New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-20
A WESTERN MANS CRI7ICISM.
THE F,1IJRE OF JUSTICE IN NETWORK.
HUMAN LIFE. HE THINKS, is CHEAPER hHi'N
THAN IN TIE WEST

TO the Editor Of the Irlpuhe
sir: I wish % commend The Tribune for It's clear
and forceful editorial in last sundays edition OH
roiIure IN convict Webster IL was certainly the
hest and most energetic protest against thS S''.',
failure Of Justice. But there IS one point In the arco
| IN which | must take exceptions, though my VIC"
mov perhaps rather strengthen than weaken the po'i
| tion taken by your writer. After well saying 'na'
one of the most serious and appalling evils Vi '"o ,
is ,hc Indifference with which human life IS looheu
mon IN too many trials in Ncw-fork CITY ana hlooN-
t,n.- lie adds: "The two cities in homicide cN.rS
seem TO be sinking almost to the lever Vi hoi
and other. Western minngcamps In their worst uiSS.
Then continuing he SAYS II such crimes rs the niui
der OF Goodwin are TO 20 unpublished Ill Now ioi"'
human life here will not be much SAFER tia' J." ~
widest regions of tho West or south
| No,v what hold is that human life here III new
York and Brooklyn is already much less saio .N''i ~
/, in the widest regions Of the West or Sou' "''
,,r,protclv am able TO base my opinion not Only Oh
- pretty full knowledge Of NcwYork and BroOhiyh D"'
an a SIN more thorough acquaintance WIN u'c "i'
regions Of the West aud South. My opinion Vi w"
York and Brooklyn may not be less iaVoraDic .''' ~
of vour writer but certainly my opinion OF the SCUM
and Vest I, more favorable. / believe tha. tloio -
not to-day a spot within the boundaries Vi 'ho O".1-
state, where human life is 80 chesp-where inurucr
| is 50 apt to 90 unpunlsled- mere Ill "'"'' " "
pleased to call Greater New-forh.
understand that this IS simply my personal vie" vi
the subject and that | might have difficulty III man"
taIning my position by direct proof. To the nervous
reader will say that have no statistics cohce"eu
about nv person TO spring. suddenly on him in an
| unguardcd moment. These may be OO'''haDio u'u
might prove much. but have them not. But
fortunately have got little Of what con-
slider excellent testimony for my SIDE Hom i
witness who naturally belongs to the other siuc' -N
no makes his deposition in aud concerning ioN"'
which is both south and West
In lInrpcr's Weekly for March there Is 'he
first Of a series of articles entitled The West From
= car Window They are written BY the editor Of
" Tho Weekly" Richard Harding Davis who IS naAihg
! a three months tour beyond the Mississippi. MI
Davis IS an Eastern man born and bred, aAd TINS is
his first list any part Of the West fancy that
he will be accepted at least an impartial oo'ci'
He writes from the widest and newest portion Vi
Icxa', in the extreme southwestern part. near 'u'
Mexican border a region which should certainly nave
an excuse for awlessness II any IN this country mas
Afcr speaking Of what the Eastern man mas 10 learn
In Texas about the carrying of arms, he says
lie will In time that the only men on the the
borders Texas Who are allowed u wear cNOlSv' ~
-hen, TIA agents in charge Of prisoners ana 'is
Texas hangers, and that whenever nc sees Il lh't
toec M ne mat know tat IN New.YOrk those In gray
uniforms. with leather bags over their shOhluer5 ar
letter carriers. The revolver /, the Texan Ohcer
badge OF Office It ponds to the New YORK pllce
man held and he toy, will, it just a the PiOadWay
policeman jugccs his club. 1t IS quite as harmless
is a Y. and almost terrible a5 weapon.
