The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-02-24

ignorance of their duties are likely soon to be
taught to understand them But some of the Off
GERS have shown a disposition to atone for their
ieniency towards armed ruffians by displaying an
extra amount of ferocity towards less dangerous
offenders. They would have been fully Jus.
hhed hundred times within the last few
years in using force and even deadly weapons
In order to subdue the bullies who were
openly and defanty violating the laws, though
they have generally abstained from a resort
10 violent, or, indeed, any other measures for
that purpose. But we have noted from time to
time the readiness with which officers discharge
their pistols at parties who are endeavoring TO
escape arrest, and in several instances this has
been done when it was wholly uniustifable if
not criminal Scarcely week passes that some
instance of rash and reckless use of their wea-
pons is not related. Only night or two since an
officer unfortunately shot himself as he was look
ing, pistol in hand, for burglar, whom be sup
posed to be in the neighborhood On last Friday
night another officer shot at a man who was con-
ceang himself, under very suspicious circum-
stances, upon the roof of blacksmith's shop.
Conceding this man to have been engaged in a
burglary, if he had been shot under the circum-
stances detailed in the papers, the officer would
have run great risk Of being convicted of man.
slaughter. The thief, if such he was, was GER
tainly not resisting an arrest, and it would have
been for the jury to determine whether proper
efforts had been made to take him without injury
before the fatal shot was fired About fortnight
ago, negro broke away from the policeman who
was taking him to the station house and as he
ran he was pursued by the latter, who fired three
shots at him. The charge on which the negro
was arrested is not stated, but if it was a simple
misdemeanor, the officer would, if he had killed
his prisoner have been, unquestionably, guilty
of murder. Two or three cases have come to our
knowledge, IN which the officers have pursued
ana shot at little boys, who engaged in stone
battles; and had life been taken under such cir
cumstances, the offender would, clearly, have
committed murder. We do not allude to these
occurrences for the purpose of discussing the par
ticular facts involved in them for they NAV have
been incorrectly stated but we refer to them as il
Illustrative of the class of cases in which we are salts
he'd policemen habitualy stretch their lawful powers
beyond all bounds The law does not tolerate the
or from custody where he is simply accused of a
misdemeanor; nor does it excuse such an act
where the culprit is guilty of a felony, unless he
makes resistance or cannot be captured in any
other way. But officers, like other people here
have grown careless about conforming strictly to
the law, and unless they learn to follow it more
closely than heretofore they may, under more
rigid dispensation of justice than Judge STUMP
vouchsafes us, be compelled to pay the penalty of
their rashness. We certainly desire to see the
laws enforced at every hazard, and even to the
shedding of mans blood where that is necessary
to insure obedience. 1t does not, however follow
that policemen are 10 be suffered to patrol like
sentnels and exact, at the muzzle of the pistol
instant submission to their summons There has
been growing tendency towards this system of
bringing petty thieves to stand-still, and it is
high time that it was checked