The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-22
81 VIII Shoot You for This To.
Morrow"

| Dcfore MS eyes, has satisfied his fancled
wrongs and quenched bis petty vengeance in
human blood This latest atrocity is of SO
cold-blooded type That the people of New
| York must at last begin to ask themselves If
law and justice have not become mockery
and tradition. We exaggerate nothing In
saying that for almost every murder committed
within the past three years the mode OF admin
istering the law is directly responsible So
wholly weak and contemplate has justice
grown that capital crimes have become the
ambition Of the lawless since it is safer and
brings larger measure of notoriety to out
rage the most sacred inhibition of both
human and divine law than to violate in the
lightest degree the simple code OF larceny.
The cruel. cold-blooded murderer lives in
luxury at the Tombs; officials court his
favor and beg his pardon for being COM
PEELED to proceed against him on behalf
of the people; Judges issue stay of pro-
ceedings TO save his neck from q we'll
deserved loop of hemp, and when public ex-
element has died away he walks abroad among
MS wearing look of injured innocence.
The poor, puny hand of Justice can nova
days accomplish no greater effort than to drag
some friendless, wretched vagrant TO its bar
on charge of larceny, and send him with
pompous ceremony to the Penitentiary.
/ 1t is safe to speculate that if the present
batch Of murderers in the Tombs had been
promptly tried and hanged this Magruder,
who 80 deliberately took the life of Lockwood
on Monday night, would have reflected twice
on the peril to his neck, and put his pistol
away. Of course he read in the papers that
proceedings were on foot to obtain new trial
for Stokes All the present and prospective
murderers are Watching that case with pro-
found interest. With Stokes granted a new
trial the pistol and the knife will come into
more active use, and murderers of the type of
Magruder will increase and multiply.
If that strict enforcement of the law that
elsewhere protects society and strikes terror
into evil-doers prevailed in New York it would
be hardly possible to relate such story as
that which appeared in the HERALD yesterday
concerning the murder of Lockwood
Magruder, who was sober, received a slap
in the face from Lockwood, who was inc
briated. Magruder did not Immediately re-
taliate, but said, 81 will shoot you for this
tomorrow He was as good as his word.
The next day, missing Lockwood at the sup
per table, he proceeded straight to his room,
threw open the door and fred at Lockwood's
head. The bullet missed it's mark, but, as the
report says, "with the greatest GOODNESS and
al tho ouvIop kho ia
of his weapon on line with the middle Of his
victims body and fred second time. This
ball took effect in the abdomen, and Lockwood
tumbled over on the floor in heap" Further
on the account states that "while Magruder
was standing in the station house the wounded
han was brought in ON Q stretcher and Ma
gruder, with a cynical smile, turned around
to look at him. Mac said Lockwood, from
the floor where he was lying what did you do
this for?' 4 told you I'd shoot YOU coolly
answered the other, and did it, didn't I?'"
We submit that if our batch Of murderers
now in the Tombs had been tried and exc
cuted long since this man Magruder would
not have dared to exact such fatal ven-
geanco on such triaing provocation, nor
would he have INDUCED the f1ippant bravado
in the remarks we have just quoted.
AS usual, we shall have ripple Of popular
exoitaznsnt over this latest deed of blood, and
in the course of nine days oblivion will super
vene and the murderer will be forgotten 1t
was so in the case of Foster, in the case of
King and also in that Of Simmons. To ap-
pease popular Indignation, which, unfortu-
nately, is too easily lulled to patient compos-
ure, we are told smilingly by our new reform
District Attorney that vigorous enforcement
of the law may be expected. We are not quite
so sanguine of this, and we are prepared to
find the promise made to the ear only broken
to the hope. We must look to the Legisla-
ture for some means Of relief-for some
arrangement by which all these red-handed
scoundrels may be tried at once and disposed of
forever. It is pitiable that with all our
expensive law machinery, we cannot secure
retribution in behalf of an outraged commu-
nifty in even q single fragrant instance. The
Court of Oyer and Terminer is given up to the
trial of case which may occupy its attention
for the entire term, and the prosecuting agent
Of the people tells us we must wait till that is
over before the murderers in the Tombs can
be arraigned. How fervently the murderers
must pray that Tweeds trial may last forever!
It should be the province, as it is within the
power Of the Legislature, to come to the rescue
and order special term of some other Court
for the exclusive trial Of all criminals now
charged with capital offences. If the District
Attorney has too much work in his Office for
one man to discharge let him call in all the
assistance he requires, and the people will
cheerfully foot the bill. And when these crimi-
mails are convicted let US ask, once more, that
one day be set apart upon which they may
all hang together.
This ia no launhinn maffar nor a mara CON