The record-union., 1893-12-16
WHO ARE THE N1ENq

WHO ARE THE MEN?
The District Attorney of this county on
Thursday moved the Superior Court to
accept plea Of murder in the second de-
gree in the case of The People VS.. Flint.
The county's law officer based his mo-
tion upon a statement of facts, which it
must be assumed he well assured himself
of in the first place.
They were, that while the case was one
of willful murder, the defendant was un-
der the influence of liquor when he killed
his victim; just before the killing he ex-
hibited his pistol to an officer, but said he
was going home. This officer furnished
the defendant with cartridges with which
to load the pistol.
Later the defendant exhibited his pistol
in hotel in the presence of a police Of
ficer. Had these officers. says the Dis
trict Attorney, done their duty under the
law against carrying concealed weapons,
there probably would have been no kill
ing by the defendant.
Further than this, the District Attorney
expressed his belief that the defendant
could be sufficiently punished under the
proposed plea, and, besides. the uncer-
tainty of jury trials was to be taken into
account.
So the plea was accepted, on the further
statement of the belief of the District At
torney that if the case went to trial the
verdict would be more likely to be one of
murder in the second than in the first de-
gree, because of the facts stated.
We have not recited thus much of the
proceedings of the court to quarrel with
the judgment of the District Attorney.
Probably in this case he did the wiser
thing. But we do think, with the gen.
eral public, that the District Attorney
should name the police officers who were
so derelict of duty as he charged. By di-
rect statement he puts the blame for the
murder in part upon the officers who
might by duty-doing have prevented the
homicide.
The people are entitled to know the de-
tails of the information upon which the
District Attorney based mis- statements,
and which must be true, else he had not
made them. Our citizens will recall
case Of killing in self-defense, committed
within the last two years in this city,
which would not have been necessary
had police official done his duty, for the
victim showed him his pistol and told
him his purpose was to kill. That officer
allowed the man to depart with the wea-
pom, and in state of liquor inflamma-
ton, and within the hour be attempted to
carry out his threat and met his death.
It is notorious throughout the State that
men carry concealed weapons who have
no warrant for doing so. 1t is notorious
throughout the State that many homi-
cides are committed that might be pre-
vented if peace officers would but do their
duty.
The officials are hired and empowered
not only to pursue and bring offenders to
justice, but to prevent the commission of
crime, and to protect the people from out
rage. 1t is, however, a crying evil that in
seven cases out of ten officers do not act
in prevention when they might. They
quite generally appear to think that they
are to act in most cases only after the fact.
The people are entitled to know now
who were the peace officers who permit
ted the boy Flint to carry a weapon, and
at time, too, when he was inhamed with
liquor. They are entitled also to greater
output of energy on the part of police
and other peace officers in disarming
those who unlawfully carry deadly wea-
pons.
They are entitled to greater protection
than they now receive, since it is shame
fully notorious that hundreds of men, in
liquor as well as in, sobriety, walk our
streets armed with deadly weapons in
concealment. and no effort, at least no
sufficient effort, is made to disarm them.
It is not surprising at all under such
q condition of affairs that peaceable and
unarmed citizens are cowed by drunken
and sober toughs alike, and that those
who do obey the law are constantly at
the mercy of those who are permitted to
ignore the law.