The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-22

Tine Awful Spectacle OF Justice
Avsnged-Two Murderers Hanged
Yesterday.
The execution of William Foster, which
took place yesterday at the Tombs, has vindi-
Gated the law. Men will feel that when muir
derers can be hanged there is some chance of
graphing with crime. Seldom in the history
of capital trials has one been fought over so
bitterly to the end as the Foster case. Every
possible influence was brought to bear to
obtain Communication of the sentence. The
public had its own emphatic opinion Of the
matter wherever its voice could be heard.
However it may be touched with the sufferings
Of the families of those who bring the death
penalty upon themselves, it will not consent
to see society at the mercy of the cut
throat by encouraging mistaken
leniency With Foster the argument
has finished. Society is victorious in
the battle for its right; but the
Tombs has yet its dozen of murderers whom
we must not forget. The wretched man who
yesterday rendered up his existence was not
by any means the worst of the offenders who
have done hideous wrong to society. We call
upon the authorities to pursue this salutary
work Of bringing crime to its knees. We coll
upon the press to unite in the assertion of the
principle which our brave old Governor has
inculcated-that claw and order must pre-
vail, cost what it may" It is high time too,
that juries should oct with something like
sense of their responsibility, and consider the
public safety with at least as much tenderness
as o fifth rate lawyer can awaken in them for
the interests of common murderer. One
murderer executed will be as little likely to
make our great city an Arcadia as one swallow
is proverbially unlikely to make Summer.
In the offences against human life New York
has sad history for some years past. We have
seen murder grow up with fearful suddenness.
We can almost shudder as we admit that
homicide seemed likely to become
fashion. 1t had its votaries in every
class, and knife, pistol and axe again
subdivided. The murderer became the
hero of the hour. The victim was hurried to
his grave, and oil men and women who value
law and order looked at the sight with blank
dismay. The gallows seemed as superannuated
as the rack and thumbscrew, and murder in
self-conscious jauntiness, declared changing
played out" Murder trials became shows for
the exhibition of the human butchers and
the frothy self-consequence of few criminal
lawyers. Juries were pared down to the
lowest grade of intelligence. Their DECISIONS
were looked forward to in fear by the people
who loved peace and in unconcealed pleasure
by the brotherhood of crime. This was ter
rible state of affairs. Insecurity became
password and law byword. There is state
of society in which, when law cannot be
trusted to do the work Of justice, rough
and ready honesty in fever of indignation
arrogates power to itself and creates terror
by irresponsibly taking the law into its own
hands. This is something which the man
who loves his country would almost
equally deplore with the impunity Of crime
itself. Well ordered society delegates its
power to persons specially chosen for that
purpose. That over life and death is guarded
by unmistakably strong restrictions; but
nothing can be so demoralizing rs to see these
restrictions act as insurmountable barriers
between o murderer and the gallows. So they
seemed to have been acting in New York; but
at last CLEAN of better light appears to have
come. A conviction reafarmed through every
grade of appeal was obtained. The grim
scene in the yard of the Tombs yesterday,
with breathless murderer under gallows
beam, pointed its story to the rampant ruffian-
ism which has dreamed itself secure.
To make this lesson the more impressive
We have the story of similar vindication
of the law from Boston, and we take it
that when the stories Of these triumphs
of justice have been laid to the minds
of the criminal classes they will see that
the people, in deadly earnest, are resolved
| to take their share of the terror-striking into
their hands. For a long day has the balance
on the peoples side been high in air. As
when Brennus flung his sword into the scale
and brought it down, the might Of the peoples
will has brought down the side of order, and,
spite Of all the influences of affection, of
interest and Of money, the side Of the
murderer has been thrown upward. In
that position, too, it will be the work
of those who cherish order to keep it
The wretched beings who yesterday
were hurled out of existence are merely
types Others there are behind them who
will feel in o way they have never before
seemed to realize how great has been their
crime. It is natural that when law is lax
and unreliable the murderer should be able
mentally to disburden himself of guilt They
knew that murder was deadly sin; but if the
sin was measurable only by the punishment
they could, in their immunity, fatter them
selves that it was not SO great a sin after all
The two executions detailed elsewhere will
bitterly change all this. The dishonored
corpses, the shameful and degrading form in