-Written by H.L. Mencken, 1926. [2]-Thesis -The thesis of the essay is on page 395, and is the last sentence of paragraph 3. It states: "What I contend is that one of the prime objects of all judicial punishments is to afford the same grateful relief (a) to the immediate victims of the criminal punished, and (b) to the general body of moral and timorous men." -Means that in the authors point of view, one of the key points of punishing a criminal is to give some sense of relief to the victims, and even to the law-abiding public in general -Th ....