Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-11-12
The General Complaint.

From every portion vi S"Aiiohhia' "S "'A
n, from our own Territory, come complaints
of the laxity Of the courts of criminal juris-
diction. This dissatisfaction is not confined
To any one section of the State, nor are the
comuiaints directed to any particular court,
but the press Of the southern, central, eastern
and northern counties of California speak in
rho same tone, and talk Of vigilance commit
tees as an almost inevitable result of the pre-
sent rampant reign of crime. We published
a few DAYS ago an extract from the Amador
Ledger, strong opponent of FiSilancism,
which nevertheless foretold the coming storm.
The Sacramento papers speak in the same
tone. and we have now before US the Sierra
Democrat, which, speaking in condemnation
of mob law, says:
We have witnessed mob executions. and we OBJ
s.rv.d thar some of the worst characters in the
community We're foremost in launching the miser-
able criminals into eternity. On such occasions
strange infatuation and remorSsIesS thirst Tor
blood seems to actuate these wretrhes IlS"r-
nuS execution of the laws, and stern ana unDcnu-
ing Justice between man and man. on the part OF
courts and Judges, is all the remedy thar IL needed
IN stop the frequency OF cold biooded muraers'
Now, ii man who Stays another has neither mo-
nrv nor friends. he stands but poor SHOW OF es-
came and in nine cases out of ten his punishment
will be rigorous and speedy. But il u murderer
has money and influential friends he Is safe
enough from punishment. He can nave ms Gaze
postponed from term to te-m, until All eNcltelnent
and almost all memory Of the affair has gone from
the pu bic mind Then he can get change OF
venue and going 10 Il county of his own choice,
prrhaps. he manages through his lawyer to get Il
pliahle or convenient jury to try his case, who
either disagree acquit him. aud thus the farce
ends This picture is not orerdrawn- Almost
every county in the State has witnessed such
damnnble proceedings Too many privileges are
conceded 10 criminals. That's what's the mat
ter"
We have had homicides enough in this
Territory within the past twelve months to
tcrrify whole civilized nation. Is 1t posi-
BILE that they have all been justifable' One
would hardly suppose so. Yet what has been
the result in the few cases that have gone
through the form of legal investigation:
What murderer has been punished in the
manner prescribed BY our Territorial Laws
for the punishment for murder: Zone young
man, whose name we have forgotten, was
hung at Dayton last spring.
The land runs fairly red with the blood Of
slaughtered men, and homicide has become
so daily and hourly an occurrence in our
midst, that when day passes that is un-
marked by ga man for breakfast" it is the
subject of remark. The mass of the people
of this Territory are not worse than others
Crime is as repugnant to them as to those of
other lands, but, like anything else, familiarity
breeds a sort Of indifference at last, and the
sound of " murder" has ceased to create the
SILVER of horror which it produces elsewhere.
The people would be glad to have this reign
of terror come to an end. They look hope
fully to the Courts for an example, which
shall strike terror to the hearts of the desper-
ADDE'S, who seem to have made this country
their headquarters. They have hoped this
for great while, but the fruition thereof
seems yet far of. We are not aware that
they are, however, a more patient people
than those of other countries, or less likely
TO break forth suddenly into an ebullition of
rage, and do those things which law-abidins
citizens regret to behold. We do not know
that there has, been any culpable negligence
on the part of the ministers of the law, or
anything in the proceedings of our Courts
that justifes charge that crime is winked
at. 1t may be that the killers of men have
all been innocent, or that perjury in the wit
ness box, or bribery Of juries, may have set
the criminals free. But they do by some
means or other manage to evade the penalty
of the law, and people will talk"