The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-04-12
A GRAVE iunCTuRE,

niles, Ia the short space Of HlH weeks,
nd not single arrest which 10 ~ yet
satisfactory, naturally suggests some
thoughts which We propose 10 give ior
Ihe benefit Of all concerned These
things 20 out TO the world,and, natural
" enough, operate 10 deter people from
immigaiing 10 our state, section aud
city, This constitutes u direct injury 10
every citizen, aud should cause him 10
take direct powerful and personal IN
ierest IN tho arrest and conviction OF
the robbers, and in guarding tho trains
on the several railroads from q reour
renee Of tho oulragea, We have been
dereliot ~ good oitlaens that up 70 lhlS
good day no sufficient organization has
been formed TO meet the situation nom
local point Of view, Our state govern
ment has been derellot in this, that "
did not tho next day after tho robbery
at Allen, despatch to this nelghborhood
a strong detachment Of either Halls
company or tho Frontier battalion
thus making an effort OF some kind TO
punish crime already committed, and
to guard the country from another
damaging repetition of those dlsgraoelul
soenea Tho railroad companies have
been derelct because they have not car
rled guard, and have not heavily
armed their train men, aud had arma
Tor their passengers who would assist IN
tho defense Of their trains, When we
are not willing TO defend our own
rights aud property, others rarely feel
interest enough In II TO do II for M,
Governor Hubbard writes long lets
tor 10 the railroad officials, about carry
ing "short shotguns and carbines
strapped 10 tho shoulder" instead OF
callinl In from a quiet frontier nm un'
employed mounted police and despatch
lne them 10 the troubled scenes, " for
no higher and better purpose than OF
giving countenonco to the law'0bldlng
people around whose quiet homes these
shocking events are transporting,
General Steel writes of the prejudice
against the idea OF n state police, ongon
dcrod by the corrupt handling of the
old force by Davis and his myrmidons,
How childish oil this seems when we sit
down calmly 10 reason on the situation,
These late events prove beyond the
shadow of doubt that we have bold,
bad, lawless and powerful combination
here, and we have no local police or-
ganilOtion powerful enough to cope
with thom The mission to Denton the
other day IL strong confirmation of
this most humiiating truth. Let Gen"
eral steel and Governor Hubbard forget
legal and executive lormnlities and the
red tapcry Of Austin for II few days, and
mako manly and vigorous effort to
catch and punish the train robbers,
even il / N doing so they are compelled
to do little violence to u Undiscovered,
cobwebbed usage Of the wornNout past
The object Of the law to,day is to pros
tect, not to furnish precedents for the
generations to come after
This band of robbers is numerous
brave and intelligent. They are not
trNmps, till-toppers or sneak>thieves,
They are bold, keen, determined,
men and when we deal witt, them,
numbers, bravery, intelligence and
good arms will be necessary Their
Winchester rifles are too much for the
baton of the police officer though it be
welded by hero as chiN alrous as BaN
yard himself When men set out to
arrest such men rs attacked the trains
at Allen, Hutchins, Eagle Ford and
lastly, at Mesquite, they must 60 in
different shape from what they would
were they making drive on y drivil>
ling nest of vagabonds at the Five
Points, or routing party of halfS
starved tramps from farmers hay
rick. II means work, and stout men
with strong arms and stout hearts
must be employed in it. Coke would
have had Jones and Hall both here
after the Hutchins robbery, and we
would have heard nothing of Eagle
Ford and Mesquite Was the robbery
at the latter point necessary to con-
vince Governor Hubbard that we have
here band of bold, accomplished men,
whose only mission is to rob the trains2
Certainly not. Then why have no
steps been taken rs yet to meet this
situation? Do we need dozen other
occurrences of this kind before the OK.
ecutive arm can be bered in our de.
Tense?
How silly is it, that we have still
many men in Texas who oppose the
mobilization of our police force, because
forsooth, Governor Davis handled the
state>police in the interest of his own
political fortunes. We have now
democratic state administration, and
should not be afraid to put such a force
in the hands of u democratic governor
The local authorities have done all
they. could do with the means at hand,
and many private gentlemen have sac>
riticed time, effort and money, in the
a tteunt IN hripr thas, hro,,oa D., :,,,I: