National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-10-15
QUE LAWS For MURDER


The tragedy which was enacted in
Washington on the ID dag Of iJuly last will, It
is 10 be hoped, call the attention Of the American
mind to the fact that our laws and our system Of
administering them are not what they should be,
II indeed they may not be justly termed broad
farce, which, instead Of protecting the just In the
enjoyment Of their lives and property, simply
serves as foil 10 shield vicious wrong doors from
the consequential punishment which their acts
should involve. No person who has read the press
reports Of the past three weeks carefully can doubt
but that, the assassnated man had been an OBJ
scure citizen, and II the assassin were man who
possessed plentiful quantity Of the sinews OF
law--otherwise called money-ihe brutal muir
derer would go unpublished
POPULAR ISDiGSATioS
ut this murder has been, and very properly too,
universal The position held by the murdered
man was 80 high that every eye In the country had
presented TO II full and complete pen picture OF
the assassination In all It's fendish wantonness
Every eye In the country saw the strong, healthy
man struck down In the prime Of his manhood
and at the zenith of his usefulness. Every ear In
the land heard the low means OF pain that were
uttered by the wounded man during the eighty
days Of his suffering Every ear In the land heard
the last sad exclamation OF the sufferer, -" II
hurtsp and listened with bleeding hearts to the
low sobs of the bereaved wife aud children ere
great tragedy. And therefore, indignation Is so
universal that difficulty will be experienced in
getting good lawyers TO exert their usual ingenuity
In defending the murderer, or in
SELECTING TWELVE JURYMEN
| that have not already made up their minds that
| he should die an ignomlnous death upon the
scaiold. All this is because the murdered man
was President Of the United States. Murders ms
brutal and as inexcusable have taken place, and
arc daily taking place, throughout the length and
| breadth OF the country and tho perpetrators
thereof have gone, and probably will continue
| TO 20, unwhippcd OF justice. at least unhung.
| Carleton, who, without word OF warning, shot
down Brummel, at Hollistcr, about two years ago,
was, after three trials and ono conviction, dis
charged the other day. Gray, who shot Clancy,
at Santa Barbara, about year ago, has had two
| trials and been once convicted aud sentenced 10
the peniientary His case Is now before the gu
preme Court aud the chances are that that aug usL
body Of philosophers will interposo
SOME LEGAL LEGERDEMAiN
between him and even the slight punishment
which has been awarded TO him Curry, the des-
perado, who some time back shot down the un-
armed actor Porter, had but little difficulty In Sc
| curing his acquittal. The Rev. kaloch. who lay
in wait for and assassinated his fathers enemy
was waving his blood stained hands from thu
pulpit OF" the sanctuary ofthe Lord IL few weeks
back. Tho man who. IN Kentucky, few year
| back, laid In wait for aud shot to death with q
double barrccd shotgun n judge who had decided
a case against him. has never been hung. aud i
probably free man to-day. We cite those cases
which occur to the mind rs we write. II we had
time to collect II record of oil the
BRUTAL AND UTTERLY INExCUsADLE MURDERS
that have taken place In the United States during
the past year. and the Ners Leicr had space to pub
lish II, whnt record 1t would bel Why, In TIL
city Of San Francisco alone during the past Nv
years the cold bloodcd, deliberate murders tina
have taken place count up Into the hundreds, an
in that space of time there has been but one exc
cution. If this bastard Guiienu Is allowed 10 es
cape the punishment of his crime through n lego
tumble as to whether he eau be tried In the Di;
trict of Columbia or through difference Of opin
ion among the doctors as TO whether the Presiden
was treated skillfully or no, every one will fe,
thRtan outrage has been committed; yet IT u
President had been simple citizen those two d.
lenses would have proven amply sufficient to clei
the murderer--Sdn FdRcisco Nous LeneT.