Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-03-15


difficult for the court to reconcile th'
terms of this verdict with the facts, i
being clearly laid down in the law
that any battery with q dangerous
weapon, or that causes blood to flow, il
in its very nature atrocious. If thl:
, was not case of atrocious assault it II
difficult to tell what an atrocious as
sault is The jury seem 10 have found
this verdict in the fear that the court
would impose too severe sentence i
they found in accordance with the
facts. You have been convicted o
assault and battery by taking up 6
loaded gun in the presence of human
being, as it appears, without any effort
to ascertain its condition, but with the
most criminal recklessness, and hand
ling the same in such way that i,
was discharged and the charge entered
the body of the young lady who was
the victim. You had no business to
meddle with the gun, passing your
hand over the hammers, the triggers,
etc., and are guilty of criminal negli.
gence-that is the precise term. The
court assumes that your character has
been good, and although sentence Of
Imprisonment for two years, or a fine
of $500, or both, might be imposed, in
consideration of your good character,
your youth, and the conviction that
there was no intention whatever to in
lure anyone, the court will spare you
the disgrace of q term in the State
prison and impose fine of $500 and
costs of the prosecution, and to be
held until payment is made"
A civil suit for damages has been
commenced against the young man,
and he begins to get realizing sense
of the crime he has committed. l
have treated the subject too lightly
perhaps; but | wished to exhibit the
spirit in which the offence was perpe-
trated, and to enforce the truth that
carelessness in the use of firearms is a
sin and a crime punishable by the
statute. You may not put other peo-
pie in jeopardy, even in sport, without
guilt and peril. And almost every
newspaper you read mentions instances
of fatal or of fearfully sad examples of
this folly and wickedness. Thousands
of families are in mourning because of
death or dreadful wounds of loved
ones by what is called the accidental
discharge of firearms. Last week a
father was fined $500 for leaving a
loaded gun where child got hold of
it to his inquiry. Pistols are made in
to toys, and children slay one another
with them. Parents who permit their
children to have such playthings de-
serve fine an Imprisonment. Men car
ry concealed weapons which often kill
those for whom they are not intended.
The law very wisely forbids the prac-
tice, but the law is rarely enforced.
Firearms have their lawful use. 1t is
becoming more and more necessary to
have their protection in our houses in
the city, and in some parts of the coun-
try. There is no adequate protection
of life and property in New York by
the civil authorities; and, while gov
ernment is the slave of politics, there
will be none. Therefore, self-protec-
tion requires a well-fortifed castle, and
suitable weapons of defence. But
such is not the purpose of this letter.
/ am writing to parents and to young
people to inculcate deeper sense than
now prevails of the sacredness of hu-
man life, and of the exceeding wicked.
ness of trifing with it. How many ag-
onizing instances of sudden death have
we read, where gun, supposed to be
not loaded, has been pointed at friend
in play and, in an instant, soul has
been hurled into eternity. We say,
what fool to trife with deadly
weapon!' But there are thousands OF
such fools in and out of New Jersey.
If they were all sent to prison the
jails could not contain them. But they
are worse than fools. They are great
criminals. This conviction of the
young man who went courting with a
gun is a triumph of law and right, for
which the country is largely indebted
to faithful public prosecutor, who de-
manded that the law should be upheld,
and to the Judge, who maintained the
traditional honor of the New Jersey
bench by the frmness of his instruc-
tions. / magnify the case, and repeat
it thus clearly, in the hope that its
lessons may not be in vain.-M Y.
Observer.