The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-01-03
Cox and STEPHENS.

The readers Of the Home journal
will remember, perhaps, that in our
last issue mention @as made Of the fact
that Gov. Alexander ii. Stephens, Of
Georgia, had set at liberty the murderer
of Col. Aston. Cox had been SEN
fenced to lifetime imprisonment in the
penitentiary-thc extreme penalty OF
the law in that State at the time the
murder was committed But the power
Of the Governor to pardon, which Is 80
often abused has set Cox free after
serving about three years Of his SEN
lencc. This abuse Of the hardening
power, coupled with the delay Of the
: law and the technicaitiCs thereof,
whereby criminals are seldom convicted
If they have money to fee able counsel,
and coupled with the fact, also, that
after they are sentenced they are put to
work in mines and elsewhere and gen
orally manage to cscapo-all this goes
very far as reason for mob law, and
unless there should be Il change for the
= better in this respect We may naturally
, look for an increase Of the mob courts.
Besides, look at the loose manner in
which our luws are respected rs to the
z carving Of concealed weapons, How
g do they operate, practically Simply
r to place decent and welldlsposcd men
i at the mercy Of bad men, who, III the
h words Of an exchange, "primo them
h selves with whisky and stand in reodi'
d ness to make q reputation by killing
10 some unarmci person. The decent men
r. do moi carry pistols. The assassina do.
o That's tho difference. Does not every
would-be man.kiler" (Which, by the
IS way, is the name bestowed on the mcan-
" est and most fcrocious tiger in lndiW,
is know that the average orderly citizen
q habitually goes unarmed? OF course
D. he does. lie can easily make reputa-
0, ton Ivy Staying one of these citizens. 1t
d. is quite safe to do it. There is no pres
ye cnt danger, and so FIR as the admins
or tratlon oil criminal justice is concerned
to little prospective peril. That's the op
he Grafton of the statutes against concealed
ed weapons. They put good, true, honest
no brave and kindly men at the mercy Of
he towards. Is there in all the wide realm
es ofthe universe more dastardly coward
n. than ono who will shoot down without
fl provocation an unarmed man"
&c Now, Col. Aston, who was murdered
g by Cox, tried to avoid any difficulty
II not that he was u coward, for he had
le shown his bravery upon tho battlefield.
al But he wanted peace in times Of peace ;
as be respected law. Cox is pardoned and
We he is made u hero Of some by the way il
in which he has been congratulated. No
- ticing this false, base sentiment, "Bil
- Arp"--a gentleman we once had tn
so pleasure Of entertaining as II guest i
nv Winchester and Of introducing to mic
csc audiencc-(wc mean Capt CharlC
nd Smith writes rs follows in his hume
ov- Gus style. And there is cutting truth
OF, all he says:
nix 81 saw II crowd waiting ut the depC
$50 to see Cox Cox, who killed Aston, IN
vo has just beon pardoned--not pardoneC
'" but released. Mr. Stephens can't pa
NJ don anybody. I've nothing to sa
ld about Cox or his release except this
&c His crime Is the same now as it was bt
fore / care nothing abuut the fin
drawn lines of doubt, or who shot first
ssi for | do know he armed himself for
: fight and did not avoid it, and he nigh
"a have avoided it I've no respect for
- man who wants to settle u quarrel wit
VT a pistol-Ive no respect for man VIII
cd carries murderous weapon. I've II
ms respect for man who does not avoid
light with such weapons and 60 ava
49, from it. Bullies and braggarts arc m
'o' especial contempt, ! knew them befor
tho war, and when the war came the
lodged 1t and the very men they ha'
bullied ud run over made good, BRAY
:, soldiers, who marched mp 10 the can
up mons mouth Let Cox 60, ] don't care
up but dou'l want people to make her
ch Of him. Let him retire and be ouis
on and repeutant. lie has widowed vii
Il and orphaned her children, and he coul
- have done without it, That is all
o. know or care to know about him."