Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-08
LANCAsTER, PA, February 8, 1880.
The scum Of cities.

The murder of New York street
Arab" by boy whom he had dared,
is an alarming example Of the fearful
mental and moral deformity of individ-
uals growing up In the streets Of great
city. The small boy who barred his
breast for the knife, and the small vii
lain who coolly plunged II In, were both
heroes In their own eyes, and no doubt
imagined, from their extensive ac-
quaintance with the Police Gazette,
and other literature Of the gutter,
that they were genuine heroes. of
course 1t is not to he supposed that the
victim thought his challenge would be
accepted, but he very well knew the
effect of "a dare" on the reckless young
rascals who are growing up to make the
dangerous criminal element Of the me-
tropolis. He probably expected to be
slightly cut and have a fight over 1t,
end In barring his breast to the attack
felt that he was heroically responding
to test of his courage. He showed the
stuff of which strong men are made, and
it il miserable pity that he should be
90 thrown away by association with n
gang of young desperadoes. As for the
fourteen-year-old murderer there Is some
thing startling about the calm assurance
with which he explained to the magis-
trate that he only accepted challenge
to do the stabbing which had been ex-
tended by the victim. He shows not
the slightest remorse or fear, and proba-
bly, his chief interest is in the accounts
of his exploit which are sure to appear
with portraits and illustrations in publ
cations specially devoted to crimes and
horrors. The police report that the so
called "candy store" where this
tragedy was enacted, Is one Of large
number Of dens patronized by depraved
children. II this terrible state Of affairs
Is not very soon remedied New York
will have class of citizens more dan
gerous and savage than that which made
the mobs of Paris infamous for atroci-
ties and vandalism.
While the arm of the law Is strong,
the land at peace and the city quiet,
there IL nothing to fear from a city's
lawless classes, but there must come days
Of wild political excitement, and perils
Of government at home or abroad and In
these emergencies look out for the scum
of New York. There is large foreign
element. italian and Hungarian ready
to follow the desperate leadership Of the
American bred toughs and In a couple
of hours they could sack Wall street,
IRE the city and wipe out of existence
many millions ofproperty. New York.
ers are fully aware of this but seem to
place too much reliance upon the regi-
ments Of state troops In the city.
These small bodies of militia might do
good work but the numbers against
them would he overwhelming and mob
with good leader could have plenty OF
time to finish their work of destruction
by simply cutting all telegraph lines
leading from the city aud taking posses
sion of tue railroads. This may seem d
very lurid presentation of the re-
mote possibilities and it is so.
For it is right to look the worst
squarely in the face in consider.
ing the tendencies of the dark under.
current Of city life in these bright
modern days of Christianity and civil
cation. There have been movements to
colonize city children on Western farms
but SO great a social evil needs more
radical measures of relief. Some way
must be found of changing the condi.
tiOns of city life.