Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-16

one Negro ROF Kills Another on
the streets and Makes his Escape
Efforts Being Made 10 Secure HIS
Arrest An Epidemic of Crime
Which should be Checked.

Yesterday witnessed another Of those ter
rible tragedies which have become alarm
ingly frequent of late in Savannah. 1t seems
that two negro boys, one named Daniel
Brown aged about seventeen, and the other,
supposed to be Robert Bug, aged about
eighteen, both fruit peddlers, engaged In an
alteration over five cents, which Bug, OF
whoever the younger boy was, owed Brown.
Yesterday afternoon, about half past
twelve, the two met near the corner OF
Bay and Whitaker streets, and Brown
demanded his money, at the same time
er boy, and declaring that he intended to
keep 1t until the debt was liquidated. The
boy, supposed to be Bug, endeavored to re-
gain possession of his hat, and finally, when
the two reached Bay lane and Whitaker,
he was seen to make sudden dart at Brown
and immediately rush of Brown ran across
the street and fell. A very large crowd
gathered around him, and examination re-
Yealed the fact that he had been fatal
iy stabbed to the heart with
a pocket knife. DR.. 7. j. Charlton
happened to be passing by, and was called
over to see the wounded boy, but he was
past all surgery. The doctor reached him
as he was gaspiug his last breath, and in a
few moments he was dead. Intense eX-
element was created by the tragedy, but
the spectators all seemed absorbed In the
condition Of the wounded boy, and in the
midst OF the confusion the murderer sue
eeeded in escaping so effectually that at
last accounts he hsd not been arrested.
At visit to the police barracks last night
we learned that several parties, all colored,
have been arrested and detained there
as witnesses, whose testimony, it is
thought, can throw some light upon
who is the guilty party, and among these is
Annie Bug, the mother of the supposed
murderer. They are held subject to the
orders Of the Coroner, who thinks he has
obtained clue to the whereabouts of Bug,
and who has been given detail OF police, by
order of General Anderson, to assist in max
ing his arrest. 1t is probable that the
capture OF the boy will be speedily effected.
This is, as we have remarked, but one
more to be added to the many crimes which
we have been called upon to chronicle of
late, and something should be done to effec-
tually check the epidemic of crime which
now seems TO be raging. We are So fed
that our police are all as well organized, I'd
are as active and vigilant body as is to 1e
found in the United States, but they seem
| to be powerless to prevent the escape Of
criminals, or to bring them to justice when
once out of their clutches. General
Anderson, our efficient Chief Of the
force, is OF the opinion that If competent
sslaried detectives are detailed to report to
him, and that q secret fund be placed at his
disposal to pay the salaries and expenses OF
such detectives, be could materially remedy
the evil. He is always ready to do what he
can to arrest and bring criminals to justice,
but the police force, as at present consti-
tuted, are frequently unable to effectuallY
ferret out crime, or to leave the city for the
purpose of working up cases when the
criminals escape beyond the corporation
limits.
Whatever is necessary to be done to in
spire the lawless in our midst with proper
dread of crime should be done. We are
strongly inclined to the belief that one
great reason why murders aud attempted
murders have become so frequent of late is
that the evil disposed have begun to think
that they can either commit crime with i'm
punity, or at any rate get off with light
punishment. We are by no means an advo-
cate of the Draconian theory, that small
crimes deserve death, and there is no severer
punishment for greater ones, but we do be-
lieve that few hangings IN this community
would have most wholesome effect. We
are suffering from too much mercy and too
little justice.
There is another idea suggested by this
Tragedy OF yesterday. we learn tnaJ IL
frequently happens that when a man has
been arrested and taken to the barracks,
charged with having concealed weapons
about his person, he is simply stripped Of
his weapons and allowed to go. 1t this is
so, 1t should at once be stopped. Every
man so arrested should, If found guilty of a
violation OF the law, be held prisoner,
and turned over to the higher courts for
trial, and then, If convicted, be punished to
the full extent of the law. n short,
criminals of every grade sfoIld be
made to feel that when the violate
law they are to suffer.
1t is stated that when Hon. Henry
B. Tompkins was formerly on the
bench two negroes in the street be-
came engaged in a difficulty. One
caught the other by the throat and was
heard to exclaim: "If it was not for Temp
kins your soul would be IN bell in five
minutes" That is an exemplificstion of
what dread OF crime the certainty Of swift
and speedy punishment will excite, and it
is this dread, added to whatever else may
be necessary for the detection and arrest Of
criminals, which should be again estab-
lished TO the disregard of consequences
which at present prevails, the epidemic of
crime which has existed for some time past
in our midst is undoubtedly largely due.