Ia -pcaluc further Of the rigid enforcement OF the
law against the carrying of deadly weapons in Texas
Mr.. Davis relates Il personal experience;
II va, first brought home 10 me rs | was re
turning from the border. where had been win
the troops who hunting for Cara, and was waiting
Corpus Christi. was then told politely by gentle:
man who seemed Of authority that II did not take on
that pistol would be- lined 30 or put In jail for
twenty DAY / explained 10 him whore had been;
no otrr place T. carry it. At Which he apologilcd,
and directed deputy sheriff who was also going to
Corpus Christ. To- 500 that ! WIS not arrested FOR
TINS. tlink. illustrate, condition Of things In
darkest TeNa, which may give n new POINT OF view I"
ia , l 10 na 5 aat G II sycrg naa P pr l
himself and the selection of the nttest depending Oh
onlcer Of he law protect him II he tries TO be law
unto himself
think myself that this may be something OF a
revelation T. the Eastern mind and wish that every
Eastern mind might absorb it, know If nothing
about which the esteemed Eastern mind Is cropping In
such binding darkness the social condition OF the
West
But the most cnlirhtcnnc part 4 Mr.. Davls's article
for the Eastern mind aud the part which has the most
direct bearing on what have aid about crime in the
Wet and In New York. is yct to come. He says:
While WIS Oh the border deputy sheriff named
Rutu, clover who Wa- acting guide Captain
Chase. Of the 3d Cavalry, was fired upon from nm
ambush by persons Unknown. and killed. Mexican
brought the new, ri ms 10 our camp the nsht after
tire murder, ard described the manner Of the Killing.
II, h" supposed IT had occurred mt great length and
Hith much detail.
Except that he terribly excited, and made very
dramatic picture As he tod In the freight ana
taken place II did not Interest me- rs considered 1t 10
be unfortunate event OF common occurrence IN that
part ~ the world. But the next morning every ranch
m@n ana COWBOY ana lcAt, h"ne'r ana sOlclei we
Glanced to meet tie trail 20 Captain Hunters camp
took up the story Of the murder oil Rufus oliver and
told ana ietod what some Jne else mad tod Inn WIN
desperate cufIc-tuc>, and "a" most wcnryms reiter
atldn and OH the day following. when thc papers
reached MS. We found that reporters lmd D'en sent 10
the scene Of the nnIdtr from almost every part of
southwest leN", many OF whom lH had 10 taye Ia
brush before they rnched H.. How many ~ cditors
IN New York city would send far ~ that for any
Ting L., Important than railroad disaster or
way celebrated unusually popular individual the
people of Duyal County, I'm which lie had been killed.
conforming the county officials for not snppressng
crime. and pctti)nng the Governor Of the stale 10
send the Rangers TO put an end 10 such lawlcssncss;
that Is. the Killing OF one mau I'm an almost unin-
habtcd country. The committee who were to pre-
Way 10 the Governor. Laredo Is 100 miles from
the scene OF the murder, and in an entirely differ
element great t.at another maN--meeting
called aud auO,uer petition wa, made TO tho Governor.
d0rsed | do not know what Ills EAccllcncy did
about 1t. There were in the TombS in New-lork
when | left that city twenty iivc men awaiting trial
FOR murder. and that crime old a story I'm the
Bend and along the East Side that the most morbid
gave Of them. II would sesm from this that the
East should reconstruct Wild West for itself,
dignant cni1ons To the stat" Capital 70 ask the
Governor what he intends to do about it.
Hero is story told by confirmed Eastern man.
word Of which can be questioned. that il seems b
me, should Hume the neighborhood OF the Eastern
mind which chances 10 encounter IL with IL Hood If
Hight. viii venture the prediction that, rs Nj.
Davis proceeds in hi, Western wandornEs. he will
find worse place than southwestern Texas. /
know Of 10 place In the West except, perhaps.
nn occasional Isolated spot Of small area. for which
there ; scme special reason for its temporary lack
OF respect FOR law.
view OF the West Is Of course. ignorance. The
New Yorker laughs uproarlOusy at the LOndOncr
who believes that there butalOes in Madison
square yet the same New Yorker has vague notion
ltllll1 L.. 1ll