Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-12-09
swift Vengeance OF tho OffendeC
LaW--The Bank Burglars.

Atonement for great offences against the law is
too often delayed 50 lOug as to lose much OF the
effect that punishment is expected to have In de-
terinR men from the commission OF crime.
In the case of the bank burglars, however, Who
committed their crime in this city, the avengers
of the law have been swift, and it is the general
hope and expectation that the punishment will be
terrible la their case there is none of the sym.
pathy that nearly always arises for those who are
guilty Of minor crimes, such as petty larceny.
The whole community have been awakened TO the
necessity OF protecting their homes-thelr wives
aud their defenceless children against the inva-
sion of desperate and coWardly villains, who prowl
from their dens in the great cities into the neigh
boring towns and country to lob and murder,
whenever they can do SO without encounterng
the speedy punishment their crimes should re-
ceive.
In the case Of the bank burglars there has been
a. little delay as possible. When they came 10
this city not knoEn exactly, but their crime was
committed on the seventh day OF November; on
the eighth they were arrested and committed 10
the county jail, and on the third Of December a
verdict OF guilty was rendered after the State had
occupied five or six whole days in giving them q
fair aud impartial trial by jury of twelve men.
Thus, in less than one mouth these men, who have
de6ed the law in many parts OF the country, and
enjoyed the friendship, and i: said. protection,
OF the Ring that hold Mann in office, and shuttle
around the base of the statue of Washing ton" in a
nelghbOring city, have been apprehendcd in their
career of crime, tried and convicted, and yester.
day were sentenced and tomorrow will he duly
punished, as severely as our laws will permit
Their CRIME is cue of the most awful character
What it would ultimately have resulted in had the
young girl not escaped from Mr.. Floyd's house
aud caused the burglars 10 abandon their terrible
work, none can tell. They were armed with ali
The instruments OF disguise, torture and death
Had they succeeded IN getting in the Bank where
the vaults were, it not supposed they would
have been stopped il their work short of murder
Had secresy required the use of the pistol or the
knife, the hardened wretches were equal 10 the
task, and when the torturing gag failed TO secure
silence, those instruments of death would have
completed the work.
1t was but hAlf-past six o'clock in the evening
when the entrance TO Mr. Fioyd's house was ef-
fseted by the Eve desperAdOes with gags and
ropes to bind the whole family. Between that
and bed time more than three hours would
elapse-What would have been the fate OF visi-
TOT who should have Iuug the bell during tie
EVENING" Would he or she have been taken in al d
bound alsof And in the dread hour Of midnie ht
what horrors these williams might have accom-
plishedT They supposed Mr.. Floyd understood the
SECRETS By which they we're to get at the money !;
would they have taken any denial ?-and once
their terrible passions aroused, the blood of one
victim might not have sufiiced.
Men who are equal to the task of confederaiing
in such gangs to, accomplish such purpose, at
any cost, these men did, are candidates for the
gallowf, and the punishment which the law pre-
Scribes is scarcely sufficient in any State.
The officers and the Court have done their
whole duty. Butlt is to be regretted that there
is no mode by which these williams may be made
to refund the cost of the trial which is said to
have taxed The comfy treasury TO the tune OF
about $500. rr.e .fft