The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-03
Public Sentiment on the Street Car MUIR
daP.

der.
The Coroner's inquest on the car hook MUIR
der came to a conclusion yesterday with
verdict against Foster, and he was immedi-
ately indicted by the Grand Jury. The testi-
mony was quite interesting, but 1t developed
no new facts. 1t was discovered, however,
during its progress that Foster was not with
out friends. and that heavy pressure was
being brought to bear In his favor Money
and influence, 1t is believed, will not be lacking
to secure him immunity for his crime. The
Coroner who conducted the inquest yesterday
showed himself fully determined to do his
plain duty in the matter, and we can depend
upon our Judges to present front equally
impervious to Establishments or frowns.
It may be seen from the communications
which we publish this morning how thoroughly
public indignation is aroused by the murder
of Mr.. Putnam. One correspondent states
from bis personal knowledge that at one
time at least one conductor was working
on the Seventh avenue line who had been
thief and had served his two or three
terms in the State Prison. Another suggests
that the company should be held in heavy
damages for injuries received by passengers
upon its cars and compelled to replace
money stolen by pickpockets thereon. Nearly
all concur in the opinion that Judge Lynch,
that terrible dispenser of justice, should be
called to the aid of honest citizens here, pro-
vided the authorities are not willing or able to
mete out his full deserts to this man Foster.
We do not think that Judge Lynch's services
will be required, for we have some
very fearless and rigid dispensers of
the law upon the bench of our crimi-
nal courts, any one of whom may be fully
relied upon to bestow the utmost penalty
of the law upon the murderer. They have
uniformly done so for less heinous offences of
late, and it Is matter of wonder to us that
their names and records were not terrible
enough to have frightened this man Foster
from his crime. Perhaps it is the death
penalty alone that can effectually frighten
the dangerous classes into permanent quiet
ness, and they are likely to have an effectual
and early scafecrow in the disposition of
Fosters case.
Several of our correspondents speak of in
suits to ladies travelling in the stages, where
there are neither drivers nor conductors to ap-
peal to- These insults are not open ones, such
as Foster gave 70 Miss Duval, but they are
quiet ones. unseen and unfelt by any but the
gver and The recipient, and the escort of the
lady is not likely to know of them until
the rufian is out of the reach of his ven-
geance. The ladies generally are afraid
of getting their escorts into trouble, and
perhaps bringing upon them danger and
death. They do not appeal to the police
or the passengers because they blush at the
publicity and notoriety that may result, and
they do not care to encounter the inconve-
niences and ill-treatmept that witnesses receive
in some of our lower courts, especially when
the ruffian against whom they appear may be
the leader of highly influential gang in the
Justices ward. As one of our correspondents
suggests, these sneaking indignities have rem
dered journey up or down Broadway
most unpleasant trip for ladies with any
claims to beauty, and the impudent leers of
the staring statues on the sidewalks have
rendered the promenade upon our chief tho
roughfare fully as unpleasant. These out
RACES, intangible to the law in their incipi-
ency, have eliminated in the crime of murder,
upon which the law can take firm hold, and
in the punishment Of which 1t can erect a
warning and an example likely to insure pro-
lection from insult to ladies and protection
from murder to their escorts. If the law
fails in this duty it becomes necessary for
every citizen to protect himself, and the
honest and sober citizens Of the community,
when combined together for this work, can
sweep at one movement of the arm every
thief and rascal, high or low, in the city out
of existence.