The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-05-02
EuoNPsOHVys- DAVIS.

The. grand old Commonwealth of Zen
tucky is-Ggain all torn up. and this time, it
must be confessed, the trouble is of char
act1 well caleulsted'to give the State CONT
nensAl ITC toriety. The more importanttacts
contested with the killing of Walter Davis
by Colonel Phil Thompson, at Hsrredsburg,
have<5eca made public. Homicide il &en-
tuckyie too frequent to be startling, but IN
the present case TIE prominence OF the
slayer-aDd the slainwill probably make ii
average we'll up with any thing of the kind
that has hitherto darkened the criminal
records of the State. Take up metTopoli-
tan pspeF almost any day OF the week, and
the eye will at once rest upon &C
counts OF homieides in which the csuse
was sisnilsr to that which provoked Colonel
Thompson to killEEalter Davis Outside Of
the eiscles of friends in which ThosapsoI,
and DaTis moved the case will soon be for
gotten. There may or nay not be q trial
probabilities are about evenly balanced.
Still there are questions connected With the
terrible sEair in which the people beyond
the boundaries of az entucky have 3 deep
and an abiding interest. Admitting all
that Thompson learned in regard to Davis
treatment of his vic to be absolutely trze,
does itljustify the homicide? That Is the
importer tQuestion, the one everywhere dis
cussed. There are collateral facts which
enter inSo the controversy, and which ua-
speaksbly aggravste the case. Davis var
the intimate friend of Thompson.
There VIA mutual confidence. Davis had
sdmissie2 to Thomrson's home and Ere
side. There can exist no holier evidence Of
friendship, and theoznan who would take
advantage of such. confidence to commit G
crime, in comparison with which murder
q keaediotion, is creature Of such
devilish .6epravity that the. darkest abodes
of the damned are too lovely for bis habit
tation. Bat there is still another phase Of
this deploceble affair. which adds still darker
colors TO Devis' villsiny. He knew that the
wife OF hisifIiend was the victim Of a great
misfortuBs. and yet, for a purpose as vile as
was ever bczn of lust, he took advsnt-
age of that tEaiaty, and to en- inirmIty that
was a sourOo Of untold anguish, he added
a crime against which Jehovah Himself
issued His can nsnd, and for the descG ption
of which MiI+aa was not equal. In view of
such surroundings was Thompson dong his
duty when hs took Davis Efe? The law
answers no; that is. the status of the State
answers no. R1t what do tie people an
swerT What 6oJ1ries answer, not in Ken
lucky, but elteEhe-e throughout the bnsad
Iand7 The answer is on recordla Thousand
times, and it would be, interesting to kno6T
when and where it-was IN accord with the
letter Of the law. What, therefore, is the
nevita6ie conclusion? II 70 that See penal4
y whicE Thompson inflicted fox Davis
crime wse meritsd and juAs. Dscis MUIR
Gcred virtae and wrecked q home, and to
c onmit t5o;e unhOly deeds Ehe miscreant
not only took advantage of confidence
which his hypocrisy had strengthened, but
of a misfortune which should have excited
his compassion rather than bis Gust. Ii re-
portf are to b believed, this thing OF wreck
ing EOmes ia altogether too freqEsnt to be
endured with any degree.of compCsure, and
society will b the gamer II the lustful
vermin who engage in the business are com
PEELED, ~ often SIS caught, to pay sucli penal
&es as vile and daughter. hcme and Ichasti-
~ demand for their protection.