Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-07
HOW TO DEAL WITH A CERTAIN CLASS.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH A CERTAIN CLASS.
In the history of news-gathering there
IS no record Of a more horrible recital Of
cruelty by human beings than that tel
egraphed yesterday Since the days of the
torture chamber no more brutal and fend-
ish deed has been done than that COM
mitted by William Boyas Of Rockaway
Beach. Compared TO him the bludgeon
man is an angel of mercy and the thug a
mild-mannered fellow the monsters who
dash out infants brains at least kill the
cut-throats of the highway al least end
suffering with death the IMPLYING saw
age of the wilds roasts his victim at the
stake, but with the assurance that his
pangs will be brief But William Bovas
whom it were fattery to call savage"
brutalized by his occupation and inaamed
by the vile liquors he dealt to others, on
Saturday was guilty of a crime for which
there IS no adequate punishment on earth,
and for which there should be, if there is
not, hell hereafter.
1t puts the thinking-csp very firmly
upon the heads of the humane, TO consider
whether or not the liberty of men to con-
vert themselves into helI-hounds by misuse
of drink should not by drastic legislation
be limited
This british drunkard had, it appears,
once before similarly offended, and yet,
with the knowledge Of what he was when
&" in liquor" society took no steps to pre-
vent q recurrence of the condition in
which such men become menaces to the
lives Of their, fellows. 1t ought to be suf-
iicient warrant to act in some way in the
direction of prevention, whenever by one
act it is established that indulgence trans
forms a man into ravening beast. Let
the tale of the dispatch speak for itself:
NEW YORK, August 4th-Threats of Iynching
were freely made at Recksway Beach yesterday
against brute named VIM. Bovas. BoVas is a
saloOn-keeper, and is his own most frequent
customer. When drunk he is perfect demon
He has sought every opportunity to quarrel
with MS wife. Some months ago being intoxi-
Gated, he got the unfortunate woman in the
corner of their bed room. Clutching her throat
with his left hand. he inserted his thumb in her
eye and gouged the pupil out upon her cheek
destroying her sight. The woman refused to
make a complaint against him, and even before
the wound healed had forgiven him. Bovas
has often sneered at his Wife's uisfigured face
1t was no Unfrequent thing for him TO threaten
10 gouse out the other eye On Thursday he
went 10 Brooklyn and returned in the afternoon
drunk he was evidently looking for quarrel
ana began 70 curse and swear at his wife. For
a long while she made to reply. But at last
driven beyond the point of endurance, she an
swered him. With the snan of wild beast
and the cry, Now I'll get your other eye" he
sprang upon her as upon the previous occasion
and In the same way gouged out the other eye
Then, while the poor woman CROPPED blindly for
the door, nearly crazed with agony, he made
day. Physicians were hastily summoned but
one glance at the bleeding creature was sufi-
clent 10 tell them that she was irretieyably
day.
A civilization in which such thing can
occur, and where there is provided no ad-
equate punishment, is sadly at fault. The
law is merciless in its mercy when it
declines to make the example of this
brute such a terrible warning that other
bestialized men will hesitate long before
giving rein to their passions. If the people
OF Rockaway Beach had taken Bovas by
the neck and have forthwith hanged him,
there would have been no condemnation
of them by the American public, notwith-
standing the fact that their act would also
have been a crime, and that society must
not commend lynch law. Bovas win be
tried for mayhem he will possibly be
found guilty, unless, indeed, the plea OF
nsanity-despite the statute against it in
cases Of drunkenness-saves him. as il toe
often does brutes of his kind. He will be
sent to the State Prison at the most for
ten years; by inability to gouge out more
eyes, because of watchfulness and depriva.
tion of liquor, he will gain credits, and at
the end of six years again be turned loose
upon society, which will give him full lib
erty TO inspire himself anew to fresh deeds
Of cruelty.
Society is altogether at fault when it
fails to chain or execute such wresches.
We brain the mad dog in the interest Of
humanity We should at least permanently
restrain the man whom liquor so inhu-
enoes that his impulse is to go about kill
ing and manning his fellow-men.
1t ought to be crime TO sell spirituous
liquors or give them to men who are thus
affected by their sppetites. The law
ought to be such, and these men should be
so marked, that all thus informed Of their
character would fear as for their lives to
put it in their power to make wild beasts
of themselves. In every community there
are men who in their cups are a menace to
their fellow-men. They are walking ter.
rors, rabid and frothing enemies Of life and
peace, liable at any moment to bring death
disaster and misery upon the community
they are free to arm and run amuck apor
the highway, to cut and burn and gougc
and beat out life, yet society makes not SC
much effort TO guard against them as il
does to protect band of sheep from a dos
the habit of which is known to be danger
Gus to the fold.
1t will not always be 50. Ii We may no
put in mortal fear those who give thes,
men the stimulant to murder and msyhem
if We may not mete out to the tribe o.
Boyas the punishment such deeds as their.
deserve, we may at least provide restraint
IN the interest of humanity, for every mar
and woman who once manifests in LIQUOR
that the human being Is lost in the dom
nance of a brutal nature.
a CAMPAIGN OF REASON