The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-17
a Day or Reckoning with Murder
ers-Justice Must TriumPh-A Warn
ing to Malcfact0rs.

of three wiliul murdererS The city OF New
York will be made aware Of the strangulation
of Michael Nixon, in the Tombs, for the
murder of the unfortunate German, Phyfer.
From Mount Carroll, ILL.,, we learn that
Joseph ONeal was hanged yesterday for the
murder under extraordinarily brutal circum-
stances, of Hiram Rexford. Our dispatches
from California tell US that the day before yes
terday Charles Mortimer parted from life
by the rope at Sacramento for the
killing of Mary Gibson Shaw. The day pre-
vious, our San Francisco dispatches tell US,
John Devine died on the gallows for the
murder Of August Ramp. On Thursday, at
Morristown, N. j., Luigi Lusignani, for the
murder of his wife, ended his life on the
scaffold
There have been many outcries in this city
for justice upon murderers. Homicide after
homicide was committed, and feeling OF
doubt Of law and distrust in American
justice was engendered which filled
all lovers of order with deep regret.
1t seemed as though the semi-gestated border
civilization was about to be thrust back upon
us, and that the knife in the hand and re-
volver on the hip we're the only prospect be-
fore u.s. Amid all this doubt and fear when
every day brought forth its murderer and its
victim, the HERALD, penetrated with the
threatening danger, rolled forth its cry
for justice upon all murderers, rich
and poor, with Influence and without it.
There was danger to our institutions which
many ignored The reputable citizen can,
under ordinary circumstances, take care of
dread that many of those near and dear to
him were menaced by a lawlessness which he
| could not control came to him in the days Of
rampant murder with a force that was
| agonizing. Then we clamored for justice.
We invoked the people in the name
Of outraged order and invaded peace
to assert the superiority Of the pMceable over
those who did not abide by law. Many of
our brethren of the press followed in the
same strain, and we begin to see the day Of
the knife and the pistol meet its reward in the
day of the -gallows We knew that rely
ing upon the intelligence of the community,
its instincts Of self-preservation and its adj
we could afford to call upon it to sig
nalize its detestation of murder run riot
without fearing that panic would take the
place Of sound judgment. We have not been
mistaken. From many points we learn that
wretches undoubtedly guilty of murder have
so far as their lives went, atoned for their.
crimes
pear curious to the historian that a leading
journal of the United States Of America should
trouble itself about the carrying out of the
law upon criminals. But, when he
will be able to deduce from the
frm-toned utterances of to-day the security
which the honest citizen will then enjoy we
may fairly claim that his comment will not be
uncomplimentary. Upon the borders of our
pushing civilization such wretch as John
O'Neal is a common product. Where life is
held cheap it does not by any means follow
that death is welcome. The telegraph brings
the cases OF O'Neal, Devine and Mortimer in
juxtaposition with those of Lusignani
and Nixon; and for all the penitence or bra
vado, we see that the felon's grave has its
painful victory and that shameful death has
its sting. 1t cannot be advanced as a reason
able proposition that the hanging of murder
ers is ''played OUT rs corrective The
feeling that murder may be committed
with impunity is one that would lay
a large portion of the community un-
der the heels of the worst elements
Of our cities. An opposite belief with few
examples Of unrelenting retaliation, such as
that visited upon Nixon yesterday, will tend
to make honest men breathe more freely.
There is one feature about executions which
never fails to excite a sentiment of pity in
the breast accessible thereto. Seldom in
the East murderer dies upon the
gallows without some parting from
those who love him. When the details of
these partings are written down, and the
reader with tear-dimmed eyes pictures the
agony on the side of him who turns to death
and the shame and agony Of those who turn
away from the condemned forever on this side
of the grave, pang of commiseration strikes
gently upon the chords Of our human nature.
1T is horrible - the daughter says, when she
thinks for painful moment of her good father
in the murderers place ut is awful - says
the mother, as she grasps her darlings to her
heart "My God, how terrible! !" says the
young wife, as the husband reads aloud.
What is felt in the dim ranks of those whose
trade is crime we can only judge by
results. We know that when corruption
obtained in high places, when the "boss" of
primary was as guaranteed from doing any
thing that the law could recognize as wrong
as the King according to English privilege,
the criminal classes were not troubled with
such painful reading As a consequence
crime fourished The criminal classes, we
are aware, make their heroes out Of