Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-08

POST . NTELLIGMCER
JrDCE lYSCus CotKT.
whv ia il that the tendency OF com
munitisa 10 take into their own hands
thu administration Of justice outside OF
regular judicial processes shows such
an increase lately? Hardly week
psssss bus We read Of the summary exc
oution Of some criminal by concourse
of citizens. in which the sheriff ana
peaoe c6,cers are neither managers nor
visnessss, bat usually in charge OF .
d1eail from the crowd, Who have taken
a pri.ouer from their custody. IL 1t
hsoauss the people have lost all conn
dsass in the processes of Law, and IN fheir
dseuerssion have CONCLUDED to take the
dispsnsa&;oo Of justice into their own
hsnde IN svsey cass where there seems
- b any doubt Of the execution OF the
senssnss Of Sourt, or, indeed, OF con-
vietioa3 That thsrs ID reason for tbs
revival Of Tie always solemn and Rsnsr-
ally svifs rstributory justice Of JsdRs
Lynch's Court, can hardly b denied.
Thsrs y Q sentiment among ths people
that justiss II too largely dspendsnf
mon elements, factors or influences
foesdGn 70 ito meaning - defined In
lsv, that wealth. influence and crook
ednsss" combine TO shelter criminals
ara hat the safety Of communitiss 10
TOO often made jest and jssrsd at BY
ths visioos portion Of society, because
OF the immunity from punishment AZ
fosdsd through mal-admiDistrsfion OF
the criminal laws. So II results that
vhsnsvsr Q dssd Of special diabolism
oosan the public ssnss u keen to watch
ths sinuous course Of legal procesdinas,
and sands ready 70 supplement win
dslihsssts purpose and stern resolve
any failurs 70 measure out rstributory
instiee In Gases where the crime was
noteworthy In brutality. Hence come
the frsqusut records Of executions by
armed and determined bands OF eiti-
zsus, whose duty, - they deem it, hav-
ING been accomplished, retire and lsavs
the coroner 70 enter up the record Of the
execution Of ths sentence Of the court
whose voluntary officers they had bssn.
The hanging Of James Mcpherson, ono
Of ths Cummins murasrers, at Dayton
lass Saturday night BY vigilantss, was
not, in view of the suggestions made
above, Q strange occurrence. McPher-
con vas one Of three men who had
committed an unprovoked and brutal
murder. He had been tried, convicted
and ssntsnoed to be hanged. Thus far
thses wss no cause :. for intervention
with ths process Of the Law. But for
some sanss Q new trial was granted
and NePhsrson was rsprisved. Whether
night o. wrong, many people Of Dayton
and vicinity we're impressed with the
belisf that the reprisvs and removal
Of this criminal to Walia Walla was but
The beginning of . series Of delays
vhieh would eliminate In his release,
and This opinion, not unnaturally, per-
haps, was strengthened by the fact that
b was posssssad of ample means TO pay
for lseal tschnicalitiss In quantities TO
suit The end desired. They had known
he victim Of the murder and his assail-
ans. They had heard the trial, listened
10 The confession Of one Of the guilty
tho eonusctsd with the crime, they ac-
quissosd in the verdict and decided
that delays we're dangerous" There
fore they acted. II 10 not for us to say
that hey had not good reason, nor, on
he othsr hand, 70 justify their act. In
sash sasss the people Of the community
ass Tie best judges. Il will, however.
eesas 70 Ill Who give the subject
tAeaGht, that the increase Of hangings
b yiailantss in the last few years must
Aays some powerful underlying cause,
not 9editabls 10 oar system Of judicial
psossdars.