New-York tribune., 1918-08-02
Paul Chapman
To the Editor of The Tribun

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: 1t is with deep regret that
The Tribune, long noted for its fairminasa
ness, finally join the ranks Of the .,.,
sisters" in reference to the Paul Chew,
case.
Is there any reason on this earth why
colo-oiooded murderer who received
1alr trial, and who was found guilty Of II,
cowardly crime, should not be punished q.
prescribed by law?
Is there any reason why we sbopla ,u.
ASIDE our laws for the benefit of a sneal;n.
vile murderer Just because he happens -
be Just over sixteen years of age?
You say that sixteen years is too vour,
to hold person liable for murder Th.rs
must be an age at which one is liable ora
suppose 1t were twenty-one. A man han.
pens to be over the age by day or 80 ard
according to one of your arguments ba
would be entitled to a new trial or a NOV
don because he was just over the ays
According to one hysterical female corr.
spondent to The Tribune, he was convicted
because he told the truth. and she wor,s
have had him lie his soul away to free him.
self. Such are the "sob sisters" of to.dav
No. Of course boy of sixteen is 70.
young to be responsible for murder. What
chance such supposition gives to thos.
who would get rid of annoying personsy
They would only have to get "boy" of
Chapman's calibre get him interested /,
some girl, innocent or otherwise, and at
once the desire for "a new suit of clotbs.n
would become manifest Tell him, "Here il
the money for the clothes, but first po and
Kill that person.
''That having been done, fall back on ,ho
sob sisters and after having spent few
months in Jail you will be freed. and mis-.
guided males and females will fall ava.
themselves to make fuss over you" Tbess
same people would probably tell soma
worthy man, who had "done time" becauso
he stole few dollars to save his STARVING
family, that he was misft in this scheme
of life and should suffer for his sins.
One only has to commit a particularly
brutal murder in order to gain sympathv
and, incidentally, the spotlight
You will probably take exception to tbs
statement | have made above in reference
to the girl question Very good; but should
you really care to go to the trouble of in
vestigating the matter you would find NV
statement to be true. Any "boy" canabJe
of being on intimate terms with a woman
is capable of committing murder with the
full realization Of his act
Should yon have advocated commuta.
tlon of his sentence to life Imprisonment
that would not have been so wrong: bu.
to want pardon or internment in 70.
formatory until twenty-one years of age is
too much.
At twenty-one he would be Just RIGHT to
propagate his kind, and another Jukes
family would be in the process of forming.
think the whole of the arguments YOUR
correspondents have written you NAV be
summed up in the following way: Pay no
attention to the laws as written: overlook
a foul murder because it was committed
by boy of sixteen years of age; anyway.
the people murdered were only obscure
Jewish people and were not as prominent
as the Van Wormer boys victim; people
Will forget the crime in time, and it won't
come out again until Chapman's children
are old enough to pull trigger and by
that time we will have laws excusing mur-
derers and it really won't matter.
P. E. ALLEN.
Danbury, Conn, July 20, 1918