Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-11
The Funeral Of Jesse James.

in this or any other civilized land. Here
was a bandit and robber whose name
had long been a terror to the entire West,
and whose record had been but one
continued story of murder, bloodshed
and pillage. Yet, when, under the in
stigatiOn of a reward OF 10000, offered
by the Governor Of Missouri for his cap
ture dead or alive-a fact which in itself
tells more forcibly than could volumes
Of the desperation of his character,
and the dread in which he was
held-he was shot down by a
detective who feared to attempt his
arrest, Immediately there was as
much Of an outburst Of sorrow for his
fate, and indignation against his assassin,
as if he had been indeed hight toned,
honorable gentleman. Bending over MS
dead body his aged mother declared that
her poor boy was far better off in
Heaven than in this troublOus world,
and this sentiment, excusable perhaps in
her. it seems, met with universal re-
Spouse. We read that at his burial
mourning relatives, hosts of friends,
officers of the law in the vicinity, and
even the reverend clergy, all united in
paying extraordinary honors to his re-
mains. Among his pail bearers was
Sheriff, and Deputy Sheriff, while the
coffin was followed to the grave by an
immense throng on horseback, in wagons
and on foot, and, in short, Kearney,
Missouri, the residence of the robber
chief, never saw so grand and distin-
guished a funeral Nor was this the
worst, but had "Mr James" as he is
now respectfully designated, been one
of the most exemplary Of men, we do
not believe any greater religious demon
stratiOn could have been made at his
interment. 1t is stated that the hymns
what a friend l have in Jesus" and
Where shall rest be found2" were sung
in most serious and impressive manner,
while the reverend clergyman who off
ciated preached a most comforting ser
mon to the grief stricken assemblsge.
That the mercy of an allmerciful Crea-
tor IS boundless and beyond the cOmpre-
hension Of man cannot be denied. and it
surely could be no satisfaction to any
one, with a spark of humanity or charity
in his composition, to believe that Jesse
James should. after his tragic demise,
not have been the recipient of that mercy.
country in the world except ours could
such scenes as transpired at his burial
have been enacted, scenes that were
wholly and entirely wrong, inssmuch as
their tendency was to destroy respect for,
and the influence of. religion, and to be in
cslculably Injurious to society at large
The cause of religion must suffer from
them, because their effect was to do away
with all wholesome restraints which the
fear of future punishment is certainly
presumed to impose, and which, to GER
tain extent at least, prevents the gener-
atty of mankind from giving altogether
unbridled license to their evil inclina-
tiOns. When the church, therefore, not
only fails to deprecate and hold up to
public fear as well as adherence, the
deeds Of James-a man who had literally
dreuched his hands in blood, having. it
is said, committed not less than one
hundred murders, and who at the very
time Of his taking off was preparing for
a raid in which stealing was the princi-
pal object, but in which murder would
have unhesitatingly been committed had
it been found necessary to accomplish
that object-but even treats him as q
sainted martyr, then it merely offers q
premium on crime, and makes pillage
and outrage to be commenced.
In the same way it is that society and
regard for law and order must suffer
when an entire community turn out
to show distinguished honor to the
memory of such a man as James, for in
so doing that community sanctioned rob
berry and lawlessness, and deified one
whose prominent characteristic in life
was that he babe defiance to all laws,
human and divine. The people Of Kear-
ney and that section may perhaps regard
the respect due to property as Of moth
ing worth, and believe that a man has
a perfect right, if he has the
nerve and the grit" to
rob banks, despoil widows and orphans
of their hard earned savings, and brighten
and plumber defenseless passengers on
railway trains and upon the public high
ways. Still the open PRONUNCIATION of
these ideas will not be likely to attract
to any section where they are INDUCED
in tide of immigration, nor be regarded
as offering very enchanting inducements
to settlers. We have heard it frequently
assigned as a reason why immigration
does not seek the South more largely,
that the UNANIMOUSLY false stories, so in
dustriously disseminated by malignant
haters of our section about the insecu-
rity of life and property in our midst are
believed, and work to our injury How
then can any community which gives
practical evidence that it does not abhor,
but rather approves of total disregard
for life and property, hope to prosper
and flourish?
The circumstances under which Jesse
James was killed, and the fact that he
was shot in a cowsrdly manner from be-
hind by presumed friend who was en-
joYing his hospitality and had broken
his bread, naturally excites sympathy for
the victim and contempt for his slayer.
Nevertheless, there has been entirely too
much ''gush" about James since his
death, and his long record of crime has
been too much CLOSED over. The South
may. as its enemies assert, be too careless
in the matter of making crime odious,
and visiting stern and swift Justice
upon criminals. But nowhere in the
South proper, we unhesitatingly assert,
could such scenes and such disregard for
the teachings and restraints of religion,
and the welfare of society, be shown, as
were recently manifested over the grave