OCR Text |
Show ITS "FINAL WORD." The Smoot organ had yestorday morning what it calls its "Final Word as to the Morris Hanging." There ought not to have been from its sido of the rasp any word at all on this question, for its course has been so reprehensible that any exploitation of that course was bound to result to its discredit. The organ printed in connection con-nection with its account of tho Miorris execution a lot of falsehoods and sen sational stuff that, had no relation whatever to the execution, and that gave a vicious and wholly unwarranted view of the discipline at the penitentiary, peniten-tiary, pretending that there had been found just previous to the exocution two knives which it. endeavored to infer in-fer Morris and Simmy were about to use for murder. All that was mere sensationalism. The strips of metal which the organ called knivos wore not knives at all, and were in no sense dangerous, but; were, used by Sirmay simply in perfecting what he supposed to he a patentable device. The organ says that "the people were entitled to an unbiased report of , it" (referring to the execution") "just as it occurred, with or without the crracious permission of those who wore clothed with a little brief authority concerning it." But an unbiased report re-port of the execution is precisely what the Smoot organ did not give, while as to those who were in charge of the execution, ex-ecution, it has taken pnins to explain heretofore that Sheriff Sharp was the man who had complete control, while now and heretofore ifc has been making thrusts at tho penitentiary administration administra-tion wliile considering the Morris ensc. It has professed great admiration for Sheriff Sharp in thin connection, and has takon pains io explain that ho was tho one in full charge, intimating that it got ita account from him or from those in his. confidence. Now it gives him also a thrust as a man whose "gracious "gra-cious permission" it did not seo fit to ask, although admitting ho waa ?' clothed with a little briof authority concerning it. " Tho .confusion of mind indicated by tho Smoot organ in regard to tho Morris Mor-ris exocution showed distinctly that it has not. at any time desired to be honest or accurate with Togard to that event; and if it has lost tremendously in public prestige by reason of its malodorous mal-odorous and crooked course with regard to that matter, tho reason for that loss is easily found in its own perverse course with regard to the wholo Incident. In-cident. Its explanations of its courso leave it worse than before, nnd, as we said, it would have been better if it had 6aid nothing whatever about, it, and thus obviated the necessity of hav-incr hav-incr either tho first or tho "final" word. |