Publication information |
Source: Washington Post Source type: newspaper Document type: letter to the editor Document title: “Delay the Death of Czolgosz” Author(s): Walker, J. P. City of publication: Washington, DC Date of publication: 30 September 1901 Volume number: none Issue number: 9242 Pagination: 10 |
Citation |
Walker, J. P. “Delay the Death of Czolgosz.” Washington Post 30 Sept. 1901 n9242: p. 10. |
Transcription |
full text |
Keywords |
McKinley assassination (personal response); McKinley assassination (investigation of conspiracy). |
Named persons |
Leon Czolgosz; J. P. Walker. |
Document |
Delay the Death of Czolgosz
Proposed That He Shall Live Until His Accomplices Are Apprehended.
Editor Post: In my humble opinion there should
be a way found to turn the assassin Czolgosz over to the United States authorities,
until all efforts possible should be made to either secure from him a full confession
of the crime, and a list of all his accomplices, and of all who aided, abetted,
inspired, or induced his crime; or else to secure testimony or evidence of such
conspiracy or complicity, even if months or years should be required to accomplish
such end. I am one who fully believes that it was a conspiracy, and that he
was the tool of those who conceived the crime.
The crime itself was so stupendous, so gross,
and inexcusable, that all possible efforts should be made to place it upon those
whose depraved, but cunning, minds conceived it. The life of the assassin is
as the dust in the balance when compared with that of his vic[t]im. So let him
live in most complete isolation until either he confesses or the mystery of
the conspiracy is completely unraveled. Then there is no conceivable death of
horror that would be too cruel for his and their (the conspirators’) extermination.
Let every incident of his anarchistic life b[e] brought to light; every person
that he has met in the later years of his life be found, and every movement
and action of his life be detailed, hour by hour and day by day, from the conception
of the crime t[o] its execution. Let all the power of this nation of 70,000,000
souls, which his horrible crime has plunged into deepest grief and mourning,
be put forth to unravel the mystery, and bring the guilty to punishment.
But if it is too late to change the venue, then
let the sentence of death be not executed for a time, say one year, during which
all the efforts of all the people be put forth to trace out, link by link, step
by step, incident by incident, this most horrible and astounding crim[e] of
all the ages.
J. P. WALKER,
Captain, U. S.A. [sic], retired.