Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-14
Jailed for Four Lifetimes.

Michigan, upon the revelation OF
gross case Of injustice in the execution
OF an innocent man for a murder later
confessed by another, repealed the law
Of capital punishment and substituted
life Imprisonment. Recently q man who
was confessedly guilty of numerous
crimes of the grayest nature, committed
in various States, was taken back to
Michigan from the place Of his arrest
and tried for a murder committed In
that state He was. upon his own ac-
knowledgment, found guilty and sem
fenced to imprisonment for life. Should
ne ever be released through executive
plemency, he will be subject to arrest
and trial in other States for capital
crimes committed there.
Yesterday q judge at Ann Arbor,
Mich, sitting in extraordinary session
Of the court to receive the confessions
of three men taken a few hours pre-
viously for one of the most abominable
crimes on record. the murder of four
young people, gave them the maximum
sentences permitted by the law, life inn
prisonment In doing so he expressed
his regret that he could not send them to
the gallows for the expiration Of their
abominable offenses. But, ito make
doubly sure that they are never again
TO menace society" he gave each man
. life sentence for each Of the four
murders. mot to run coneurrently.
Thus, each of the trio is to serve four
slife sentences" one after another.
This seeming abSurdity is practical
measure for preventing the exercise OF
clenency or the grant of parole. There
is. of course, no chance of measuring
the duration of q life" Judge Sample
at Ann Arbor had no thought In franz
ing his sentence as he did that there
was any possibility of time limit. He
merely wished to stress. for the assur-
ance Of the public and the admonition
OF potential criminals now at large, that
the law, despite its limitation, means to
wipe these three fiends OF the lists Of
living men.
This case has been handled by the
Michigan authorities in q manner to
earn the praise of the country. The
crime was so unspeakably brutal that
it shocked millions Of people profoundly.
There was the usual fear that the ia
cilities Of escape which are so readily
available to the lawbreakers nowadays
would enable them TO avoid detection,
or that police plumbers would confuse
the trails and lead to no results. A tale
Is told of strange story brought to the
police BY q man who said he had
s'vision" in which one Of the murderers
was revealed. Whether true or not. the
tale checks with the outcome. The man
named was taken, his associates we're
quickly found and then, with renpark-
able speed, the three we're br0ugkE TO
the point OF confession and within
sew hours we're taken to court, just
ahead Of an inflamed public bent upon
immediate vengeance. and there, within
an hour, were adiudged guilty and SEN
aenced and set upon their way TO prison
Sor life.
Let the precise nature Of the crime be
what IT will, such ofienses as those for
which these men are now TO be removed
from society for the remainder Of their
natural lives justify the utmost punish
raent possible. Michigan was one Of the
pioneers in the abolition OF the death
penalty. Since 1t eschewed this degree
Of punishment, because OF a single case
III injustice, 1t has been the scene oil
some abominable crimes. and Of late
years the people OF the State have
shown q desire to return 70 the prin-
ciple Of capital punishment. The pres
ent case Is likely 10 intensity the desire
especially in view OF the sentiments ex-
pressed by Judge Sample IN sentencing
the three men at Ann Arbor. The feeb-
ing Grows throughout the country that
criminals are not adequately punished
that prison treatment is too moderate,
that too much consideration Is paid to
the inmates and that the parole and
pardon privileges are too generously eX-
tended. This reaction Is due in large
measure to the great increase in crime
and the belief that the criminal Is not
as readily cured Of his evil tendencies
as the proponents Of moderate treat
ment contend.
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