MAINE AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1605, 9 July 1887, Page 3

MAINE AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

# J The American State of Maine has reverted to its former system of punishing murderers with life imprisonment Instead of the gallows, - That plan was relinquished several years ago, owing to the clamors of certain influential persona, who thought any penalty bat hanging an inadequate one for wilful murder. But, however the extreme Infliction may be merited or otherwise oa the part of | perpetrators of ouch crimes, it is found m practice that it is attended by so manypeculiar obstacles to its own snforcement t arising from the special amount and degree of evidence often required by jurors before consigning accused persons to an irrevocably fatal doom, that, as a matter of fact, the gallows has tended to prevent the conviction of eoraa of the worst murderers. Life imprisonment, whilst nominally lees severe, is far more certain as an infliction. Hence the Legislature of Mama haa now re-enacted it, and has passed a law under which murderers of the first, or worst, degree are to undergo that punishment instead of the death penalty.