, 1869-09-29
TIE KNIFE AND TIE PISTOL.

Violence often seems 10 be epidemicl. |
One startling crime is frequently follo~ed
by others equally .t1ocious. For nine days
in succession have We been called upon to
record cases Of violence in this city in
which the knife or the pistol has been
employed In addition to this, We have
bad more thau the usual number of acci-
dental calamitiea. We are aware TINT Grim
insls copg1cgate IN large cities, and that the
actors in most Of the bloody scenes Of the :,
Inst ten DAYS are Of this disreputable class,
II this violence be, in fact, epide mic; il,
when one bully stabs CT pistols his fellow,
some other rufian is seized with an ifre-
presslble desire to gain like notoriety,
ought not there be some preventive M well
as remedial proceedings hy the authors
tiesg Human life is held at too cheap
Price. Tie thief who steals bread, or cloth
ing, or fire wool is ssmorsely hunted down,
tried, convicted, and punished ns felon.
The n.un Who stalls another becomes, not
Only hero among his comrades, but the
blood upon his hands seems to fascinate
and overpower the authorities. Grand
jurors, wEo indignantly ndiet the petty
tEief, hesitate and draw nice legal distinc-
tious in the case where human lie has been
taken. The gentleman under arrest has
rights; TO iudict a coSardly ASSASSIN is q
serious business n, provocation is re-
garled as justification for stealing, hut
my provocation is regarded as sufficient for
the destruction of life by the pistol, the
b!uaseou, OF the knife. Petit jurors ase
affected with the sa1no mawkiah sentiment
tality for blood. stained criminals. The
man u 10 csn show blood on his hands, no
un.te1 how brutal, eowar1ly, and SHAME
ltss his act may be. can rely on an elaio-
rnte sad careful opposition Of the various
p1ete9ts upon which jury may and ought
10 ac4nit him. Homicide is, in contem-
{,lntieu af law and Justice, murder until the
contrary is shown. Jnries reverse this rule,
and luld TINT homicide is lawful until it is
shown to be Otherwise. The murdered NM
can giIc no evidence, and, if the jury bs
compelled to convict, thes generally accom-
yEny their conviction with recommends
,ion for pardon. It is painful commen
tary upon the administration OF justice tba
there is not notorious rufhan, bully, assas
sin, burglar. or ganoter in Chicago, WIZ
has ever been convicted, who has not becz
Tardoncd out Of the Pcuitentia1y at lens
once, and, in nany cases, twice.
The proper cdurse to pursue with GRIM
when it becomes epidemjcal is that know
to the Board Of Health as the "stampiui
out process. The man who usea tn
pistol CT the k.itc ought to be treated il
the most summary manner known TO th
Law. He ought to be tried within ten day
II the commission Of the crime, and, whe
convicted, kkon'd BE- Kept u convict foz hi
full term. He should, from the moment b
violates the Law, be treated As q violator {
tho Ing, and, when convicted, should h
punished as such. This sentimentaht,,
which defeats justice and encourages crims
and which renders human life Of SO lit
value that i. may be taken BY my ruf8u
with isupunity, is MI wrong, and the 4
spo1 nbility for it rests upon jurors ard Il
public authorities. In some places IN III
country horse-stealiug is held to be SO 70
crime that the person guilty OF it is tnkt
out Of The hands Of the Law and hanged
the owne.s Of other horses. IT
uaan who E,ea1s horse in those loca
tics docs so with the know1edl
that, II csptured, his Life will be- forfeiie
Tho Law nomina1ly warns the man vi
takes the life Of another that, if convicte
lie will be hanged, but the Law, as prac
cally executed, haa no such terror for t
naassin. He knows that the moro hideo
tho crime the more careful Will be bis III
nnl that the less e1tenunting circumstans
,hcrc may be in his case, the greater eff
viii lc made to let him of. Ia it, The
fore, surprising that the pistol and the In
are ut premium, and that burglars .
causcenceless DULLES Btalk through
halls Of Justice, bidding the tiuaid ot1ic
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