The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-24
MONDAY, MAY "a, 1869.
THE HAGGERTY CASE.

THE IA GGERT1 CASE.
TgE Hagperty case in Its various phases, con-
tinues to occupy large share of the attention of
Tho criminal courts of this city and of the public
The time spent in Its consideration, however
will prove eminenty useful to the community if
the final result demonstrates that the people are
not poweriess in their own courts. Haggerty is
fair representative of gang of outlaws whoha
too long set justice at defiance. They perpetrate
whatever crimes they please, from petty larceny
to the most daring burglaries, and from
simple assault and battery up to murder and
then adopt variety of devices to avoid punish
mept They resort, in the first instance, to the
primitive plan of murderously assaulting any
policeman who dares to arrest them. This
is the common practice of desperate
scoundrels in rude and wild communities,
where officers of justice scarce and sympa-
thizecs with dashing rascals comparatively
abundant. But 1t is marvellous that it should be
so often attempted in a city which is not only
inhabited by many hundreds of thousands of
peace and order loving citizens, but constantly
patrolled by large force of policemen main
tanned at a heavy expense. Let us no longer
wonder at the inability of the National Govern
ment to hold in check, with a handful of troops,
bloodthirsty savages who roam over plains thou
sands of miles in extent, if, in great centre of
civilization, handful of desperadoes can hold
a thousand policemen at bay, and plunder,
assault, and murder with impunity. The
attempt to kill policemen deserves of
itself the most condign punishment, and
the New York judge who recently
committed a criminal of this grade to life
long term of Imprisonment had just concep-
ton of the nature of this crime. Haggerty, ar
rested at last, in spite of repeated assaults upon
hni
large sum is fixed, his serviceable friends find
man of property willing to become responsible
for his appearance. At the proper period for
trial however, the criminal does not appear.
Meanwhile measures are taken to forfeit his
bail, and as it is evident that the usual tactics
will not avail in this case, the most important
witnesses are tampered with, sent out of the way,
and now Haggerty and his bail, through their
attorneys are pleading for a speedy trial and a
release of the bail-goer from his obligations.
The arts of shyster lawyers and the devices of
bullying rowdies have been so freely and noto-
riOus!y used to defeat justice of her dues, that
this has become a representative case. and the
public warmly approve the efforts of the District
Attorney and the Judges to prevent Haggcrty
and his illk from giving new proof that they arc
above and beyond the reach of law and that
peace, property, and life in Philadelphia are at
the mercy of these tigers in human shape. The
public has become heartily disgusted with the
combination of the lowest and most questionable
species of legal acumen and open violence which
secures the immunity of notorious criminals
from punishment, by defying policemen. by
terrifying, abducting, or bribing witnesses, by
manufactured testimony or downright perjury,
by professional bail-goers by packing jures, or
by the most discreditable legal devices and the
most shameful perversions of the forms of us-
tice 1t is time that the practice of rcsortng TO
crimes even worse than the original offcnses TO
avert punishment should be stopped, and we
hope that in the Haggcrty case the Judges
will show mercy to the criminal or
courtesy to his counsel. The criminal
LAWYERS who have acquired the reputation
of being able to shield violators of the
law of every grade from punishment, in spite of
the positive proof of their guilt, should be closely
watched in the courts of justice, and confined by
the strictest rules. No country in the world
affords 80 fertile field for their perverted and
dangerous ingenuity as the United States, and
courts and juries should ever bear in mind that
they ought to be merciful to the community as
well as to the cunning rogues who plead pitifully
for leniency when they are in the dock, but who
use liberty only to invade the rights of their
fellow-men. The criminal ldloyers of the dan
are DOING nearly as much harm as the criminals
The professional successes upon which they
plume themselves act as powerful incentives to
crime and the fees they receive for sharp prac-
tice are construed by thieves and murderers to
he the price of indulgences for the worst
OffeDses in the calendar. Whatever can be done
to punish the desperadoes of the Haggerty stamp
to mulct bail-goers who assist abandoned rogues
to escape to crush rowdyism, TO prevent the
abduction or terrorism of witnesses and TO have
shyster lawyers shorn of their power, should be
done; and the lesson should never go forth that
the community can be rendered poweress in its
own courts by the arts of pettifoggers con-
ioiucd with criminal intrigues.