The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-21
THE PARALYSIS OF LAW.

crime and criminals. The general verdict
will be, "Served him right-he got what
he deserved" Without arguing whether
the scoundrel did or did not deserve
death. the law-abiding people must unite. in
deploring that the law and the machinery for
its enforcement were not adequate to givin g
this wretch what he deserved, and
what the great majority cannot help
approving. The crime that young Huendel-
ing committed is shared in by every man
in Indiana whose influence has not been I'M
swervingly in favor Of, not only prompt and
rigid enforcement of the laws as they are but
of passing such laws as will approach the full
measure of justice according to popular idea
The punishment for the crime committed by
the lecherous fend, who yesterday was shot
by the brother of his victim, is wofully mad
equate to the magnitude of its character.
How much less heinous is rape than murderg
offense, the contemplation of which sickens
humanity, is but twenty-one years in the
penitentiary, and the jury may give verdict
but for five years. If any man thinks this is
enough, and all that monster guilty of it
deserves let him try to put himself in the
place of the relatives of the victim worse
than murdered This fact that the law. at
best, is practically impot ent in such cases,
and often paralyzed by the jugglery of law
yers and the imbecility of juries, is one of the
moving causes that impel man maddened
by the awful injury wrought on an
innocent sister, or daughter, or wife, to do
murder as only partial measure of justice.
Upon the people rests the blame Of yesterdays
killing in the indianapolis courtroom, the one
place, it would seem, in all the land where
life should be secure and justice swift and
certain.
Had the avenger of his sisters honor felt
that jury of his fellow-men would or could
send the miscreant to the gallows, it is quite
probable that he would have been content to
await the issue of the trial. If he stopped to
think at all he knew this was not only improb-
able, but impossible. The people who quietly
approve Of the killing have failed to afford
legal way of doing this thing. If it is right
that man should forfeit his life for an of
Tense of that character, it should be made the
law, and the killing should be done in law
full manner, after lawful investigation. If it
is wrong to require the offenders life, then
the selfconstituted judge and executioner
should be held to proper accountability, as he
really must be, because he has undoubtedly
previously violated the laws as now drawn.
The public cannot escape responsibility in this
matter, and this is only one out of many sim
liar crimes. A death penalty for rape might
Failing in that it might have restrained the
man who took justice into his own hands and
acted according to the law Of nature.
What is the public going to do about it,
Shall sickly sentimentality enervate the law
until itffails in its purpose, and then come to
the aid of the man who takes the law into his
own hands and tears it to tatters because it
fails to do justice? 1t looks like it. Then,
there are crimes not of violent nature,
nurtured and encouraged by the failure of the
law to reach their authors and drag them to
justice. All over the land desperate and con-
cpiaDcafacS hold INT ha afrot
of thefts and frauds, confident that they can
defeat the law and escape it's penalties. 1t is
often the case that scheming Williams make a
study of the law and employ shrewd and I'M
scrupulous attorneys" so as to be able to
violate its spirit and purpose yet escape on
technCalities. Such was the shrewdness of
the man Pollard, who got away with hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, and
brought dishonor upon the entire State
of Indiana because he was 'smart" enough to
keep from violating the law in its letter. and
combining his offense to that degree that would
which country he had expected to fly when he
could steal no more The same looseness of
the laws and laxity of enforcement have en-
boldened county and township officers to steal
from the funds in their charge. Clerks cash
iers, confidential agents and business men
have been led into crime often by feeling con-
ident that they can escape punishment.
Scoundrelism has taken many shapes under
encouragement of the failure of justice. The
business of the courts has been procrastinated,
and their processes stretched, and prolonged,
and postponed, until it has become prevail
ing belief that man with money, or with
moneyed friends and hackers, can do as he
pleases, regardless of law