The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-06-24
Saturday June "a. 1892.
THE MURDER PROBLEM.

The inexhaustble statistics of crime come
in with every tide. The slaughter OF week
rivals the mortuary reach Of an ordinary battle
in war annals. Each of the populous cities
sends its manifesto through the public journals
and, occasionally, a town in some select West
ern locality, volunteers its score as if to rival
the central strongholds in measure or degree
of atrocity, or both. Then the fantacy of
actual murder outdoes the insubstantal sem
blances of dreams. Who can rate the shock
ing frenzy of affection, which leads mother
to destroy her four children and herself, and
the oldest of IL to be participant in the crime!
What is society to do to be saved from this
description of calamity?
The merciless cruelty which belongs to
murder may be visited upon the head of the
offender in cases of ordinary guilt But what
providence can provide against the ignorance
and insanity of such device of murder, or
save the prattling innocence of babyhood from
parental love that Destroy in place Of cher
ishing?
In that central horror the New York Tombs
are many murderers awaiting sentence and
others on murder charges awaiting trial. A
New York journal recently suggested that the
criminal court calender be cleared of all but
capital cases, and that these be fixed and
heard summarily. That when convicted the
prisoner be returned to the mass of convicts,
aud, as soon as all are disposed OF, let day
be fixed for all to suffer the death penalty to-
gether 1t would be a grand ovation, says
our contemporary, to the outraged divinity OF
public Justice. But we submit that it is fall
lacy again and again exploded, an old-time
test that has always failed, that of giving
gala day to the people for public han ing
show. Two or three generations of expert
ment pronounce against it. The legislator
has.become satisfied of the adequacy of the
test and by statute has reformed the practice
altogether.
But there is a measure to the category OF
possible devices which, if it could be adopted,
and not damned with family doing, would
bring terror to evil doors that would stimu-
late reform. This, is, simply, swift and sure
atonement, partaking of the efficacy of Lynch
law, on the scaffold for every known murder.
The IMMUNITY of crime comes of the laws de-
lay. The committing of an atrocity inspires in
the public mind appreciation at the time, but
with the laws delay, the memory Of early i'm
pressions are lost, and fainter and fainter
grows the cry for justice, till new crimes and
new perpetrators supervene, when perhaps
the arraignment and trial ensue, with endless
bubbles that weary the public patience in
difference to the fate of the guilty closes on
the farce, and the tired public passes on the
next case repeating the same indications OF
the transitory hold of human justice on the
mind.
In place of all this, when murder is done,
let the perpetrator be ought face to face with
the commonwealth, without days delay; ar
raigned, and forthwith tried, and if guilty con,
demned. Let there be some needful hours,
for spiritual ministraton, but while yet the cir.
cum2tances Of the crime are fresh, and the
popular excitement and indignation undated
be sure that the law is ready and that the felon
hang. The one great wrong which the people
suffer consists in tie teremoniOuS hemminy i,
by means of legal forms of a 00refch a0AOm III.
7OorM kuO7Os 10 be guilty, and who finally
escapes through the chances thus secured
to him. Let forms and bubbles anc
delays be reserved for instances in which
there are doubts of moral guilt. Wheneve
any commonwealth gets to be relied upon, b,
guilty minds, for the discharge of this duty
with the energy we have described, murde
will abate. 1t will effectually and immediate
ly operate prevention; while as to cure, tina
rests solely on individual regeneration. TIL,
latter might come earlier in the worlds pro
eress if some public care were bestowed oil
the moral training of children, and some pub
lie interest shown in adults who are improvi
dent or poor from misfortune or fault. kn'
on the adoption of these suggestions, as W
think, waits the social solution of the murde
problem.
ale was the most perfect gentleman | eve
saw" said KentuCkian OF Henry Clay
"When you went to see him he handed 20
the whisky bottle and then turned his back.