The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-08-26


Tho recent arrest oCthe notorious
John Wesley Hardin by Lieutenant
Armstrong of llall's company viii NJ,
tract especial attention to the efficiency
Of llc force M well Ms tho necessity of re-
timing II in the fold. Nopolioo orgonl'
mtion has over rendered better service
than this force has Many outlaws
aud other bad rocklom men have beon
approhondod since the organization Of
the force but lllrdn's ar est, IN his
old homo, Ia defiant state, is It's
crow q!ng glor, and while 1t isa service
to Texas of the utmost Importance
one that can hardly be oyerestimated--
II Is n valuable confirmation Of the ia'
yorable opinion generally entertained,
Of the efficiency, intelligence, devotion
and the sleeploss vigilance of the olli'
GERS and members Of the force
The simple arrest of Hardin, the
most dangerous as we'll M the most
daring and intelligent Of all the law
less men Of our border, will strike tors
ror into the ranks Of his compeers in
crime. Heretofore the most fruit
rul course of these disorders has unN
questionably been the weak and
nerveless way the laws have been adN
mnistercd, the impossibility Of arrest,
and the absolute certainty of escape,
either through the tainted loyalty OF
uries, or the loose construction Of jails.
Through the efficiency of our state
troops, Estate police, Nther) the day
when men of lInrdin's and Bill Long.
lcy's stamp can score twont y-seven and
thirty-two victims on their sticks and
roam over the country unmolested, hNs
passed away, Who will undertake. tc
say this advance towards the reign OF
law nhd order has been dearly purchased
Mt tho triiling cost Of maintaining the
frontier force as it is at present organ
ganiaed. The disparity between the
actual cost and the value of the ser.
vice rendered, is very great The bad
men who gathered about these bold
men, and by whose strength and per,
verified Intelligence and courage they
were enabled to climb to such lofty
heights in the ranks of crime, will, nc
doubt take the alarm, aud either aband
on the life altogether, or the borders Of
our state (which they have so long render
ed q very hell upon earth, In either case
the state is the gamer by all odds, even
had the force and its expenses been
quadrupIed and the reward multiplied
10y score or SO of thousands.
No circumstance has retarded the
progress OF our new border settlements
more than the presence of such men
and bands as Hardin and his crew
Many wide districts, rich and salub rous
have been practically abandoned to
them and thoir abcttors and sympa>
thizers. Honest people were driven out
or have been deferred from settling.
These districts have been made hereto-
fore the secure resting places and hNr~
bors of the outlaws, to which they fed
when some crime of unusual atrocity
aroused the officers of justice and the
people to unwonted energy. These
places, by the devotion of the small
force maintained by the state, are fast
becoming too hot to be desirable rests
ing places for the hunted outlaws
who have habitually resorted to their
secure businesses on the approach Of
danger, When they have all been
driven out, these beautiful and fertile
valleys will soon 10 filled with earnest,
honest settlers, and that part of the
Wilderness will speedily be made to
bloom and blossom "a the rose.
Governor Hubbard's wise policy in
retaining this force in the field under
adverse circumstances and in providing
for its pay and comfort cannot be ex>
tolled too much, His hands should be
strengthened in every possible way by
every honest citizen of the state. After
the capture by these means, of such
man as Hardin, it will require but
small special pleading to render the
maintenance of the state police force
nh exceedingly popular step with the
people, who are so eifectually served