The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-01
The West Virginia Lynchings.

If there is any office which in civilized
communities is held In general horror it is
that Of hangman or public executioner. In
all countries whose criminal machinery is
formed on the English model the Sheriff is
charged with the duty Of carrying out the
death penalty, but even in the poorest com
munities the actual work is done by some
one already morally degraded, or who, de-
sirous of the blood money, bargains to have
his incognito preserved. When, however,
we find that the people Of State are
uniformly accustomed to. rush forth ahead
Of the law and take into their
own hands the unclean work Of strang-
ling suspected or even guilty fellow
beings, we. may safely assume that
they are but few removes from savagery.
Among wild Indian tribes, or even among
the struggling settlements of reckless adven-
turers who have formed the sinister van
guard Of civilization on its way across our
Observation-Disclosures without judicial or
| ganization-the law Of the lyncher may
have some reason that can be recognized.
But even there it is record of concentrated
unreasoning brutality. In regularly or
eanixed State, such MS West Virginia with
its code Of laws, its civil and criminal
courts, its grand and petit juries, its prisons
and prison officers. the taking of human
life by fiendish mobs is disgrace to tho en-
tire country.
The terrible story told by our correspond
ent ut Wheeling will be instructive upon
this point. Here is State which, during
four years, has not hanged a murderer. but
whose citizens have slain with every imag-
Unable detail of ferocity no fewer than ten
human beings, one of them woman.
The brutal lynchers could not have
been certain of the criminality of five of
this number, and ut least two of them were
without doubt innocent In one case two
iurics had disagreed on its trial, and in the
other the guiltlessncss of the murdered
wretch was fully proved. The tale is q
sickening series Of horrors and is fifty capped
by the atrocities attending the killing of
Wallace week ago. In the South and
Southwest stories Of similar nature come
to us, and leave no better impression of tho
moral condition of the people Is the law
in the wrong? Does it fall short OF justice ?
If it does it is in the hands OF the people to
change the Law and make it as bound
as they please. In none of these cases is it
the law but a savage impotence Of all forms
which stands between the mob and the sus-
pcct. They paint their faces or mask them
selves and go at night and do their filthy
hangman's work. Not man Of them would
dare to come in the light of day and advocate
that all suspected men should be hanged
like dogs at the roadside without trial
or warning. But they will say in private,
Who is safe IL this man is not hanged Mt
once Here IL the cowardice, the poltroon
fear, that would have quickly blood for
blood-from the right mans or the wrong
mans veins what matter, so there is blood
| for blood. Now it is clear to all reasoning
men that blind vengeance is not whole
some. The hanging of one man with the
fearful elaboration of the law has more ter
rors for the evil doer than all the lynchings
ever perpetrated In the lynching the real
murderer may egg on the mob to murder
the innocent, and this doubtless underlies
some Of the cases our correspondent cites.
What is Governor Mathews going to do
| about it? Is he unable to deal with the
rufliansm in his State? Will he let IL 90
before the world as the ruiiian Common
| wealth.