The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-04-29
Tho Latest street Car Outrage.

arise.
The Latest Street Car Outrage.
The brutal and unprovoked assault on the
person of Mr.. Avery D. Putnam on one Of our
city railroad cars on last Wednesday night
serves to illustrate forcibly the increasing
holiness of the rowdy classes in this city. The
outrage referred to, which was murderous in
intent and bloody in execution, excites we'll
grounded fear In the mind of every honest
citizen. The argument that people may avoid
trouble with rufians of the character of this
Foster, by stunning their haunts and keeping
aloof from their associations, will not
hold good in every instance. Take, for
instance, this latest outrage. Here was
respectable citizen, accompanied by two
ladies, travelling in one of our city
railroad cars. A drunken rascal, with lust and
murder lurking in his heart, gets into the same
car with the unfortunate gentleman who now
lies at deaths door. He insults one of the
ladies, and because the gentleman mildly re-
monstrates with him he determines on re-
venge. Waiting until his victim is about to
leave the car he prepares to carry out his re-
vengeful intention. Accordingly, when Mr..
Putnam steps from the car he is felled to the
ground by the blow of an iron hook, which the
would-be murderer obtained, it is said, from
the driver. This, in brief, is the
whole story, the full particulars of
which the readers of the HERALD
have already been made acquainted with. A
more unwarranted and bloody outrage it
would be difficult to conceive. No offence
given, not even an angry word escaped from
the lips of the nearly murdered man, and yet
for venturing mildly to demonstrate with a
ruffan who was insulting to lady, respect
able citizen nearly lost his life. We cannot
regard this act but with horror. 1t was the
boast one time of the New Yorker that lady
could travel unprotected through our city
without fear of insult; it was also q boast that
If an unprotected female CHANGED to be insulted
no New Yorker would sit by and tamely wit
ness it; but we are afraid that time has passed
away, and the fear which the roughs
have instilled into the minds of respectable
men is exercising an unwholesome influence.
Interfere with one of these fellows and it is
almost at the cost of your life. Armed with
either knife, revolver or slungshot, or posi-
bly, all three, these fellows prowl through the
streets, travel on the street cars, lounge round
the barrooms, loaf at the hotels, and are, in
fact, to be met with everywhere and at all
times Of the day and night They are ever
ready to obey the evil instincts which they
cherish and which many of them are unable to
restrain. The majority of these rascals are
known to the police and to the car conductors.
The latter are in dread Of them, for these fell
lows travel in groups and can awe conductor
into quietness should he dare to interfere with
them. Those who travel on the street cars at
late hours of the night often come in
contact with the very same class of men as he
who nearly murdered Mr.. Putnam on last
Wednesday night The just and severe pun
ishments which Of late have been melted
out to evil-doers in our criminal courts
have evidently little or no effect on them
They run on in their mad career of
guilt until the gibbet is the end of some, the
bullet from the pistol Of companion In
crime the doom of others, while a number of
UtuCIo CSCopC oAeOSOsACA 0uCiA UuC uCcCAto uuU
still continue to disturb the peace of society by
acts as murderous as the one we have just
cited. In order to prevent recurrence Of
these outrages, which of late have been
numerous, we suggest that the police authori-
ties cooperate with the railroad companies
In the establishment of some plan by which a
policeman may be summoned to the immediate
assistance of the conductors In case of need.
Strengthen the conductors by assuring them
Of the assistance of the police, and there will
be fewer of these dreadful occurrences. And for
the cowardly rufian who assaulted Mr.. Put
nam, let justice, full and ample, be melted out
to him to serve as warning to the hundreds of
others who parade our streets and hold the
lives of their fellow man of small account
when they interfere, no matter how remotely,
with them and the qualification of their lusts.
The London ssExaminer'' and the London
~Times.o
The London Examiner of April 10 has
lengthy and not wholly complimentary article
on the London Times. The article is headed,
t'The Decline of the Times" Some facts and
not little sentiment, in the course of the
article, find expression. The Times is always