The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-02-21
Assassins a Privileged Glass.

If the sacredness of human life is the
real test of civilization, the American
people in general, and those of Texas in
particular, are not quite as civilized as
they fondly imagined they are. Human
life was never before quoted as low in the
American markets as now. 1t is getting
to be so cheap that any man of moderate
means can take it. We suppose that
similar causes produce similar effects the
world over. The cause, or at least the
principal cause, of the daily homicides in
Texas is to be found in the fact that MUIR
der and homicide are not punished as
they should be. In no other civilized
country is the petty criminal punished
as cruelty and as remorselessly, or the
great criminal punished as lightly, as in
Texas. For the theft of miserable lit
tie pony the lowest term for which man
has to serve at hard labor in the peni-
tentiary is five years, and that institution
is swarming with that class of criminals
but it is next to impossible to convict
and punish the murderer who has money
and friends. The columns of the daily
papers are reeking with blood. The
State specials of the daily GoIUeston NeeOS
SHOW from two to FIVE murders, or at
tempts at murders, daily, until the heart
grows sick over the daily record of blood.
1t is not surprising that there should
be a great deal of violence in Texas. 1t
is a frontier State, and is still a place of
wefuge for lawless men from other States,
but the growing evil might be mitigated,
if the courts and juries did their duty,
which they do not by any manner of
means. We do not hesitate to aver that
when an assassin has money or influence,
in nine cases out of ten the trial, from
beginning to end, is purely farce, and
1T is SO regarded and spoken of by the
general public. The popular belief, which
is fully justified by the results, is that
there is no law in Texas to punish the
wealthy homicide
We have not space in this issue to ex-
plain at length how it comes that Judi
cial hanging is such rare occurrence in
Texas, and why, when one does take
place, the doomed man is always, without
exception, poor fellow without money
or friends. There are several reasons
for this CHASTITY mockery of justice, which
has well nigh destroyed all reverence for
the law in the minds of the people. The
ease and facility with which our moneyed
assassins can obtain continuances and
changes of venue has much to do with
the immunity granted this class. Our
Jury system seems to have been devised
for the special purpose of defeating the
ends of justice. Observe the fact that
when a jury does find verdict of guilty,
it is tempered with orreversed by either
the higher courts or by the Governor him
self, which frequently means turning
over the jury men to be slaughtered by
re professional assassin. To this cause
ds and lynching may be attributed.
"a that the thorough ven
I'VE this most
Slvns will procure US
4ial enemies, but prefer to
enout the money or the goodwill of
finals and their apologists We know
sry well that we will have the moral
support of all those whose good opinion
is really worth having. Now is the time
tor the Legislature to do what it can to
escue our criminal jurisprudence from the
.eserved contempt into which it has fall
n. 1t would almost appear that, sooner
later, the assassin would become
cred animal, like certain breed of
onkeys in India that are permitted to
o whatever they please, it being crime,
punishable by death, to any way exasper-
ate OF modest, much less destroy them.
The American assassin is already wor-
shipped in his cell by SLY women, and it
would almost seem as if, eventually,
murder might become sacred calling,
and the murderer receive the honors of a
-deity.-Teras SJftangS,