, 1875-03-03
To the Editor of the St. CrOix Avis.
Dear Sir,

W NV 0lO NV" OONA ~ HS1oCA
among our rural population took place on
Sunday week at the Estate Buffers Bay,
when a man, while bending over his fire.
place cooking, was struck by another from
behind with a club, and killed on the spot.
The post mortem examination, it is said,
showed that one at least OF the vertebra of
the spine was broken and others dislocated,
while the heart was literally burst from
the force of the blow. This shocking deed,
it seems, was the result of a previous quar-
rel between the men arising out of gamb-
ling-hat fashionable rice so notoriously
|prcualeM IN certain hagher quarters, as to rem
der its Punishment and suppression among the
lowcr classes a rery difficult thing.
Now it is certainly high time for the
safety of the community that measures
were taken by the Authorities to infict
such punishment on the perpetrators of
such murderous deeds as will intimidate
others from committing similar crimes.
Hitherto this has not been done. The
usual punishment is simply imprisonment
for a few years in one of our pris0ns-a
sentence which is regarded by the gener-
ality of our people as rather an improve
ment on their normal condition on the Es-
tates, and therefore, as rather desirable
than otherwise. Indeed, with much light
er labor than they perform in the feld,-
with no care about their food or clothing,
with their days spent PLEASANTLY enough
in the streets-and their nights In a nice hot
place to sweat and sleep in-our prisons
are regarded by, [ fear, the majority of
Our lower classes as places of refuge from
o,,o o,,1 lnhor . ouI baD0n Oort0nlorJu
with the immigrants who know that in
their own countries such crimes would be
punished by the cat or the gaIlows, it IS q
common thing to hear them threaten each
others lives with the assuring and encour-
aging addendum that they will only
be worked on the streets for q few years,
for they don't hang people for murder IN
this country"
That this is the prevailing impression
among our lower classes, and that to
this impression is to be attributed the
frequency Of such shocking cases as this
at Buffers Bay is undeniable. Nor can
it be denied that the slight punishment
hitherto inflicted in such cases, go far to
Justify this impression, and encourage such
violence. A man, enraged because he has
to walk a mile or two at night to bring
home q truant child, ties a rope around
the child's neck, and drags it, sometimes
on the ground. and sometimes on its feet,
as might be, for that distance, aud so
Injuries it that it dies before morning-is
a few years confinement in one of our
SO called prisons a sufficient punishment
for such a brutal act as this? Another
deliberately cuts the throat of a compan-
ion-is a few years confinement in those
same prisons, varied by the indulgence of
occasional employment as hostlerl at the
Police Office, outside the prison limits,
anything like adequate punishment for
such a crime as this {?
Other instances of the same kind might
be quoted all tending to create in the
minds of the community the we'll grounded
apprehension that unless this mistaken le-
niency be laid aside, and some striking
example be made, there will be but little
safety for human life among the passion
ate population of our Island. This appre-
hension is general, and has long been
whispered and murmured-I take the lib
erty, Mr.. Editor, of speaking it out.
Another great preventive to such deeds
of violence would be found in a law
strictly prohibiting the people from car