, 1873-11-15
A FEARFUL CRIME THAT is tNADEQUATELY
PUNISHED.

To the Editor 9f THE Chicago Tribune:
S1n: Among various excellent articles wh;cl,
have appeared i'll THE TR1nuNE of lnso, Hl,ggest-
iYe Of reform, I particularly noticed ono recon-
monding that tho least punishment for tho cri1uo
Of incoudiarism should be imprisonment for
1fo; and I fully concur in tho opinion of tho
writer. Unlosa aoyercr penaltios sre attached
to various crimes which abound in these latter
days, md arc executed with certainty and
promptness. we shall Boon, rs q nation, bo
stopped in crime, and sink, if possible, beneath
the lerel Of tho dark agos. And thoro is ono
crimo which Htands ont beyond all otlerH, and is
fearfully on the incrcasc, bnt, strange to say,
seems to bo almost entlroly ignored by tho conf
munity Mt ]nsgo; and yet it would seem that wc
might. with far greater safety, ignore tho fero-
oious tiger escaped from his cage and roaming ut
will through the country. We might fur moro
reasonably ignore tho midnight eBHassn, his
hand still rccking with tho blood Of his latest
victim; for what motlor would not prefer,
il s!,o n,ust choose, that her lovely, innocent
young daughter should ba torn by wild beasts
or fall under tho assassin's knife, rather tl,un
meet tho awful fate that has ovortaken 30 MANY,
just US innocent md lovely porhAps NJ our own,
in this civilized, this Christian land And yot
this hideous crin,o to which i rofer and which
it would seem tho very devils in holl would
shrink from, is nevor, boliove, punished with
death, unless tho hnpleas victim is 80 fortunate
us to die aud generally its porpotratop escapes
with G few years Of imprisonment, If indeed no
does not entirely escape the punishment OF his
most royoltlng crime.
Shame upon our legislators, who, it would
arc not aroused to the necessity OF action in
this matter! Their indifference has amazed
mo, md so greatly has my spirit burned within
mo that it lias Hecncd !" Tho very stones would
cry OH: should longer keep silence.
What little innocc1lt child barely escaped fran
tho nursery, what blooming young maiden, or
oven woman OF mature years, ia safe unynurd-
cd, whether by night Or tlny, while such incar~
uato tiends aro ut large? Tho subject is such
that cannot particularizo or could recount
committed, undor such variety Of circuu-
atnncos, in most Of wl,ioll no .laugor could pos
Hibly hayo boen approhonded, AZ to prove that
an, not oxaggorating It's frequency.
Surely, nometlling must nu done to check this
fearful OWL, or no mother will tlare lave hor
lttlo lnughtoy out Of hor sight for moment,
loat slo ba dccoycd away from her com
paniona to Il fate ten times moro cruel
than death itsolf in which it fraauolltIy
ends, as in tho caso Of tho little gir1 OF years
which occurred buta fow weaks hillco ut Auske-
gon, MICH And il 1t not true that VIC ean
some similar record !
And yet apparently moro time and money arc
expended, md fur moro effort nude, to capture
u burglar or a Hhopiftor tLMn tlse wretch guilty
Of tins fletdi5lt CRIME. And. Just no long as it
Ia punished with anything short Of death, .wu
nood not wols1ot at its rapid a''u most alarming
increaBn, which iH ony tho natural result Of
such nAfindlaoronoo.
Woro u ma,, who had mother siator, wifo,
or daughter, whom | loved and reyeroncet,
Iwonlt mako IT my mission to MD in ridtling tho
world Of anch mosssters, and, when
over sncccssful, should consider tint I
had done as good aervico az though I
had slain a wild hoast or crushed n
scorpion. mood hardly say that an, a mother,
for perhaps mono but a mother uonll feel az
deeply. trust uni Christian maothor, md 1
could, 1 yorily holiove, ulllor homo circntn-
Btanceb, forgiva tho murderer WIN Aal atrekon
down my loved QUO; hut Bolomnly declare
ihat woro s,y little daughter, the joy OF my
hoart and tile lulight Of my oyos, to 1o lnado tho
victim OF such All outrage, md tho Iaw should
dnoroo anything less than speedy and certain
death as tho penalty l. could noitier give aloep
to my cyes nor slumbor to my oyeeida 80 long as
this fair earth. atornEn