, 1870-01-08
THE cABE OF WALSH, THE WIFE-MUR-
DERER.


DERER.
II is painfully evident that the protection
whicl the Law, or its administration, gives
to huuan life hns become so weak that it
mny be said hardly to exist The action Of
Governor Palmer in committing the sem
te1ce Of the assassin Walsh to imprison-
ment in The Penitentiary has been received
by the better portion Of the community
with thccr consteruntion. The murder
committed by Walsh was peculiarly afro
cions. It wRs ore of those cool. presnedi-
tated, nnd damnable acts for which the law
justly provides the penalty Of death. The
victim was rittuous, exemplary, and un-
offending girl Sednced into marriage,
her soul rerolted at the first inti1natiou that
her husband had aoother wife living. She
refused 10 i've with him, and sought to earn
her living l,y her own labor. Under such
circumstances, this villain bought pistol,
avowedIy to take somebody's life, waited
for her st her place CT employment, accom-.
panied her to her brothers door, and shot
her at the threshold.
Society in all the large citIes is engaged
in the terrible trial whether the law and lis
officers shul' govern, or whether organized
ruffianism shall ususp their place There
are here in Chicago, or can be collected
here in twenty-four hours, forty or fifty
strong, sta1wart, brutalized men who are
thieves and burglars BY profession. and
assassi1s whenever there is occnsion.
These men ipfest the streets, invade the
dvelllz &C Of our citizens by day and by
night, crowd all places c{ public resort, are
in every street car and omnibus, waglng
war against honest men and women. They
hpla the Law in sovereign roatempt. They
have all graduated 1T some reform school
CT reniteotiary they have all been con-
yicts, and none of them has ever served out
his full term. though mnny Of them hare
been convicted and sentenced over and
over nguin. They have no fears Of
an officer. When arrested they
use the knife or the pistol with
inapunity and, IL convicted, are to be seen,
Us general thing, in their old haunts with
in few months after their Incarceration
Within The last ten days thief, who had
been hhott time previously sent to the
peIitentia1y for burglary aud for stabbing
IN officer, committed another crime, and
again stabbed the officer who tried to arrest
him, and Is now ut large again. It has long
since l,een an ascerta:ned fact that a con
viction and sentence Of nny Of these ruf.
fms to the Peuitenti1ry amounts to moth
ing, becanse they generally reappear long
Defute their terms expire. And, what is
worse, j, is equally well known that an
officer Who undertakes to arrest any OF
these men does so at the peril OF his life.
In fact, be is the only one who is put in
jeopardy l,y the crime. While Walsh YVES
under sentence Of death there was q feel
ing Of Insecurity among the thieves anG
assassins Of Chicago. There was ptoba
bility that murder would be punished will
hanging. Then came the reprieve
and forthwith rufian on Ran
dolph street armed himself and CON
menced firing indiscrimlnRtely among
crowd Of persons who undertook to arres
him soz stesling. Grrroters took fresl
courage, burglars resumed their vocation
and rufdanism in general, assured that tn
g1llo~s whs never to be used again, bad
defiance to law and order With new zes
Governor Palmer has now given them
greater victory. He has advertised that
murder like that committed by Walsh doe
not merit bsrgiug; and it Is not possibi
that more atrocious murder should eve
be committed. It only remains for Cove
nor Palmer, or bis successor in Office, t
pardon Walsh wherever petition shall l.
presented for that pu1pose.
7tisu,ped M a defence to this act {
mistaken clcmeucy TINT the Mayor IN
Comm on Council Of Chicago 1equested th
commutst,ou of the septence,-as thong
that Ind any bearing upon the case. Th
Nayor and Common Council did not Il
wa1sh. They were no: members Of tt
Jury. They ware not even present at ii
tr,sl as witnesses. No responsibility We
upou 4hen; nor c.n the Governor divid
his responsibility with them. What is tt
use Of courts and iu1ies ii the execution (
the law il to depend upou petitions? Pro,
.h,r n na;oritv of those uho SIGNED IL
net;t;on n save Walsh from tha milo,
von,d sion another to hang him. or to ha1
ona NJ their oun nnmher so little nccou
Il .naae ~ a;on;ro nonara ph;rh do mi !
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c;aa th;s rase. and. If need he. to ras;st Il
1mpo''on''y ~ :" ootss "na ous D,a'
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