The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-09-22

TO the person or persons making such Improvement.
Professor Morse may sell his patcnt, or the use of
IT. but application of his principle and his resuit
can be made, without his consent. Upon these
general grounds we understand the court at Louis
Vile to have rcadercd their decision. The case
will be carried up 10 the Supreme Court, and,
doubtless will elicit the best efforts Of the best legal
minds of the count y, beth sides of the subject
matter In Irrigation.
Tur "DnLY,'' OR SrUNG.SHoT For some
years past, an evil has been growing IN New
York, which has been Increasing in It's magni-
Jude from time To time, uatIl it has reached
a he ad tina. actually places the lives OF fellow
citizens at tie mercy OF the despera3oes, with
/ which orr city is infested. We allude to the use
If a deadly in trument, technically called a
"billy,'' most dreadful end dangerous weapon,
and which is nothing mere nor less than grape
shot, ball 81 lead, weiglt about four Or five
| times as heavy as musket ball, securely covered
with net work, and firmly attached to a flexible
handle, abou, six or eight inches in length, geuer
ally made of whaebonc or sometimes affixed to
piece of stout cord OF the same length. blow of this
| instrument, inflicted by an ordinary man, will kill
an OK, or horse. Our readers can, therefore, ina
CINE how speedily mau can b, Dispatched with It
One blow TIE skull, and the victim falls, never
10 rise again. Its size - so convenient that 1t
be caned in the pantaloons, or even toe vest peck
ct, v nth case. We credby informed, that II
is tavorie weapon W lth the bal!les and despera
does about town; the country can therefore see
at once the danger they are constantly IN.
especially riIoec yvI,o=s business rnir.afS dets,n
hem nom home till late hour, and those who
i've in dark aud un.requened streets. Another
dangerous characteristic of this DIE adiu weapon
is, The noiselessness with which Desperate can
dispatch his victim. Blow oft, applied with or
mary strength, viii bretk mans skull, rendering
him nsensible, and, ofeourse, incapable of making
any noise or outcry. II was only day or tyo
since that poor German was taken 10 prison
10 a state al inseEslbihty, and, on examining
! Em IL was discovered that he was victim to
! tie billy" y coroner's inquest was held on
| tie body, according 10 law,-but who could
! tell who The murderer was! There was bat one
blow struck, and that was accompanied 10y no
nose What verdict, therefore, could the Jury
arrive ~, but, "cane 10 $ death from blow IA
.lioted BY aomc person unknown" Many cases
| Of similar h nd have occurred within the last
year, and ihe perpetrators are undiscovered TO
lhis day.
We understand that the police force Of this
city. rumbf ring some ti2h, hundred men, are
provided with thcfa - bies." II this IS true, and
we have every reason to behevsu, We look upoa it
as hilhly improper, and think they ought to be
prohibited from carrying them There are, un-
doubedly many excellen, men in that department.,
but it is ms ceila,n that there are many bad ones,
too. Dut evan were they al good, we flesn IN
very much The propreiy OF allowing them TO cary
suoh a secret ard dreadful wcapon as this is. They
aIe, Undoubtedly, entiilcdto he use OF some Istru
mott for the protection Of their lives, wncn attack
cd IN the discharge ct their duties, but we wouli
not place The lilly IN ihcis hands 1t is too Sc
eret, too deadly and can be uscd a,th too much
| facihts ior the qualification Of private revenge
without danger 81 discovery. We wouli prefer
thom to have loaded pistols for their safeguard.
IN officer Is justified in taking lie when he is in
imiDeni dancer Ct suffering 10 lie or limb, from
attacks oi paItcs whom he comes in contact with
While in dischargc OF HI, duty, but he should eXer-
else that pIly!lece in an open manner.
This evil has incrcased so much as to justy N
chr opinion. law being passed by our Legislature
for lis prevention. No reile can be had from this
scnroe until the neSt session, but, in the m,an-
tine we think it would be advisable for the Co)i-
mon Corrc,lt 20 take tho matter In hond, a1d apply
a corrective 10 thr abuse, as flr as they can.
TIE INV srENlsnp CALIFORNIA, built by
Ncssys. Il wllnj * Aspinwoll, under goyernm at
pauon5 &c, let poIt yesterday, on irill i'ir, at