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Show Grim Warning to Criminals JOHN MARKHAM, ex convict and brutal murderer, mur-derer, of an aged acquaintance In a $20 robbery, rob-bery, has been sentenced to die before a firing squad in expiation of his crime. Judge Oscar W. McConkie Saturday chose to Ignore the Jury's recommendation of life Imprisonment, as was his legal privilege, and fix instead the death penalty. The Telegram congratulates Judge McConkie McCon-kie on his courage. It is not an easy thing for any man to take upon himself the responsibility responsi-bility for decreeing death rather than life for a human being. But Judge McConkie, faced with the heavy responsibility to society of adminls-( adminls-( terlng Just punishment under the law to a con- nlMnH mnivWnr, rilH hi. Hnty t he SftwJlwlthJ I out regard for personal qualms. ' All too often In Utah history, and In the his- tory of other states, have Juries and Judges allowed their personal feelings to Interfere i with the fulfillment of exact Justice. Many a j convicted murderer who deserved the extreme i penalty as the only Just punishment for his j ' crime has escaped with a "life" sentence which j In fact meant In most cases only five or 10 t years In prison. Such sentences are neither -a deterrent to I murder npr a protection to society from fur-' fur-' , ther depredations of Individuals proven to be j a menace to society's well being. It Is an odd chance that on the same day ; Markham was sentenced to death newspapers should carry another story of robber brutality. In which another elderly store proprietor was beaten over the head by a bandit. That attack j did not prove fatal but It might Just as well have. The means, the brutality, the Intent to maim and kill were there Just as In Mark-ham's Mark-ham's case. Surely society must act boldly to prevent ' such murderous attacks. Surely one answer Is certain and severe punishment for those found guilty of such crimes. The knowledge that capture after a brutal robbery will certainly result always In a long l prison term, and In the event of death of the ' victim In execution, will stay the hand of many a robber. Through Judge McConkie, Utah has Issued a grim warning to criminals which Is certain to echo through the underworld, and which we hope will be reissued on every such occasion from all the courts of the state. |