The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-04-28

OEFICERs.-THEfR DIZZY,
The Cutlery That rs Mnde
Against Their Using
Weapons.

The stabbing of City Marshal NARROW.
OF Marlin, last Saturday night. is being
generally commented or by the state
press. and all seem to think it great out
outrage and an unjuStitiable attack. from
the reports given by those who saw and
know most about il. Only few months
ago. however, the press, not only OF this
state, but all over the country were rails
ing Z great hue and cry against officers
using weapons, becauSein the path of duty
they had to cripple one or two desperate
characters AMI kill few. or be killed
themselves. A few months ago police
man shot and killed dt sptrate youth
named Baxter, in New DIRK, in trying to
arrest him, and there was loud call TO
visit on that officer the severest penalty OF
the law. The same thing has occurred
time and time over In Texas, and we even
nave hal officers prosecuted in Waco tor
shooting at an escaping offender. The
affair at Marlin, as many others. show
that the officer is often at greater disad-
vantage than the offender when attempt
ing to make an arrest, aud to be laboriny
under the fear that he may be shot mo.
mentarily or have q knife darted into
MN and he must not shoot before being
snOt is not always calculated to make an
officer more vigilant in the pursuit OF ras-
Gals. 1t may be that the killing of BaX-
ter, in New York, was not iustifiable and
yet he was known to be bad character,
WAS found in one OF the worst dens in
the city and offered open fight. The
wOuld-be publishers OF the policeman.
however, contended that the provocation
was insufficient; that the man might have
been arrested without being killed. and
that the policemen ought to be taught
stricter regard tor the lives of their fellow
men. The tact that the man was killed in
i den OF ruttlans while resisting arrest
should go Tar towards mitigatin" the pun
ishment, il any be inflicted. When and
how an officer OF the law should use his
weapons depends very much on the where
II he Is dealing with an offender in the
midst OF community where the law is
and assistance instead of resist
ancc can be reli, d on, he has no cause for
extreme violence. But there are places in
large cities and in many OF the small
towns and through certain country dis
tllcts III Texas where an officer would
enter with about as much hope
OF getting out, as he could have
of getting out of tiger Jungle If he
had no weapons, and i'll many places the
faithful officer has to continually carry
his life III his hand. 1t liz rather too
much to expect of an officer who is sur
rounded by rowdies, hoodlums and cut !
thrOats, or III the midst OF horse thieves, |
train robbers and their sympathizers,
that he will exhibit an unusual degree |
of meekuess and saintliness, and give |
them a chance just to see if they would |
kill him. Among such persons an officer |
has two duties to perform-arrest the |
and protect his own life from |
the prisoner and his friends, and If by |
chance that officer does use his weapon |
before the actual moment of neces- |
aty arriv his own peril and state of |
mind at the time should be considered |
IN shaping public judgment. Human |
life should always be held in the great |
est esteem and never taken when it Is !
possible 10 avoid it, but faithful Off
GERS life is quite rs valuable in com
as that of a person who may be |
4 habltual vIolator of law. Ii il a great !
mistake to suppose that an officer must
take all sorts of risks and allow himself
to be set upon and beat OF killed by Tar
les, who congregate to plot theft, bur
{lary or any other species of crime
The law authorizes and requires
DifcerS to carry weapons which are for
hidden to others and for what reasom il
t does not expect him to make good use
If them whenever it is necessary to pro
ect their own life or carry out the de-
hands of the law. Waco lost two good
ulcers and had another hacked up by
les perate characters, and similar cases
re on record all over this and every
'ther state. With poor pay and III con
tHnt danger, if officers must live IN fear
hat they may be hung or imprisoned If
hey shoot criminal before he shoots
hem, where are We going to get good
iticers. Good men is what we want
nd such will never abuse an offender
rhen 1t can be avoided and We think the
rowlng hue and cry about brutality Of
Ulcers Is premature and overdruwn
Exhausted and emf, ebled constitutions
llierlng from dyspepSia, nervousness and
cncIal weakness cured by Browns Iron