New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-30

What Three Men Who Were To
BE Electrocuted Wrote

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Five years ago last month three
men went TO the electric chair in Sing
Sing. Three days before they gave
to me, their warden, the letter Of which
inclose a copy. As the abolition of
capital punishment is again being
pressed you may wish to print it.
need not dwell upon it's fire and elo-
quence; it speaks for itself.
had expected to read it at the
hearing held in Albany on March II,
but at the last moment found myself
unable to attend.
Possibly the last appeal of these
men, now dead, may reach the hearts of
some who will not listen to the living
voice. T. M, OSBORNE.
Three doomed men in the lighthouse
of Sing Sing appeal to the people of
the State of New York.
The three men doomed to die in the
early morning of February 26 in the
death chamber of Sing Sing make this
appeal from the brink of the grave.
Are you, as humane members of
this commonwealth, justified in taking
human life because we did? Did two
wrongs ever make right?
There is not one of us who would not
willingly die if it would restore to life
those who died by our hands, Owing to
our acts, remorse, sorrow, ignominy
and shame have been our companions
day by day through the long, sleepless
nights.
We realize keenly that we will suffer
least by our own death, for we know
full we'll that some day, some time, all
OF us must pass beyond that mysterious
veil of eternity from whose bourn no
traveller has ever returned.
We make this appeal to YOU not 80
much to save our lives as because our
ignominious death strikes beyond the
grave and will bring sorrow, woe and
care to those near and dear to us and
who will suffer most by our untimely
end.
Picture this! Think of this!
Then If you can, by word and pen,
demand from your representatives at
Albany that capital punishment, this
relic of ancient times, this stain on
humanity, be wiped out from the stat
ute books.
only a few months ago our President
appealed to the people of this country
OF all natlonalities to attend their vari
Gus places of worship, there to prav
and plead to the Almighty that the muir
der, carnage and slaughter in Eurone
might cease
Is the cause for our destruction anv
greater than that between nation and
nation now engaged in bloody warfare ?
therefore we appeal to you not only to
pray for us, but to demand the abolish
ment of legal murder.
If we believed that our s1auch+er
would act as deterrent to future
murders we would willingly render up
our lives to society, if it would erase
from human nature the causes which
tended"to our crimes.
Can you recall single instance in
ali your lives where the horror Of the
death penalty stayed the hand of a
murderer? We know we never cav.
it a thought.
Murder is mostly the result of two
great human passions, that of uncon-
trollable> and insane jealousy or q
oevourlng anger reused by the demon
dunk, both of which so blur the human
mind as to make the persons tempo
rarlly insane. jealousy and anger
reused by drinking were the causes
of the tragedies in which we three
men were involved.
If this is to be our last word vo
send it forth in the hope that if f.
avails US nothing it may perchance aid
some brother who may fall by the wav-
side.
IN conclusion we offer up our PRAYERS
that you will not cast us aside into
utter darkness by disregardine our
plea from the shadows of the grave
we admit our sins and prav to God
Tor forgiveness at the hands of our
brothers and the Almighty.
VINCENzO CAMPANELLI.
ROBERT KANE,
OSCAR VOGT.