Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01
RY CLARENCE nARR0W.
Noted Lawyer and Authority on Grimm
IuStlCc

Noted Lawyer and Authority On Criminal
Justice.
"HE real reason why so many
people tenaciously cling to the
idea of capital punishment is
Il because they take pleasure in
infiictng pain on those they
hate. OF course. they would not ad.
NIT that this is the reason: at the
same time the proof is very plain.
All early punishments were mainly
vin6ictive. but then, primitive people
are more honest than civilized ones
and are not 50 anxious to hide their
motives. Civilized people think more
of themselves.
Primitive people used the death pen.
atty for all sorts Of offenSes and the
general practice continued even until
within the last zoo years. At that
time some zoo crimes were capital of.
lenses in England. Including poach.
ing and petit larceny. Not long ago
good folks not only used The death
sentence for most offenseS hut in
fiicted 1t in the most terrible WAYS
by hanging. flayinS. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
throwing down from high wall. cru
cifNion. drowning. stouins. starving
and so forth.
No matter what the method of kill
not the torture of notifying the con.
demned of the exact time and way
or his death hut physical torture
which 10 these simple minds was
much more obvious than mental tor
lure, As distinctions were made i'm
nnnishments. those offens. which
caused the most hatred like religious
and political crimes. were visited with
the savereSt penalties.
At no time in the history Of the
worid-not even nowhere he Of
fenses which are the most serious
punished in the most brutal way
From eve'y standpoint. except the
loss of life, murder is not one Of the
most serious offenses and not one
which marks the culprit as hing the
moSt dangerous and abandon ID. \
large portion Of the TRUSTEES in prison
are those who are confined for muir.
der and are under life sentences. This
IS because they can he relied on better
than those who are in prison for
many other offenSes. The terrible
crimes of the world which have al.
ways dema nded the most horrible ren-
eities are crimes like witchcraft, her.
esv, disappearing, Sabbath breaking
and treason. real or constructive: in
other words. religious or political of
fenses.
Most persons are familiar with the
case recorded in the Book of Numbers
where the children of Israel. while
5ourneying in the desert found a man
gathering sticks on the Sabbath dav.
They brought him 10 Moses and
Aaron. who We're not fully satisfied
what TO do with a man who was so
wicked that he gathered sticks on the
sabbath. so they put him in Jail and
sent for the Lord The Lord told
them that he must surely be nut to
death by stoning and so all the con.
crega ton took him outside the camn
and stoned him until he died" Many
more persons have been put to death
Tor wiichcraft and heresy than for
any, If moi all other crimes. and vel
few people believe i'm such an offense
as wltchcraft now. and only small
number believe in capital punish.
nlent for heresy.
Next to death the most popular nun.
fshment in olden times was Danish.
ment. This sentence at an early date
really mea nj death. II meant death
al the hands of wild beasts or from
starvation or thirst. In some ways
these were more terrible than sudden
Death Anyhow. the dissolution lasts
longer than lightning.
HE early Anglo-Saxons of England
made their statutes clear as TO
the purpose of punishment. They
provided as follows for habitual Grim.
inalS
AT the second time let there be no
other action ii, he be foul than that
his hands re cut off, or his <eat or
both. according as the deed may be.
and If then h~ have wrought yet
greater wrong, then LET his eyes be
put out or his nose and his ears and
the upper lip be cut off: or let him he
fcalpec SO that punishment he
inflicted and also the soul be pre-
served"
Those who believed in the most
cruel yengea nee were still worried
about the victims soul In the pro.
rounceTnent OF the death penalty now
the judge adds: May God have
mercy On your soul Probably this
is true. because the judge does not
know how 70 destroy the victims soul
himself ard the lawmakers aS a rute