The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-02-07


msnt. John Schmltt. the murderer, Is
TO he put TO death by the state ut
walla walla on April /. but for
moral effevt.
what. then. Is the moral effect of
hanging a manT'
None The answer came short
and sharp. Frank Kline is not a
man 20 mince words.
HAS HELPED HANG
MANY MEN
He sat at a desk IN the civil depart.
ment OF the sherifrs office. where he
is chief deputy. He took off his
glasses and faced ahout--a tall. well
knit man. who has helped hang
many men.
II didn't hang them personally.
myself he said. but l have been a
member OF the officiating party scv'
eral times-i2 or is. or some such
number.
And I never yet have seen n
hanging that wasn't followed by "A
crime wave-no. don't put II that
way. say. have never seen a hang.
ing that caused crime 60 wane--even
for a moment
Hanging has an effect all right
Generations afterward. a nclghbor's
boy win say TO tho little chap across
the street:
Jaw, who're your Your great.
great .grandfather's brother WAS
hung
RELATIVES. NOT NAN
HIMSELF. SUFFER
That's the effect. His relatives
suffer--somebody always finds them
out There IL no moral effect on
criminals: It's no punishment for the
man who ~ hanged.
There was Buff Higgins. one Of
the men l helped hang In Chicago.
Higgins went to the homo OF a milk
man and rifled the pockets OF his
trousers He got Is cents. That was
all he could find.
'sHe went in the room where the
mlikrnan and his wife were asleep.
He asked the millxman:
where's the rest OF your
money!
-The miikman replied that IS
cents In his pants pocket was all the
money he had
TT that's all you got. take this
said Higgins. and he shot the milk.
man dead. II. fired two more shots
at the terrified woman. but missed
her. and was hanged
I'LL BE sHOvEIING
CLOUDS HE SAID
ION the scaffold they asked him
II he had anything to say. lilo re-
piled:
Mot a word. In three minutes
moro I'll be shoveiing clouds
Hanging was no punishment for
him. but his family Is suffering the
stigma OF social exile
~Of all the men I've seen hanged
not one broke down and made a
scene at the last. They were glad
to get II over. And crime II on
Just the same.
I'm a way. hanging IL too good for
a man like Schmitt. But I'm against
capital punishment IL doesn't do
anybody any good. Its moral effect
on other criminals Is nothing: they
MINK tnfy ~ tSo N*"FNt
caught"
NOTE. pess hanging e~rs crime: ia
fin6a cat what seattle pespie think abcss
u. The stars fnauising Repsrsev to-day
te1ephon~d to five. psekesi ~ random In
she telephone directory. Their answer
fsI1sw:
QUESTION
What win be the moral effect Of
the hanging Of John Schmitt.
ANSWER
MRS. HARRY y. LOOMS. 7fs zsth
ave. s.. 1T viii help a Bit / think
II few more crooks were hanged
we'd have less desperate work In the
community. Also. I believe women
shouldn't be allowed TO serve on muir
der juries. They are inclined to be
too lenient-
r. r. SHEAN. 1868 Eastern ave.
well. IL he got any less than hang.
ing you couldn't expect other bad
men TO be impressed much with the
power OF the law. I'm for hanging
that fellow, altho I'm ordinarily
against capital punishment"
MRS. CARL l.. HAvENs. 1915 ~
45th St: II think 1t viii be very
good. The influence Of it ought 70
help in checking crime"
OTTO sEIFRIC. 5sf7 18th ave. s..
81 don't think IT will stop crime very
smuuuuunnIN1H Ccncf Ia