Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-11-09
The Cook Homicide.

justice, cannot be denied. That IKE,
We're good, honest men who would moi Il
anything wrong if they knew it 90,
nected with the shooting of Cook h,
AeVlng him to be an escaping thief i mr.
doubted. That Cook was guilty. of 10,
ceny, and ought to have reen in the no,
itentlary, is not questioned And if W
take into consideration the manner :
which the good citizens of this nlace In /,
oeeh annoyed with criminal pcrpetrator,
the iaxness with which the laws how
oeen enforced in bringing them to iustic.
the apparent impossibility 10 obtain co,,
Vlction of crime, and the Excitement !,
the occasion Of the arrest. the nart;os no
be excused. But in the minds of rofo,.t
ing citizens, in the spirit of the law :,
the face of the courts, and by the oraa
Jehovah, can it be justified? Never 7
Is SO near the decree and execution !
Judge Lynch that we can scarcely discr;r,
mate between the two. Our first imnres
SION was that twas not justifable hom
icide' and after reading the testimony o.
'.ie witnesses at the inquest, our convic
lions are strengthened.
1t has been with some hesitation VIC
nave given public expression of opinion
IN TINS matter, not that we fear to come in
contact with public opinion-for eternal
right and justice shall prevail though the
heavens fall-but how we could do so
without appearing to be erecting a shelter
Ior other thieves who ought to speedily be
brought to justice, has been our caution
1t Is well known that we are opposed to
mop iaw-opposed to placing the author
Ivy OF the law in the hands of any indi-
Fldual' however noble and eood-for if
That were allowed, great mistakes wouId
DC made, punishment Inadequate 10 the
onence, and in other cases innocent nar-
ties executed while the guilty. culprit.
would go free.
But the good citizen will ask What are
we to do? Shall we jeopardize our lives
ana our property by suffering thieves and
lnurderers to remain in our midst. and make
no effort to eradicate the evil? Shall we
not make the offender tremble, and thus
deter others from committing crime, We
Yes, and in a way that will more
ehectually prevent the further snrfaa ri
CRIME than in this hasly and SUMMARY
execution, We say, let every man who is
guilty OF murder, be hanged. and every
other criminal punished accorinc ~
the penalty melted out in the law. tban
thieving, and other crimes will
soon cease in our midst. IF however
his is not do ne through the proper chan.
nels, Cook is not the only one who will
all at the hands of an outraged commu
MY, whatever may be the effect upon So
.iety. -
Less than two years ago we saw
disposition To mob cropping ont
nj remember of having counseled mod.
ration and diligence on the part of ali /
God citizens in bringing the offenders 70
uStlce and we remember that we were |
old that justice could not be had and i
melted out through the chan. S
els OF the courts, and that the time had
ONE when the honest citizen must nro- {
sct himself. Some time afterwards we
Did our readers that this was but the ONT. +
ropping of a direful necessity, and that i
Mess the citizen, the lawyer, the courts {
nj officers would do their whole duty. in t
ringing to Judgment the offender Of the 1
l~s' that however much it might be de-
'recated, however sad it might be, vet the t
Inevitable result would be that outraged f
ltlzens would assume the autLori- t
and deal out summary punisb- f
lent, however disproportionate ii NAV be D
the crime committed AND. it is for n
his purpose we now write. Thieves arc
our midst, and must be eyterminatod
nd Henry Cook serves as an example Of
ow the rest will be dealt with unless the
ourts and their officers, and the attorneys
0 their duty. We repeat what we have :,
said: that we are in favor of =
w and order, and in favor of prompt pm 7
hment through the proper channels, il
lthoat which law and order can scarcely
secured; that tendency to Lynch law
only the outcropping of principle to h
cure rights when Justice fails in her f
ssion; and now if, in the face of the -
It's and the sanguinary cloud that is
Oming up in the distance, the officers of .
e law and the courts fail to do their du =,
storm will burst forth upon the com .
unity which, in its devastating train. :,
II lay desolate the hearth stones of n
any- 1t will be like blowing up a fine =
lnsion to save a city, or the destruction -
a city to save a government. OurCom
IN Pleas Court is now in session lot it 70
its duty. Let the prosecutor do his -
ty, and the jury and citizens their duty 1;
the attorney do. no more than protect =,
guilty from a mob, and commend him -
the mercy of the court and jury. then r, ~
, angrys storm cloud that now hangs =,
er US will give way to calm and clear =
1shine. not experienced for many DAYS. ~
!. -