More on the death penalty issue. I looked up the incident of [Robert] Mead Shumway that Hayes referred to. Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty gives a few more details. The incident ocurred in 1909. I find it interesting that Hayes is forced to resort to an example that ocurred ninety-three years ago. Couldn’t he find details of a more recent execution of an innocent man? Furthermore, the story of the deathbed confession by another man does not appear to be well-documented–so maybe Shumway wasn’t innocent after all?
Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe has a great column today on the subject. He says, “Capital punishment saves lives.”
(Note: This entry is from my second attempt at a blog, called Spundit.com, and has been transferred here for historical purposes.)