The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-03-19
WEEKLY BAZOO.
TUESDAY. MARCH 10, 1878.
THE BATES COUNTY FARCE.

-
Just % the people of Missouri had begun
10 congratulate themselves upon the rigid
enforcement of the Law for the protection
Of human life-a Law that for years has
been shamelessly disregarded-comes the
news Of . most disgraceful proceeding on
the part Of the authorities Of Bates county.
A cold-blooied, diabolical murder is COM
mi,ted, almost in sight of the county seat;
a poor unsuspicious farmer is killed and
robbed of his team BY his travelling COM
r.n;on. who he has treated ss brother !;
the murderer is tracked to distant State,
arrested and brought back he 10 proven to
be q accelerated horse thief and . cold
FLOODED assassin; he confesses his crime to
/. fellow prisoner; he is brought to the bar
to be tried for the atrocious murder; and
He pleads guilty to murder in the second
degree!
His plea is accepted!
And he is sentenced TO ten years in the PEN
;senfiary, instead of being swung of from the
the eaiiows INTO the hottest hell Of eternity,
that il ten million times too good for him !!
Before the astounded citizens Of Butler
can recover from their astonishment, the
red-handed murderer is rushed into carri-
age, which speeds away As fast as horse
fesh can carry it.
An! we'll does that sheriff know whatthe
fate of that miscreant would be If he tarried
but few moments later For an outraged
neople would have risen en- nsGxse and
strung the heartless butcher up to the
first tree, as he Justly deserved.
Well. Wienefs killed his friend in anger,
and was hung for it.
Ables. killed the seducer Of his wife, and
he was hung for it.
Daniel killed his travelling companion,
and he Was hung for it.
Durbin killed his travelling companion
and was-put in a carriage and sent to the
penitentiary!
And why?
Because he had MONEY !-or his fathe.
had for him.
And this money, indirectly, saved his
worthless life, cheated the gallows. made q
mockery of Justice, turned its tribunal into
fsrce. outraged the people of Bates c0un
~, and disgraced the State of Missouri.
No wonder the people of Bates county
should feel indignant.
The great fault in this deplorable affair
lies in the conduct of the prosecuting sttor
ney Who seems to have lacked the necesea :,
frmess, promptness and self-rel;ance. NJ
one doubts but that Mr.. Smith was in
Auenced BY the purest of motives, and die
what he thought best in the matter. Blu
he lacked that combative stamina that hi
position demanded and this case called for
He allowed himself to doubt that he cOult
secure the punishment the scoundrel de
served, and thought it better that he shoult
receive ten years imprisonment than to g
scot free. His action shows that he is no
the man for the position he occupies.
The sheriff did his d1ty like man. HI
had sworn to uphold the Law, and he did II
He used every exertion to bring the Grim
imal to justice and secure kis conviction
When the Law ordered him to deliver tn
prisoner safely in the penitentiary, he di'
his duty q an officer, whs ever may hav
been his opinions q . citizen. We vii
only further remark, that it is such actor
- this of the prosecuting attorney tia
makes the people endorse Judge Lynch il
preference to the established code.
The people of Bates county, though in
nocent in the matter, feel deeply morti6e
at the action of their judicial represents
tive. and We trust . like occurrence vii
never disgrace the courts Of our State.