The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-11-26
THE PRACTICAL WAY

A communication yesterday censured
our officers of justice for not detecting
and arresting unknown murderers. Now,
take the case of the Henry murder, CON-
mitted near this city last Monday. 1t
was clearly cold-bloOded case of muir
der in order to commit robbery, and the
evidence gathered by the coroner's jury
showed that the guilty parties were, like
their victim, strangers here, and had fled
from this section after committing the
crime. There was no clue as to their
course, or present whereabouts. They
might be in any one of thousand places
within day or two's travel. How wer5
they to be traced out and caughtl How
was justice to be done, the law vindicat-
ed, and the community to be protected
against such miscreants? Who was to
take the time and incur the expense in
volvcd in an uncertain search after the
fugitives? If caught, who was to reim-
burse the sheriff, or other officer, for the
time, expense and risk of SO arduous and
dubious an undertaking? What person,
or officer, could be expected to render
this service at his own expense, and
if unsuccessful in the effort, receive
more blame than praise for his trouble
And in prosecuting the search, and seek
ing the aid of officers in other places, it
takes, strange as it may seem, some in
duccment u persuade them to take &C
ton. What officers salary will permit
him To incur all this extraordinary ex-
pense in vindicating the cause of law and
JUSTICES 1t is a very easy matter TO spend
hundreds of dollars in even short
search, and who should be asked to pay the
bills out of his own pocket? 1t Is very
easy to say that our officers should catch
unknown murderers. who had several
days start of discovery, but in what di-
rection are they to go after the fugitives,
and who is going to either put up the
money for the inevitable expenses or re-
imburse them after they return?
There Is but one way of securing such
a search and pursuit as arc necessary to
find and arrest criminals who haye got
away and refuse To reveal themselves
1t is by the offering of reward large
enough to set the entire police and de.
tectivs system of the country into active
watch for the fugitives. Such a reward
can generally be offered only by the
public treasury, and in this case it must
be a public reward or none. Nothing
but such u reward will warrant the of
Ulcers here, or elsewhere, in undertake
ing the expense and trouble necessary
to find the criminals, If they can be
found at all. The murder was one OF
the most deliberate, wilful, and boldest
on record in this part of the
state The murderers are evidently
capable of perpetrating crime after crime
and will continue to commit robbcris:
and murders wherever they go, until
against public policy to permit then
to continue their bloody career. 1t i:
prominently u case to be met by pub
lie reward, large enough TO set the police
ard detective machinery into prompt abC
active motion. With the certainty of al
adequate reward In case the search II
successful, its risk and expense may pos
sibly be incurred. Otherwise, no adequate
effort can be expected, even of our hom'
officers, and certainly not of officers o
the thousand other places tina
a reward would set to work
The governor can clearly do his dut.
to the entire state, in this case, by offer
ing substantial reward for the arres
and conviction of the perpetrators of tn
atrocious murder of Mr. Henry. Life il
Kansas should not become as insecure a
life in Texas. We trust our authoritie
will apply to Gov. St. John to at one
offer a reward that will insure an activ
and persistent search for the criminals
and that he will not hesitate to act upo
their advice.