New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-31
THE SCHOOL OF THE GALLoES


Office will become a thing of tho past.
TIE SCHOOL or THE GALLOVS
A few days ago, boy Of sixteen, who had
quarreled with comrade, went off for
knife, and returning stabbed his friend to the
heart. AS he ran away he saw O man follow
ing him, and said: "You had better go back,
cor IN serve you as did the other fellow"
He was arrested, but on being questioned
about tho murder, declined to make any
answer "until he had communicated with
"his COUNSEL Such discretion and judg-
ment, under exciting circumstances are rare
in one of his ago and humble education. They
certainly denote q good deal of previous
thought and elaboration. They Indicate start
ling familiarity with the idea of murder among
the lawless boys of the street This young
Arab was IA ready with his reply to the
officer as o veteran physician is with his pre-
scription in an epidemic. He had no more
doubt as to the proper thing to do
in case of killing man than member of the
Humane Society, in a case of suspended ami
nation from drowning. After quarreling with
his friend he took the most effectual means to
kill him, and after he was caught he reserved
DIS Utleubb uS do IL ho M" bOOh
tried as often as Mr.. Stokes When De
Quincy wrote of murder rs fine art his
satire was not so very far from the truth.
There is literature of murder in Now York,
published daily and weekly, which is read with
avdity by thousands Of boys and which polsons
their minds to degree littlo suspected
by tho public at large. Our long and
dramatic murder trials are extremely attract
i've to uneducated youth, and the culprit is
always TO them hero of romance. They
study his exploits admringy and try to dis
cover tho weak points in his scheme by which
be was made liable to arrest and conviction.
"If I killed man." is q common phrase OF
the loaferish street boy, "you would MT catch
enc so easyp The thought of murder as o
possible incident of his life, and of the chances
of escape, become as familiar to him as tho
ways and means of embezzlement to dishon-
est cashier or a specializing secretary.
There is a sort of aristocracy in crime also,
which dazzles and allures the humber crimi-
nal. Dick Turpn and Claude Dnval are mere
heroes of legend, and the Boyery boy Is too
positive to think of initiating them. The more
recent murderers and thieves who have occu-
pied the public attention appeal to his emu
lous nature with closer touch of kinship.
Hounslow Heath is too far away TO serve rs q
theater for any imaginary achievements. But
REYNOLDS who killed the policeman who ar
rested him, Donohue who I" laid out" another
through mere jocularity on the sidewalk,
Fisk who stole q railroad. and Carlton who
robbed Trust COmpany-these are worthless
of like clay with the budding ruifan and ras-
cal of to-day. lie can initiate their proves
and avoid their errors. During the last week
the only reading of this class of embryo Grim
inals has been the voluminOus accounts OF the
Stokes trial. They are all his sworn cham
pions. Two years ago, they gazed with eager
admiration ut the equipages of Fisk, and at
the expensive articles of luxury which filed
them. But their admiration is now concentered
upon his slayer, who appears to be a Drawer
and bandsomer man than the rObber-prince of
Erie, equally contemptuOus of the law and
equally regarded by danes. For two years
they have seen him engaged in duel with
the laws of the land, and at last virtually
victorious. -Four years seem very short time
in the eyes of youth. The jury is again
reinstated in the minds of the lawless
rs an INSTRUCTOR of legal vengeance, and
the curtain comes down with an effective
ending to the play. The fairer sex is not
destitute of bright exemplars also in the same
career. A yonng lady in California, in Jail for
shooting her lover, observed with perhaps
undue complacency, II am second Laura
10 ID. Fair - that's about the size of IT."
This was boast which was some
what premature, as the syren had only
shot one man and had not vet fascinated
Jury. But it indicates with sufficient clear
ness the brilliant career which this destroying
angel hasi proposed to follow. We shall not
denounce the art of printing because of these
results, nor defle the graves of Faust and
Gutenberg because some of the Sunday papers
are educating boys for the galows. But
there is evidently a work here to be done by
the public press itself to correct the evil
which has been already accomplished. Moth
ing can reform the Press but itself; not even
Judge McCue and Mr.. Brtton. But facts like
those we have mentioned, showing the harm
done by a certain class of newspapers, should
increase the sense of solemn responsibility
felt by all reputable journalists for the
proper exercise of the immense power in their
hands.