Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-19
THE EPIDEMIC OF HIGHWAY ROB-
Berry

The boldness of the footpads now infest-
ing the towns and cities of the State calls
for special vigilance on the part of the
police and great watchfulness by citizens
who have to traverse remote streets late at
night. The exceeding number of highway
robberies in the last few days proves that
there is an idle and criminal gang of men
in the cities who are resolved to live at
the expense Of others, and to exact the
means at the mouth Of the pistol. -
There is no doubt whatever that the
low dives Of the cities harbor these men,
and that the closing of these places would
deprive the criminal classes of resorts
where they secure the liquors that inspire
them with criminal courage. These ras-
Gals rob upon the highway and burglarize
houses to obtain money to spend in these
vile resorts, and the keepers know Of the
source OF the revenue. The shutting up
of these ante-rooms to hell, at least early
in the evening, is absolutely necessary
There is no reason why they should have
existecne at ALL They contribute nothing
to the good of the communities and serve
only as council chambers for the class that
will cut throat to turn penny.
1t ought to btAfe for the citizen to
walk the streets Of any California town at
any hour, but just now the fact is that it
is not discreet to venture upon unfre-
quented streets after nightfall. Several
bold robberies have occurred in this city
early in the evening recently and upon
streets fully lighted and in close proximity
to the business centers. If no other means
can be found to COW these vicious fellows
and make them seek safety in flight to
other fields, the citizens will be justified
in organizing aid committees to the police
force to hunt out all worthless fellows who
have no visible means of support and who
make their homes in the dives and thieves
dens Of the city and put them into the
chain-gang to earn their bread.
In San. francisco Wednesday night a
citizen was waylaid on public street and
within call of police station, by one of
these murderous rascals, and stabbed be-
cause he would not yield up his purse.
The citizen had pluck to resist the robber
and to.follow and fire upon him, wound
ing and putting the would-be murderer to
flight. If few of these highwaymen are
killed every now and then by those they
assail it will serve to put the entire gang
into state of fear. As a rule, the citizen
who is STOOD up" as the term goes, yields
too readily. Resistance will, nine times
out of ten, result in the flight Of the rot-
Der, and if few are shot down as they
flee from their attempts to levy tribute,
there will be no mourning.
Mob law and Vigilance Committees can
not be advised. Our cities and towns must
pursue lawful methods in enforcing order
and protecting life and property, but the
citizen assailed by the robber on the high
way will have public approval who resorts
to arms in self-defense. The unusual
high tide of robberies this winter certainly
justifes the people who are compelled to
walk in the streets by night in carrying
arms. So long as the criminal classes pa
rade the highways, pushing pistol muzzles
under the noses of citizens, and the police
are unable to stop the proceeding, the
people must defend themselves-the cpl
deEic Of robbery must be cut short. A
first step should be to Jail the Migrants
and the vicious fellows who hang about
dives, and the second to close up these
haunts of vice.
An essential factor in achieving the
latter end, however, is to secure juries, the
members of which will not cringe before
the frown of the beetle browed chiefs
who run these crime shops; jurors who
have the moral courge to declare the guilty
guilty, and to refuse to refine distinctions
down to acquittals on fimsy technicalities
The police is scarcely blameworthy for
failing to regulate the dives, since it is
very rare indeed that convictions of dive
keepers and inmates can be secured before
iuries picked up for service in the Police
Courts. We need just now some panels Of
jurymen for service, who have some bowels
of compassion for the citizen who is as.
sailed IN peace, property and life, by the
murderous gangs the dives vomit forth
every night upon the streets.