The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-01-17

The punishment of crime In the District
is frequently attended with difficulty on
account Of the inadequate laws, and there
are some of the most serious crimes and Of
fenses for the punishment of which there
is no law. A community with inadequate
laws is not neglected by the criminal
classes, because. in addition to their other
accomplishments, they have faculty of
discovering the safest place TO operate.
A CRITIC reporter called at the office OF
District Attorney Worthington, and found
him surrounded by his assistants, and
asked to be informed as to what the Dis
trict needed in the way Of the revision of
laws.
you've struck big subject, young
man." replied the official.
On being requested to name few of the
most urgent cases in which the law is mad
equate for the offence, or in which there Is
no law, he said:
"In the first place, there should be two
degrees of murder-a frat and second de-
gree. As 1t is now man is either found
guilty of murder or manslaughter. There
is no half way business, and when man Is
put ON trial for murder the Jury is COM
PEELED to condemn him to death or to the
penitentiary for not more than ten years.
1t often occurs TO the jury that the one Is
too severe and the other is not severe
enough"
at is also rather surprising that we have
absolutely no law for seduction and helm
GUS offenses punished by law in every
State. This is deplorable state of affairs,
and stringent laws, with severe penalties,
would have powerful influence in suppress
ing crime of these classes,
ut is no less remarkable that abduction
is not punishable by any law in the Dis
trict. In o case which occurred here few
years ago, in which q woman named 'Puss
Okey was charged with abducting child,
it was found that there was no abduction
law, and she was punishable only for the
larceny of the clothing worn by the child"
AS to the gambling law, he said it over
reached itself in its strictness and the
severity of il defeated its aims and useful
ness.
There were other subjects needing legis.
lation that were too numerous to specify.
A remark was interjected by one of his
assistants to the effect that few very
serious defects have been remedied by tho
action of Judge Smell in having laws passed
covering HOUSEKEEPING and larceny and
attempted larceny from the person.
According to the popularity or the alb
sence of law" said the disciple of Black
stone, eff a man is killed in the District
clearly by the negligence of corporation,
his heirs and family cannot recover DANA
ges from the corporation or person caus.
| ing the death. There has been bill re-
Gently passed in tho House tending to
remedy this evil.
"a subject which causes great deal of
trouble and confusion at times, aud which
should be clearly defined by law, is the
jurisdiction of the Police and the Crimi.
nal Courts. AT present they arc very i'm
perfectly defined, and often times it is an
| embarrassing question whether case
should be prosecuted by information in
| the Police Court or by Indictment in the
| Criminal Court"
"Are you in favor of making the prison.
ers in jail work in the chain-gang?" queried
| the reporter.
eve ought to have penitentiary here
| was the reply. "There is no reason why
we should send our prisoners to the States
| There is a statute for the control of peni-
| Tertiary here, and it is a rather singular
thing that we should get the necessary
legislation for governing penitentiary be-
| fore we got the institution itself
| "While / am talking about this matter
| there are few other things that want tc
I say" remarked the attorney with smile
ave ought to have law to prevent bust
ness men, when they are summoned q!
| Jurors, from making excuses just for the
purpose of getting of, and then expressing
surprise and dissatisfaction that the Grim
inals get Off also"