Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-07-30
THE COST OF JUSTICE.
Some Idea as TO What II Costs 20 Run
the Greatest Criminal Court
IN the Emitted States.
ola Laws That Need BeSisins-A Visit to
the Government Jnii--Pruhibiuon
in the Territory;
Correspondence OF thc Gazette.

Correspondence of The Gazette.
FoRr SMITH, ARK, July 2s.-Thc fed
eral court here has been rushing off bust
ness at Il rapid rate since the beginning
of the term, and the following will show
what an immense institution 1t is;
Up TO saturday last the court had been
in session just eighteen days, during
which time there has been over three
hundred pages of record made, and
nearly POO cases disposed of by
Jury trial, pleas of guilty,
nolle proscqu and continuance. During
this time 575 witnesses have been dis
charged and paid OFF at a cost OF about
1000, and still there is Il large number
yet in attendance, with new ones report
ing almost every day. Now add TO the
expense of witnesses for three weeks that
of Jurors, clerks fees, marShuls' fees, the
pay OF bailiffs, the expense of Keeping the
prisoners, the guards at the jail, the fees
OF the prosecuting attorneys, the United
States commissioners, the judges salary.
and the various incidental expenses at
tached to til curt, aud Que can form some
slight idea of the vast amount of
wealth ii takes to deal ont justice To the
law-brcakerS of the Indian Territory.
vi Nllll " "ANp Ddi NliN CHA E't WIN WV
grave crime of murder, only two have
thus far been tried, one being convicted
and one having come clear.
On Sunday last your correspondent
visited the Jail, at which time It contained
one hundred and twenty prisoners, not
outstanding one load has already been
sent to Detroit this term.
The Intercourse law, which prohibits
the Introduction or sale OF Spirituous
or malt liquors within the borders
OF the Indian country, furnishes II large
percentage of the business that comes be-
fore the court. Under this law the intro
ductiOn of liquor into the forbidden terri
tory constitutes one offensc and the sale
of IL by the pint or quart constitutes AN
other, the latter being II direct violation
OF the revenue law.
There are some laws governing this court
that need revising badly. For instance,
there Is but one grade of murder, conSc-
qucntly II one man Kills another In the heat
of passion, without sufficient provocation
10 make case of sclt-defcnsc, he must
suffer the same penalty AS he who way
lays and Stays his victim for the sake of
robbery or premcditatcd vengeance.
Then there is the larceny law, under
which the penalty Is limited to one year
Tor each oncnSc, hence the man VINO
steals II beei-hde must suffer the same
punishment as he who steals Il horse
Again, there is no law to punish arson or
/ disturbance of religious worship, so II IA
white man and an Indian, IN connection
with each other commit an offcnse of the
| latter character, the Indian IL amcnable un-
der the laws of his nation, but the white man
/ II amcmablc 10 no law, rs AN Indian court
has no jurisdiction over whites and the
| United States court has no law on her
statutes for the punishment of such
crime.
The courtroom, the clerks and mar
shal's offices here are In an old govern
ment barriIck and the jail is in the base
ment OF the same building Immediately
under them. The jail has two apartments,
which are the old Kitchens and dining.
rooms used by the soldiers. \ new court
house and iail il badly needed.