The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-01-21

without an extenuating element. Insanity
was plead, and while the murder was ad
mitted by the defense, the jury awarded
the assassin brief Imprisonment. Such
a decision is a travesty on justice and an
outrage on the law-abiding people of the
state. If Herrin was sane, he should have
been hung for his crime; if he was of
unsound mind, and mentally irresponsible
for his act, the jury should have so pro-
nounced, and the competent authorities
should have taken steps to secure his in
generation in an asylum, where his
bloody instincts and brutal passions could
have been kept under control. 1t is such
verdiots as this that bring the law into
contempt and render popular the swift
and retributive justice administered by
the code of Judge Lynch" So long as
juries like the Cleburne body continue to
turn loose upon the community such muir
derous wretches as Herrin, so long will
the six shooter flourish and assassins be
assured of immunity from punishment.
If crime is to be stamped out in Texas,
public sentiment, popular opinion, must
set the seal of condemnation upon MUIR
der and murderers.
Fort Worth Mail
SO much of the matter in some of our
exchanges is patented the STATESMAN is
afraid to copy anything from them for
fear of being prosecuted for infringe
ment. The governments patent laws are
very stringent
They would be excellent foraging
ground for photographic purloiners, only
the patents collate news items and label
them paragraphs. The genuine para
graph has the clear ring of an idea.
Austin is now enforcing police regu-
lation that reminds one of the olden times,
when every darkey had to turn in at the
ringing of the 8 O'Clock bell. Austin let's
them run till low twelve, and whether
black or white, after that hour they are
halted and required to give an account of
their business in walking the streets at
that late hour and when their statement
fails to satisfy the policemen, they are
pulled and locked up till morning.
The farmers in the vicinity of Austin
are reported to be more prosperous and
nearer out of debt than for the ten pre-
vious years. but they are not at all ahead
of their neighbors in this respect, for the
same report comes up from all sections
of the state.
Houston Herald.
The exodus of negroes from the south
ern tier of counties in North Carolina
most of them going to Kansas, but some
to Arkansas, still continues without inter
ruption. Not less than 5000 are thought
to have left Richmond and Anderson
counties since November. Planters a
first made an effort to check their loss Of
labor, but their effort, proving futile, they
are now doing all they can to clear theil
farms entirely of colored labor, claiming
that they can replace it with New Eng
land farmers, of whom, it is said, larg,
numbers are willing to come as soon az
assured that they will not be brought il
contact with colored labor.
San Antonio Express.
The cattlemens committee on public
land go squarely to the point in their re
port to the convention, and present
platform on which stockmen and agricul
turists can we'll unite. The report show
that there is none of that antagonist
among stockman and farmers we hear s.
much about, except on the part of tn
comparatively few on either hand VIII
want to "bag the whole country" Th
live stock lessee is as much entitled
protection as the farmer or actual settle
and the rights of all should be full
guaranteed.
Houston Age.
Those who have feared that the senat
would refuse to confirm the Hon. j.
Chenoweth first auditor of the Unite
States treasury, can now put their fear
to rest. He was confirmed yesterday an
there is no report of any trouble about i
Waco Examiner.
We need Greer county in our business
We must not give up foot of that fin
county, only after it is clear case agains
our rights.
San Marcos Free Press.
The Galveston News thinks it by n
means certain that Greer county will
adiudged to belong to Texas. 1t think
the boundary commission will probabl
not be able to settle it, but that it will hav
to come before congress for final settle
ment.
J Houston Herald.
Houston is gaining in population nor
r rapidly than any other city in the soutl
Inc HBureS VI bno ldGo CollSuS speak IL
!, themselves, and figures don't general
lie. If the other counties had gained q
much as Harris in the past five year
Texas to-day would be the empire stat
of the union.
Galveston Tribune
| Slugger Sullivan wants to fight Mitche
} for one cent every day in the week an
give $1,000 to some charitable institl
ton if he don't whip him the fir
day. He ought to be in good training,
he has been practicing on the New Yor
newsboy. When he was starring"
Texas he was as meek as dressed mutton
and any kid with disgruntled six-shoot'
could make him sit right down and blea
Galveston News.
The stockmen of Texas, in session
Austin, give an indirect lift to the Terre
boom. The resolutions adopted by IL
convention might apparently just as we
have been boiled down from the Terre
bill of the extra session of the Eighteent
legislature. This is fattering to NJ
Terrell. The land board, too, found
necessary to adopt some of Terrell's SUI
gestions, and perhaps after while IL
Travis statesman may have the pleasu
: of seeing the leading ideas of his p
measure resurrected by real live legisl
ture and made a law of the state
Texas. Times works wonderful chang