The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-13
FRIDAY, APRIL IS. 1866.
The Point HOUSE Tragedy.

Tup thrill of horror which ran through this
community when the recent terrible massacre
uear tho site of the old "Point House" was
arat announced. is now succeeded by an emo
lion of satisfaction proporlionably intense, in
consequence of the arrest OF the murderer
The slauehter OF eight persons in daytime,
within the limits of the city, for the sake of
thunder alone, and its discovery, by accident
about four days afterwards, is, perhaps, the
most remarkable instance of homicide within
the criminal annals Of this country. 1t is diff
cult to comprehend how the human mind,
however depraved, could contemplate such an
inhuman butchery of delenseless women and
children, from mete motive of cupidity, and
without pers onal malice towards the victims,
much less execute the purpose in cold blood.
Atrocities Of this character are continually
happening in all communities; and while
philosophers may speculate as to the moral
and mental pe1version from which they
spting, the great body of the people are more
Immediately concerned in the detection Of
crime when committed, and its certain and
prompt punishment.
The particular case in view illustrates, in
most striking and impressive manner, the
impossibility or next to impossibility of per-
petrating a murder almost anywhere, but
especially in a city like this. with impunity.
Escape is out of the pale of the doctrine OF
chances. There seems to be divine provi-
dence that pursues and surrounds and con-
trols the fugitive mansayer wherever he may
turn in his wild and frightened flight from
Justice, and which meets him at all points with
the question-"Cain, where is thy brother
what hast thou done? The voice of thy bro
ther's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'
And it is this power of the almighty and all
seeing God, working in the conscience of the
most hardened criminal, which bewilders him
in his efforts to flee away from the law, and
often leads his feet into the very tolls of the
detectives. Hundreds of thousands of eyes
are looking, and hundreds of thousands of
ears are sharply listening, to catch the muir
derer, into whatever paths he may wander, or
place OF conceaiment he may seek for refuge
and safety.
Justice in this instance has not been slow
in her pursuit and arrest of the assassin.
Though he had time to have gone hundreds
OF miles away from the scene OF his crime,
something mysteriously held him here, and
he was taken last evening at point not re-
mote from the spot where he brutally slew
all the members, but one, of an entire
household. His trial, of course, will
be little more than a form. His
guilt is put beyond question by his own con-
fession. And the interval between his con-
viction and execution should be only long
enough to satisfy the requirements of
Christian decency and mercy. The swiftness
Of discovery and punishment in a case like
this is necessary for the sake of example. The
evil-doer must be impressed by wholesome
terror, in order that the security of society
may beiincreased and strengthened. Crime
abounds to a fearful extent, and requires to.
be checked by the severest discipline of the
law. Our police have discharged their duty
most laudably, and what now remains to be
done, depends on our Criminal Court, which,
no doubt, will meet the emergency in an ex-
emplary manner.