, 1889-02-16

There public safety concerns every one.
The population of a town feel dishonored
by the preparation OF a crime In their midst.
Every one is on the alert to catch the Grim
tnnl; men organize themselves into bands to
search the country round. An assassin Is
tracked in the woods with ~bloodhounds and
guns, hke a wild beast; II he is discov-
cred and offers a very obstinate resistance, a
bullet is lodged In his body, and the hunters
go TRANQUILITY home again.
Something which is much to b blamed, 1
think, is the procrastination of American
justice. By going the right way to work, a
condemned criminal may often succeed In
getting his case to be tried again and again.
In cases of murder, what good can it do to
keep a poor wretch, that 1t is decided to hang,
in prison for a year or morei It is adding
torture to death penalty.
II that were only all
Jonathan Is such a philanthropist that he
with difficulty makes up his min to execute
a fellow creature even legally. So, when he
has kept a year in prison a criminal, whom
he is at last forced to hang, he leads him to
the scaffold, puts a rope round his neck,
jerks him up in the air, and manages TO take
twelve or sixteen minutes dispatching him.
This is philanthropy with a vengeance, and
it is to be hoped that execution by electricity,
which has just been adopted by the governor
Of New York state, will put an end to such
sickening proceedings.
1t is to be hoped also that the Americans
will some day do better than that. 1, for my
part, do not doubt that they viii abolish
death sentences before very long. They are
too intelligent not to understand that the
death sentence deters no criminal, and this
for n very simple reason A crime is COM
mitted under the impulse of passion, or it has
been premeditated. In the first case, the
criminal never thinks of the punishment to
como, he is blinded by passion; in the second,
he always believes he has planned his crime
in such a manner as not to be found out.
To tighten this rather lugubrious subject, I
will terminate with a little anecdote, which
has never seen the light, and which 1 think is
too delightfully."- humorous and pathetic to be
allowed to remain unpublished.
Tho scene was the smoking room of the
Savage club in London.
A notorious criminal had been hanged in
the morning. Several members of the club
were talking of the affair, and each one de-
scribed what his feelings would be IL he were
led to the scaffold to be hanged.
During this conversation an actor, well
known, but to whom managers, 1 scarcely
know why, never intrust any but secondary
parts, sat silent in an arm chair, sending up
long puffs of smoke soaring to the ceiling.
Hello, there is N, who has not given his
opinion" said one of the group, suddenly no.
ticing the actor; II say, N, tell us how you
would feel if you were being led to the scat.
fold"
The actor raised his eyes to the ceiling and,
after another puff at his cigar, said quietly:
"Well, boys, 1 should feel that at last / was
trusted with a leading part.n
CHAPTER XVI.
Lynch law is a summary Justice which, in
several of tho states, Is constantly being
dealt out to criminals who, either from the
insufilciency of the ordinary laws, or because
of tho absence of a judicial authority In the
neighborhood, might escape punishment.
Not the least semblance of a trial or even
of examination, as a rule; the populace has
taken 1t into its head that a certain indi-
vidual is guilty of a crime, that ~suffices; he
is sought out, torn from his family, led to the
spot fixed upon for his execution, and there,
without Questioning or shrift, he is hanged,
burned or shot, according to the fancy of his
executioners Sometimes the criminal Is In
prison, but the process of the law is slow and
uncertain, and the people fear that he may
escape justice. Again, there may be n chance
of the malcfactor convincing the Jury thai
he Is innocent; this does not suit the humor
Of the enraged populace. They attack the
prison, and demand that their prey DO de
Hvcred over to them. II the governor of the
prison refuses, the doors are burst open,
and the prisoner is seized and forthwith led
TO execution.
1t is to be hoped, for the credit of Amer
lean civilization, that this blot will soon be
removed.
Lynch law has its humors, Us the western
ers express it in the cynical language which
is so natural to them: it is when there has
been a mistake made-in the victim, and the
whole thing has to be gone over again, be
cause the wrong man has been lynched-
Again / leave an American newspaper, The
Chicago Herald, to speak;
1.-THE little town of st. Helens Is In a fer
ment A party of lynchers entered it this
morning, and went straight to the house of
Mrs. Williams to apprise her that her hus-
band had been lynched by mistake during
the night. After having expressed their re-
grets, the men left to go in search of the real
culprit. We do not attempt to describe the
anguish of the poor woman. 1t is feared that
she will lose her reason"
This took place in the year of disgrace 1888.
In the days of the gold fever'' in Cali.
fornin San Francisco WINS overrun by scoun.
drelism of the most v~irulent type. Twice
was the infant city reduced to ashes by In.
ccndiary hands. Then the leading citizens
rose in their wrath, banded themselves to-
gether in the name of the vigilance Com,
mittec," and soon from every available lamp
post dangled the body of n rufiian. By such
treatment was the city purged of crime and
the reign of law and order for the first time
established.
ITO be Continued