Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-16
A DANGEROUS SPIRIT.

we have as little sympathy Tor
the wretch who perpetrates brutal
and fendish outrage like that per-
petrated upon Mrs. Howell, near
Strawberry Plains, as any man can
have. We advocate the most rigor-
Gus laws for the punishment of such
crimes and favor their prompt and
rigid enforcement. But mob law is
never justifable. Men will say that
for the fend who outrages the per-
son of a defenseless female, no pun
ishment can be too severe or sum-
mary. We grant it. But this is
not the objection to mob law. 1t is
the interest of the community to
which we must look. The spirit
which prompts Infatuated men, in
the heat of passion, burning for re-
venge, to take the law into their own
hands, if encouraged, leads di-
rectly to anarchy, and is destructive
of every safeguard placed by the
law around the lives and the prop
erty of the people. 1t will prove a
progressive evil. If it is permitted,
at first the guilty might suffer per-
haps, but soon public opinion, al
ways uncertain and capricious, will
take the place of law, and instead
of passing upon the rights of mer
to enjoy life and property, in tn,
cool, deliberate, dispassionate man
ner in which our courts are suppose
to proceed, and in which they d
proceed when they are properl
conducted, passion and fury vi
rule, and life will be of little value
We will relapse into a state of bar
barism, might will rule rather tina
right, people will lose all respect fC
law, and property will become va
ueless. Public virtue will degen
crate, and our boosted free countr
will become a pandemonium.
If only reasonable, virtuous me
would, in extreme cases, take tt
law into their own hands, though
would still be unjustifable, it mig
be excused. But this could not
the case. It is the unreasonab
mob, the unthinking, the bloo'
thirsty and the ignorant that.We al
to fear. There1ar men in all cor
munities, who, if not restraine
would degenerate into creatures b
little better than wild beasts. 1t
this class of men, who, if permitte
will lead mobs and take life up(
the slightest pretext. The trans
ton from taking life to that of d
stroying and confscating propert
with such minds would be easy al
natural. IF all men were perfe
in every respect, never sWayed
passion, always thinking, NOV
only by the dictates of reason al
justice, there would be very lit
use for courts and laws. But t
sad experience of the past teach
us that this is not true.
The mob that killed the neg
near Strawberry Plains on Mond
night have terribly avenged the OF
rage upon Mrs. Howell, and if t
wretch was guilty his punishme
was not too severe. But if the
were thinking men engaged in t
act, when their passions have cool
down and reason has returned, tn
will regret what has been done a
wish that they had allowed the |;
to take its course. 1t would ha
been as well for the injured lac
and God knows thousand tin
better for the community. We trl
we may never again be called up
to chronicle such a gross violati
of law. Would that we mis-
never have to chronicle the comm
sion of the beastly crime for VIII:
Lucius Weaver has suffered des
in this case, but if we must, let
guilty wretch be tried tefore
lawfully constituted courts of |
land and punished as the law diree
IF the law is not strong enouI