The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-02-06
The Reign Of Crime-Our judicial Al.
th0ritics-Somc Wholesome Examples. y

Inc Reign Of Crtmc-Our Judiciai AN.
thoritics-somo Wholesome Examples. y
The reign Of crime and criminals In this
city Of all kinds and degrees, the alarm which
prevails among our peaceable citizens touch
ing the insecurity Of their lives and property,
the rumors of movements afoot looking to the
last resort of vigilance committee, we are
glad to hear have at length made some impress
sion upon our responsible city authorities. We
are pleased to hear that Mayor Hall and the
District Attorney have resolved that something.
shall be done to bring down these law-defying
elements of rufianism under the terrors Of the
law, and are still more pleased to see, in behalf
Of law and order, that our criminal courts are
beginning to act promptly and decisively in
making some wholesome examples of con-
victed felons.
Judge Barnard on Thursday last, in the
Court of Oyer and Terminer, made number
of such examples The first was the case of
George Jones, ''the belligerent burglar, con-
victed in reference to his unlucky Bond street
adventure. The Judge, in passing sentence,
acquitted the prisoner of the charge
OF attempting to shoot the officer,
but said it had become necessary
for the courts to deal vigorously and
promptly with those convicted of crime in
this city, in order to insure protection greater
than at present exists for good citizens" And
SO Jones was sent up to Sing Sing for twenty
years. The next case was that of James
McNamee, convicted Of robbery in the first
degree sent up for ten years. Next came
trio of safe blowers, convicted and sent up for
two years and six months each. Next came
two house robbers, pleading guilty of grand
larceny; sentenced for five years.
These, we say, are good and wholesome
examples of justice, and we have some more.
Next, before Recorder Hackett we have the
case Of the alleged Michigan murderer, Boyle,
alias Francis, alias Peyton, very desperate and
daring rufian, convicted on two indictments
here, and sentenced upon each for twenty
years, making for him a term of forty years IN
Sing Sing. The Recorder next tcketed for
the same destination three bonded warehouse
burglars for FIVE years each, and another
burglar IOr ten years. AL LueSe cases III uotu
courts were on Thursday last disposed of as
above detailed, and other cases have followed.
This is the way to clear the docket and to
clear the streets and station houses Of these
murderers, burglars and highway robbers.
We have had frequent occasions heretofore
to commend the promptitude and decisive
action of Judge Barnard in these matters.
There is a prospect now that his example
will be more generally adopted than
in times past by our various other
criminal judges. If we could get the
same rule systematically enforced by all our
police magistrates we should soon have new
order of things. Our police courts, however,
are too much inclined to deal tenderly with
rogues and rowdes and there have been
heretofore too many slips between the indict-
mcnt and the trial, and between the sentence
and Sing Sing, and too many benevolent inter
positions in the way Of executive pardons.
We want offenders against life and property
not only caught, tried, convicted and SEN
fenced, but punished as the law directs. The
responsible democratic party of this city must
look to this or they will be displaced. Life and
property in New York ought to be as safe as
in London or Paris, but the existing state of
things here is becoming TIE scandal of the
civilized world.