The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-12
Remarks by Judge Hudson..AdjOurn.
ment Of Court.
The Abbeyille Homicide.
Columbia Register.

The recent homicide in Abbevile will natu.
| rally furnish ground for reflections upon the
prevalence Of crime in South Carolina, ana
the insufficiency Of the law to prevent 1t. II
would be unfair to draw from this occurrence
any inference unfavorable to the character OF
! the people of South Carolina, or Of AbbeVllle
county, SO far as respect for the law Is con-
cerned. This killing, growing out OF person
al feeling, might have happened in any com
munity. The single feature that is perhaps
significant Of any evil Is that the slayer seems
| to have been quick to resort to deadly Weap-
on To redress a wrong that might have been
rghted in soIEe better way, while upon the
person of the slain Is found pistol, TO De
used on some occasion-whether for attack
or in defense, no man can undertake 10 de-
termine.
No inference unfavorable to the law, or TO
its administration in the Courts of the State,
can be drawn from the circumstances OF this
homicide. 1t is rather certain that there was,
in the slayer, at the time he did the killing,
no conscious violation or the law, no con-
scious disregard OF human life. He acted un.
der motives which Ovcrrode, II they did
temporarily destroy, I'LL respect OF the law
and al consciousness OF doing violence TO It,.
This state of feeling. i'll the slayer does not
affect the character of his deed. That must
be determined, in view of all the circuinstan-
ces, by the trbuna! charged with passing on
the facts of the case.
the slayer of Mabry that result must not be
expected to do much to prevent Il homscidc
under similar circumstances III lbe luture
The enforcement OF the law In any particular
case operates only OH the criminal cltsa-not
upon men who. having long borne good
character, at last commit some grieVou>
oifenSe. Indeed, IL may be stated, rs geue-
raj proposition, that the mere enforcement OF
penal laws is the weakest OF the influences
that Induce that spirit in community which
makes IL peaceful and law-abiding. Perhaps
one trouble in South Carolina bas been the
prominence given 10 complaints against the
Il, mi tn OF imnrOyement.
Neither the crlticisms3nor the changes made
in consequence appear to have accomplished
much.
If there is any way to prevent occurrences
such as the killing of Mabry, IT may be far
more readily found in the intervention OF In
divduals than through the punishment OF
the guilty In most cases OF this Kind the
homicide, though suddenly committed, is the
result of long standing il-will between the
slayer and the slain. N some instances Inc
feeling between the parties Is 50 far exhibited
| by word or act as To give others grounds for
circulating the chances OF a deadly quarrel
Even IN the presence of facts causing the
rru vest auDrchciISiOnS, those who should IN
terposc Stand inertly by ami let the feud
ripeu into q condition In which one OF the
pnrtics Is in danger of death. The interposl-
lion needed to prevent this result may some
times be cilectual in the form OF friendly ad-
monltiOn. In other cases the machinery OF
the law must be employed TO cool the hot
blood and bring the hostile parties TO Il sober
view of thc'r grievances 1t Is rare, indeed
that the Intervention of discreet friends falls
of good results. The apparent indifference OF
these who might have prevented lhc D!oOd-
shed Mt AhberilIr proceeded. doubtless, rom
two causC.s-thr failure to realize That Il dead
iv conflict impcnded, and the somewhat
natural dislike To interfere IN purely private
quarrel, More than one valuable life III
South Carolina has been Sacrflceu 10 cohSlu-
crations of this character.
There will now he Il renewed demand for
q stcrncr enforcement nf the law-for the
hanging of somebody for the killing OF anoth-
or TOO great effort cannot be made TO en-
force tho law In that effort every good
citizen heartily SympalhiZcS, though lie
NAV not actively join. But more good can he
done if all pcacr,ihln mon will resolve 10 give
more attention To !hr settlement Of qnarrclS,
TO the adjustment of differences and To the
prevention, by timely resort 10 the law, of
encounters that must result III bloOdShed.
possibIv--wc do not say ccrtainly-ihc life nt
Nubry might have been saved, the hand OF
IyOn might have been free from the stain OF
himnn blood II there had been proper in
tnryrni;on hV those in AbhcvillC who must
have known the danger Of an encounter.
Tho punisfmrnt Of Lyon, il he shall he con-
victed can only fulfil the demand Of the law.
II cannot relieve any Of the sad consequences
of his aci, whatever shall he the character
which tho jury sliall place upon H. Far BET,
Ter results, for the parties to the quarre! and
for the community at large must have follow
ed an earnest cnlCavOr TO bring about Il
pcacelul settlement OF the trouble. There
are men. I'm every community Whose position
enables thcm to :rt rftrctua!ly In such difii-
entities lpOa these especially rests the re-
sponsbilty af using their influence in the
;nfrrrSt OF rraCu---.Or ti;r prevention or bInWt.
shed rather than for the punishment ol crime.