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Helping Karl
Associated Press
January 2008
A list of executions in the U.S. from 1608 through 1972, compiled by capital punishment historian Watt Espy, shows that Texas put 755 people to death, ranking behind Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
But that number does not account for at least 335 lynchings — only Mississippi and Georgia had more — over a 30-year period ending in 1918, according to an NAACP study published in 1919.
The lynchings, prevalent in former Confederate states after the abolition of slavery, reflected a trend toward acceptance of capital punishment as illegal hangings "gave way to state-sanctioned executions," Marquart theorized in his book.
"It's ingrained in the culture," he said in an interview.
As governor in the mid-1980s, Mark White presided over the executions of 19 men.
"I think people of Texas are most fair-minded when presented with facts," he said. "They're not mean-spirited but are supportive of strict enforcement of law and severe penalties for those who repeat their crimes."
White, who was attorney general when executions resumed in 1982, said he wanted his office to be aggressive when handling the appeals of capital cases. That policy remains in effect today.
"My approach was: OK, everybody has adequate time to prepare an appeal, but let's not delay it and risk creating a backlog," he said.
That's what happened in New Jersey, which reinstated the death penalty in 1982 but executed no one after 1963. Last month, it became the first state in four decades to abolish capital punishment.
Other than a Supreme Court decision outlawing capital punishment nationally, there's little likelihood of Texas following suit.Michael Graczyk
Associated Press
9th January 2008
