Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star — 1890-04-19 ()

PLEADING RATHER SHABBILY.  The Conservative' Evening News and Post (-London) - says :—The one point made clear by the Home Secretary's statement concerning the Crewe murder is that he had no evidence whatever beyond that made public at the trial to warrant his hanging one of the bays When he had saved the other. Ninety-nine out of every hundred members of the public, and, as we know, the whole of the jurors who tried the case, were convinced by the evidence that 'George, the respited boy, Was the actual murderer, and that Richard was an accosory. only. The jury recommended both boys to rrtercy,l'and as they explained afterwards, they certainly did not intend to apply that recommendation less strongly to Richard Davies than to his brother. It was in clear despite of this evidence and this recom34e7adation that the Home Secretary acted as he did, .11d by his action he has demonstrated his unfitness for sue present post. It will not save him to plead, as he 'does in a rather shabbily ad misericordiam style, that the judge who tried the case concurred, in his views. 4:lntjary, with whom the great issue of liberty or death rested, were altogether opposed to those views, and r_ent out of their way to make the fact quite clear to -401 Matthews' mind before the execution. Surely in a touter of this kind the unanimous opinion of the jury °ught to carry greater weight than that of the judge; bat,whether it does or not,the responsibility for hanging Irtichard Davies rests solely upon the shoulders of the -dome Secretary, and he can in no way get rid of it. °lle result of the execution has been that the foreman of the jury has turned his place of business into a centre r't agitation against capital punishment altogether, and a'Other result will be that jurors of his way of thinkg will return verdiets of not guilty, rather than ran t4e risk of allowing an obstinate State official to hang !,liereon who, in their opinion, ought not to be hanged. Otis, and nothing less than this, is the pass to which °la' Matthews has pushed the matter.  . Writing on Monday night. the Liverpool correspond?tit of the Liverpool Daily Post says :—"As you were _last week informed would be the ease, Mr Matthews 'Vita afforded the earliest opportun37 Cr explaining the 'll/4riou.nd upon which he had hanged It:chard-Davies and ii.vorge. Tile question was put by Mr and though it did not appear upon the ItaPer, private notice had been given to the Home ecretary. This enabled him to piepare his reply, w,hiehhe read a document. His distinction that Richard '•uaviss, being all but nineteen, was a fit subject for the G:orge Davies,'who was all but seventeen, imperatively claimed mer_ty, is a nice reflection ?nu the recommendation from the jury. What the louse heard with surprise was the Home Secretary's declaration that troru a eaten' study of all the evidence he had, come to the eoriclus;ou that George Davies had lYzted under the influence of his eider brother, who had Initiated the plot and taken the principal part in its execution. Thii naturally suggested the question !vbether Mr Matthews had in his possession evidence 1,11 addition to that forthcoming at the ttial. lint Mr atatihews declitud to enter further into the matter. It is well known from published statements of thajnry that they take a view directly opposite to that arrived at by the Homo Secretary—a conclusion which agrees WLGII that reachcd by the people after a careful and lt.lxions study of the evidence publicly given. Mr 41.e.tthews was evidently grateful for the opportunity of stzting that the ju,.!ge who tried the case approved his "talon, and it is reasonable to suppose he would not have hesitated to clear himself from the new cloud under which hi .4 Minist.-rial nputation lies if any now r.ldenee was in his po-s ssion. As things now the answer is a. on •a-isfartory as ws, his doAsioff Cu appeal for Dit my made by the jury sal ehtiorsed by • the tation."  ;tl.-tv  /IR 111LAREN AND CAPITAL PUNISaMENL A news agency says it was intended to discuss in the, biYuse of Commons on MoiLlay night the action of the onie eurettary in regard to the Crewe parricide on a ZllO • t 4" fur tutoniumnit. • .1.1. r variuus r4a,sons,- howtii COUrz e dnotilueet wi!h.ung ualified.a.pproval the Opposition siae; awl i: prubebib, th.,rufore, L'4'at, the queAjou Wi,lQt, conyLuient