The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-11-04
HOMICIDAL CKIMINALITY.

DRUNKENNESS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR
1.-THE REMEDY RATHER SEVERE BUT
NECESSARY.
The New York Herald editorially says
that the frequency of homicide in this city
Is one of the alarming signs of the times.
Within fortnight there have been nearly
half score of convictions for murder or
manslaughter, and five of these were for
murder in The first degree. The last of the cap
ital convictions was the sentence OF Charles
Weston yesterday for participation in the
murder of Weisburg, the peddler. In every
case the guilt of the culprit was clearly
established, and the doom of tie criminals
followed so quickly upon their crimes that
the effect OF the speedy trials and convic-
lions can not fail to be most wholesome. A
stern enforcement of the laws is essential al
this time, for there seems just now to be
mania tor homicioal crime. A few days ago
we referred To the many murders and az.
tempts at murder growing out OF jealousy
and disappointmenJs in love; but it seems
that the mania is still more DANGEROUS,
and that the relation OF father and son, and
even OF son and mother, is not sufficient to
preserve society from this terrible tendency.
1t is only week since a young man Vas
convicted of murder ia the third degree for
brutality kicking his mother and leaving her
on the floor of her wretched apartment TO
die. Drunkenness was the cause of this hOr-
rible offense; but later still we bad the
story of a drunken father shooting his son
while in condition so Oesotted as TO be
APPARENTLY UNCONSCIOUS OF THE CRIME
he had committed. The latter case is one OF
the most lsmehtable that has come under
our notice in a long time, and while the
cause is plain enough the remedy is not so
apparent. The advocates of prohibition will
find in it a strong argument in favor of their
theory, but experience has shown that crime
can not be prevented by this mode of re-
preston. Some other means of preventing
murders of this kind and of every
kind must be found, and the only
method likely to prove effective Is the
stern punishment of the guilty. Muir
de-ers must be taught that drunkenness Is
no excuse for crime and hat the full pen
atty of the law is certain to follow the Of
Tense. In no other way is it possible to
eradicate the disease, especially at a time
when there is a strange mania for homicide.
IL so many murderers were not allowed to
go UNPUBLISHED so many murders would not
be committed. Until within a few days
hanging seemed, in the expressive
language Of criminal who expiated
his offence on the gallows, to be al
most "played out" and j9ries were in
q great degree responsible TOR this state OF
things. There was tendency to convict of
the lower instead of the higher grades of
murder where only the full penalty of the
law is equal to the emergency, but we are
glad to see that a change has been wrought
in this respect. In the future we must re
press homicide by hanging all murderers,
and though the remedy is terrible one its
application now may do away with its
necessity in the future by the operation Of
a wholesome fear growing out of the GER
tainty of the full enforcement of the law.