Evening star., 1960-05-06

WlIlllll pIlSOLl Walls U6CduSS IL
only brought newspaper head
lines after Chessman became
an International figure.
Is it not time we publicly
aired this subject of capital
punishment and debated it
beyond the academic level?
Or should we believe that
there is enough of the bar
barian in each of us that
rationalizes into a public
sadism?
Samuel Lightman.
= -
AS a classic monument to
the extravaganza of human
ignorance the Chessman case
stands alone in supreme
grandeur, towering head and
shoulders over the most
shocking of ancient, barbaric
inhumanitieS. A sordid epic
Of unprecedented proportions,
it tranScends the tolerance
Of human dignity and rat
ties the conscience of even
the most callouS of men. And
it is this overwhelming power
of guilt and Illustration that
betrays The Stars editorial,
"CheSSman-and Victim"
Briggs d. EversOn.
Caryl Chessman is dead.
Long live capital punish
ment! 1t took approximately
twelve years before Chessman
was finally strapped in the
chair in the gas chamber at
San Quentin, but finally and
triumphantly the State of
California had its day of ret
ribution. Following the ex-
ecution j. Miller Leavy, who
prosecuted the Chessman
case, self-righteously declared
that "juStice has been served.
:" Has it? Could not
justice have been served more
effectively by Imprisonment
and, we might hope, reforma-
ton of character? Or could
justice be rendered only by
the lex talionis which, as a
matter of fact, was not ap-
piled in the Chessman case
in the strict sense of the
term?
Why is it that we as a
nation find it necessary
with the exception of seven
StateS) to retain capital
punishment with its hor-
rendous irrevocability when
countries such as Argentina,
Belgium, Israel, Italy, Mexico,
Norway, Sweden, Switzer-
land, the Netherlands and
Uruguay have abolished it?
Is it not time for us to do
away with a punishment
which is barbarous, uncivil-
lied and indeed unchristian?
I most emphatically think so.
William Lloyd Fox,
History Staff, Montgomery
Junior College.
+ +
CheSSman, according to the
press, spent 20 of his 38 years
in prison for kidnapping, rob-
berry, perverted sex attacks
on two women. If we discount.
the $4.82 to 81 as an average
for State and Federal main
tenance, the taxpayers paid
$29,200 plus to house, feed,
clothe, protect and, of course,
entertain this man-whose
conviction was reviewed by
more courts and officials
than any historic criminal.
This is for a man 38 years
old. Life Imprisonment? Give
him a life expectancy to 70
years, and you have him
under public maintenance for
"a more years at 81 per day
minimum. That is approxi-
mately $4,000 to add to the
$4,000 or around $4,000 cost
to the State of California!
But this cost overlooks en-
tirely the prime purpose and
public need, which is de-
terrence, example and healthy
existence of all of us. Add to
this the constant risk of es-
cape with or without vio-
lence), the sob-sisters' tears
on the shoulders of parole
and pardon officials and the
dumping back upon the pub
lie for repeated crime-as in
the Mallory case. The Mother
we'll case is another where
every safeguard was thrown
around the accused.
Thou shalt not kill"-Do
you kill a snake? ChesSman
is of no interest. The public
and its safety are of interest,
and Cheeseman's execution is
directed, as an example to
others, toward those inter-
ests.
Warren w. Grimes.