon
cratlve the verdict Of a jury Sane
toned under the questionable au-
thority Of cha bitual criminal act"
III discretion is not permitted in
the administration of such a law. it
10 high time that that law were
amended or repealed, for no good
can be derived from the enforcement
or statute 20 rigorous and 40 potent
IN power Tor evil. If. fortunately,
tho Sat: officials Of Kentucky are
unnlndful of the possibilities
resting upon them, not only to pro.
tect the innocent from harm, but to
protect the guilty from persec utiop,
then the senators from Kentucky
should take this matter up and de.
mand searching inquiry. The
verdict 10 question puts into the
record an act of barbarism. The
study Of penoloey in Kentucky has
been without purpose if the pc niten-
!'ary Tor life can be made the penalty
FOR petty ofTense. Somebody should
institute radical reformation in the
administration Of the criminals stat
u'es of this great old Commonwealth.
What will the world think Of this,
sovereign State of our great
Uuion?-W ashington Post.
The above is very excellent and
manly editorial, and ably defends the
poor Negro whose cause i. espousee,
yet case occurred right here in our
town which was worse than the affair
reported from Kentucky. Like our
sister state, West Virginia has an
habItual criminal act,' and when a
man has been sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary twice, and is unfortunate
enough TO be seut there again. no
matter bow small the offense. his
term must be for life. The Negro
who was thus dealt with in this town
was named Willism Banks, and he
wss charged with stealing two cents
worth of waste out Of Journal box
OF a freight car, Seeing the injustice
ot such a Statute, the editor Of the
Pioneer Press sought bis release, and
at;er an explanation 10 detail to the
then governor, Hon. George Wesley