Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-11-24

been in the habit Of Supplying to whittier
men than any Of them dare to be for the
past three generations. Well-all this
indicates something in the bush. It is
not merely a fend-off against the severe
terms OF truth that can be lashed against
their naked carcasses. There is a reason
for this a~ll-at-once moral picking Of talk,
which is not on the surface apparent. We
think we have it! We suppose that Jeff.'s
chief reliance for an acquittal will be upon
the ground of the indelieate MANNER in
tcAieA he trGs captured. Shall the army
service be judicially segmatized through
the conviction, sentence and execution Of
a prime traitor, overhauled in such a
shameless fashion as was this leader Of
Southern Democracy: In this free oun
try, where life and liberty and the pursuit
Of happiness are said to be protected, shall
women be hunted down like rebels and
shall it be within the licensed ~prerogative
Of any vulgar soldier to hoist the hoops Of
any old lady he may chose to suspect Of
mistaken identity: No! no! Let JEFF.
go free; and let the indecent Michigander
who invaded her or his rights Of apparel be
hauled up before a court-martial and shot
COR his outrage on h~oopmanity. Otherwise,
behold the demoralizing effect Of this trial
upon the world! The logical conclusion
as to police right (military or civil) will
be pu. in practical force. George Birdsall
or Chief Burke, or any of their unholy
and unfeeling associates will have the
privilege Of instituting an inquiry into the
sex of any ladylike dressed object which
they may take it upon themselves to be-
lieve to be a thief or murderer in disguise.
We are more and more convinced that this
will be the strong and most emphatically
pressed argument in behalf Of JEFF. : Be-
cause he was caught in woman's garments
he ought not to be hung. But the soldier
who would sneak around and audaciously
pry up the ~petticoass Of an old lady,-he
is the one to be hung; on him should fall
the majesty Of the offended law. The
ministers of justice should be notified by
the result of this great case that the COM
mon promptings and principles Of pro-
priety are to be carefully observed here
after, in their discharge of supposed duty.
Even where the legal pursuer of a criminal
is morally certain Of the character Of the
teminine-clad game which he overtakes,
he must deal delica,ely with the erring,-
as he may be on the wrong scent. Now,
we have been credibly informed that sew
eral women dressed in mems clothes, were
at the theater, night before last, witnessing
"Mazeppa." We have been told, further
more, that they were married women.
Suppose that the husband Of n OF these
ladies, suspecting the whereabouts Of his
missing spouse, and DESTROYS of eliminat-
ing her from her secretly sought associa-
tons, should procure the swearing out
against heron the evening of her thea
ter -attendance,-of a complaint for theft.
Would George Birdsall, or Jack Perry, or
Jim Carter, have have a right to go into
the theater and adopt that class Of means
for detecting the alleged guilty party us
was adopted by the dirty and shameless
Michigander in Jeff.'s capture-cases Is
not the thought Of such a thing revolving
to all our ideas Of decency and the fitness
Of ferreting out q felon, whether female or
otherwise: Would not the whole pit rise
up in horror at such a mode Of proceed
ing, under such circumstances We know
this is a painful subject. But it might as
well be looked square in the face now, as
a, any other time. Ought not the rash
indignation Of a few Northern fanatics to
give way before the necessity for an ex-
ample on the score of National decency ?
1, is true that in this case Of Jef.'s, only
so much intrusion and insolence was in
dulged in as suf6ced to display the large
Southern feet, the boots and spur of the
object Of interest. But grant the right Of
the soldier to raise n inch Of those gar
ments. and you confess away the whole
case for the prisoner and the proper sane
tity Of his chosen habiliments. It is a
matter that does not admit Of concession ;
for allow the peradventure right to modest
the clothing at all, and there is no resist
ing the conclusion that it is q legitimate
proceeding to do all and any reprobate
acts Of investigation into the nature OF a
human being under dis.russ Of the officers
Of the law. And then you have only to
imagine that JEFF. had on ladies CATERS,
aud no extreme indications Of his mas
culinity. Authority in a common soldier
to look at his boots involves higher
authority, the approved power for higher
and more insufferable s~earchings. And
how many women are there nowadays,
who wear mems boots: That was
no positive sign Of sex. The soldier
nigh, have so considered. and pro-
ceeded accordingly. Is every woman
who walks Z street and discloses her leg
coverings quite as much as Jef.'s was ex'
posed. and shows that she has on a pair
of man-like k~ipskins-are such ladies to
be subject to supicion Of being, in fact, no
ladies: (Here is a seperate but cognate
poin. in the same brief.) Why, Go to
Deal & Gillman's; there you will see
ladies' boots that are of q manly cut
Why, women are seen in Virginia city
often. with pistols slung to their tender
waists; is that a cause for Geo. Birdsall
or any Of his staff, to make a legal tender
of their services to the parties so heeled'
on the same engcndered suspicion as afore'
said: You observe that alternate suppo-
%sitions, under this case, aggravase the ma
turs Of the crimes against morality and