The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-02-23
COLUMBIA.
Saturday Morning, Feb. %, 1867.
Increase of Crime.

most curSOry readers OF the DeWSpa-
pers Of the day must have noticed
that of late crime has fearfully in
creased in Tie land. Like the East
ern scourge, it appears to visit us in
an epidemic form. And what is more
noticeable, its ravageS are not con-
fined to any one particular section,
but appear to be universal in their
sweep. 1t is true of the South, that
while nearly all the ''outrages" with
which she Is accredited are political
fctions, yet far too many tragedies
actually occur to indicate q healthy
state of society. But the East, the
North, the West, all are far ahead of
the South in that respect-and espe-
cially the East, the land Of moral
ideas. Not day but we are shocked
with the details of some horrid
oruelty practiced toward children
among our Puritan friends-murder
SO foul and unnatural as to strike
down poor, old and defenceless wo-
men, IL the dead hour ofsnight-
ravishments, rapes, seductions, child
murder, elopements, robberies, mur-
ders, arsons, in short, every species
and phase of crime have become so
common in America that scarcely any
attention is paid to their details.
We have become callous as people,
and we are beginning to place no
higher estimate upon the life of q
human being than we do upon the
existence Of q hare.
Upon tAe floor beside us is pile
of papers through which we have
just glanced, and it was the frequency
with which narratives of crime in
their columns greeted our eye, that
induced us to pen this article. Why,
in half hours time, we have read
the particulars of q dozen robberies,
planned and carried out on the most
gigantic scale. Outrages upon wo-
men, violent assaults, burglaries,
summary executions by Judge Lynch,
and murders are reported as occur
ring everywhere. The atrocity of
the rapidly succeeding instances is
not so much q matter of note as their
frequency. Every horror, almost be-
fore we get the full details, is sup
plemented by something still more
horrible. It is lamentable, indeed,
that the very frequency of these cases
has made the public mind callous to
crime; and it is remarkable, too,
that the great majority of these crimes
of late have not been committed
in the large cities, but in quiet coun-
try towns and in the rural districts.
Some Of the lawlessness that obtains
at present is due, no doubt, to the
late WAY, which has returned to pri-
vate life Z. restless population, which,
when not actively employed in some
thing good, is sure to stray into all
manner OF cxccsscs The war has
certainly schooled the American mind
to hold human life as something
cheaper :hnn il was considered SIX
years ag,. G;l5 the almost genera!
indifference nov 20 laW and order, as
vel! p: t.: Tx ,,'!sseG!:"nces OF the
acts 2t ltwlessGcss, IS greatly due, ia
our opinion, to the example set in
disrcSardinS the fundamental law of
the land, rs written in the Constitu-
zion; in setting 1T naught the dcci-
sions OF the highest court in the land,
unless those decisions chime with til
edlcts of q caucus; and in threats to
depose the Chief Magistrate of the
country, unless he consents to become
the President Of q party. With such
examples before them, il is not unna-
tural that the people ut large should
2eel at liberty to break lesser laws,
and 10 commit, by comparison, lesser
criDlcs.
NEARLY A FATAL ACCIDENT. The
Winnsboro NerS, Of Thursday, says: