The New York herald., 1870-02-03
Tho Reign Of Crime.

Nothing In the history OF Christian cities-
the worst capitals in the worst ages of the
past--can equal or approach the .dreadsul
prevalence Of crimo in this metropolitan sham
BILE. Scarcely day passes without Its fright
ful story. Our city news is just now only
spared chronicling two more murders, similar
in character to the Townsend butchery, by the
failure Of the murderous aim In both eases.
Already in the one month Of this year we
have chronicled murder or attempted mur-
der for every day in the month, and not one
OF these crimes but seems inspired by spirit
OF fendish savagery equal to the worst act
men or devils could conceive. It is not only
that the pistol and the knife are on all hands
the ready arbiters of every difference, but it
is almost as If some general madness to kill
had taken possession of certain classes, and
as il this frenzy rioted in the certainty that
the indulgence of its impulses was absolutely
safe The worst feature Of all these crimes is
the readiness with which violators Of the law
push minor offences TO the enormity OF mur-
der. Here is an old man in Hudson street
who refuses to harbor q rogue that comes into
his house, and this refusal invites death
blow. He keeps his eye 40 closely on
the intruder into his little shop that
no chance is afforded for the theft
he went to commit. Ordinarily we
might suppose thief thus foiled would
go away and ply his craft elsewhere. But
no; he stays and murders whore he cannot
steal. To him there Is no difference between
these crimes. He would as soon commit one
as the other. He is equally ready to extend
his hand to take a watch or take life. He
would as lief strike as handy words, and
recks not at the thought that the hand that
strikes is armed with what will! make it unne
cessary to repeat the blow. He has a temper
so desperate and savage as not to be appalled,
by any consequence Of what he may do. The
men who shot at the plumber in his doorway
the other night sent the bullet intended to
murder him as their answer to some speech of
his. In a..recent murder in rumshop, never
yet investigated, the fatal bullet was retort
in discussion. 1t is so through the cata-
logue; and this readiness to kill is 80 noto-
rious that citizens hesitate to interfere with
lawlessness or violence of any sort, for word
may cripple man for life, and an affray is
certain death.
1t appears to us that the first cause Of the
outburst of crime here is in the vindctive, vio-
lent, desperate character of the ruffians of this
city, and their readiness to assert and perform
their own outrageous purposes, not only in
defiance of all law and order, but with abso-
lutte disregard to the extremity of the steps
they may take and the consequences that may
ensue. But what is it that has within few
years thus given the reins to the fury of these
numbering wretches? 1t is their conscious
ness Of immunity; their discovery Of the enor-
nous power that they WELD in our corrupt
political system, in virtue Of which power it is
impossible to punish them; the repeated con-
nivance in their escape of all the authorities,
from the policeman in the street to the
Judge on the bench; the state Of the law,
the state of the administration Of justice
in this city, and the state Of the public
mind with regard to the death penalty.
Scarcely less guilty than the murderers them
selves are the so-called philanthropists who
have unsettled the public mind with regard to
the propriety Of capital punishment. These
lunatic teachers of free love, who have broken
down the morality Of society in their assaults
on the institution of marriage, have also
broken down the great barrier of safety to
human life in undermining the only penalty
that appalls the thought of the murderer.
tbo hat %ha
doctrines of these persons have had on
the public mind it would never have been
possible for Judges to so scout justice and for
all the authorities to 80 connive at the escape
of murderers as they have done. Then consider
the direct effect of these lessons on the mur-
derers. Hanging for murder is played out"
therefore murder on-never stint your will;
keep the tools plying till ''the heart shall be
merely strop for the knife" For murder
there is at worst an Imprisonment of o few
years. For theft there is also an Imprisonment
of few years. Now, the criminal classes dis
tinguish between crimes only by the results to
themselves-the penalty therefore, they read
this-the same punishment the same crime.
Hence the butcher Bream believes that for
what he did in Hudson street he will have a
few years in prison, jast tas % %ssas szas asss might
if he had stolen the contents Of the old gro
GERS till. He is ready for that, but he ''does
not want to die"
But though the state Of the public mind on
this topic has rendered it possible for corrupt
Judges to triae with the safety Of society with
out danger to themselves, yet nothing excuses,
nothing can in the least degree pa1liate, the
heinous offences that have been committed
here in shielding murderers by the very
machinery contrived for the admi Illustration
Of justice. Our city is corrupt and rotten
with the guilt Of this offence. The Judges
ermine is dabbled in the blood of the citizen,
and he holds his place, not to protect society,
but to protect ite foes. Our municipal func-