Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-04-17
THE CARNIVAL OF CRIME.

All history goes TO show that the immediate
evils of war, the wholesale slaughter and ruln
which attend in its train, and mark with Desc
lation the sites where battles have been fought,
are not so much dreaded as its debasing effects
on the moral sentiments, and fostering of evil
passions, which might otherwise remain pnde
Veloped Familiarity with scenes Of bloodshed
begets in some minds a total recklessness and
disregard OF the value of human life. which
Often develops into a tiger-like ferocitv. As
founding the philosophic mind with the con
temptation Of the depths to which human ma
ture may descend. These lessons are no w being
impressed upon us by a series of the most ter
rlole crimes, which commenced more than a
year since with the assassination of the Presi-
cent and have continued until this time. The
oiack record extending through the daily jour-
hals, Tor ~ months past has eliminated in the
latest horror, the Philadelphia tragedy; muir
der so fendish in design and brutal in execu-
ton, that we cannot but believe that the farthest
limit has been reached, and that the tide of
blood Will now begin to recede. When We
consider the diabolical circumstances attend
ing this crime, the disproportion of the motive
TO its magnitude, the horrible butchery which
characterized it, and the unnecessary ferocity
which led the assassin to take a babe from its
cradle. and dash Its brains out without any,
thing TO be gained thereby, we are not only
startled and shocked, but are led to wonder at
the mental constitution of those philosopher
ilaLthropists of the Horace Greeley and
Wendell Phillips school. whose mawkish SER
sibility leads them to bestow all their SYM
patty upon the murderers, and have none
10 spare for the victims. As an example we
may cite the herculean exertions made by them
TO save the Maiden murderer, Green, from the
gallows. (whO IN cold blood took the life of a
faII \
avert the course OF justice, sending up
mingled howis OF sympathy for the criminal
and execration for those who carried out the
law. Thus, special correspondent of the
New DIRK Tribune, one OF the sensation
order. who visited Green a short time be-
fore his execution, speaks of him as if he
was martyr about 10 suffer persecution in
the cause of religion and humanity. He says
1.-The wretched man seemed to cling TO me as
IL ne had been wild for some friendly breast to
lean OIL. l did not push him away, but fondIcd
the Icor bog. He quickly became quiet and
talked with composure. he had found Jesus
he saIc- lie was prepared to die L will die
like a man. he said, and yet can't help feeling
that l am to be executed more to satisfy the
prejudice of the people than for Justice
and 30 on: until the readers ideas of
right and wrong apt to become somewhat
confused. and in his sympathy for the spoor
boy condemned 10 illegal torture'' and death
by the cruel myrmidons of the law, Is swal-
lowed up all pity tor that other .spoor boy''lyng
In MS blood with his brains blown out and
who died defending the trust confided TO him
Out upon such sickly sentimentalIty. What
good Is ii calculated TO accomplish! The law
should be potent for the punishment of crmi-
mails; not as means OF vengeance, but to pro-
tect society from the evil-doer and the guilt of
every crime committed by criminal released
from proper restraint, through the influence of
such philanthropy 5 that we have mentioned,
should attach TO those who let him loose upop
the community