The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-18
THE EYSTER ASSASSINATION.

The murder of Mr. Eyster is an event
calculated to lead thoughtful people TO
inquire into the cause and frequency of
crimes against human life. lie was a
man generally esteemed, with many
friends, and not an enemy in the world.
so far as he knew. He had never had
an alteration with man. much less a
brawl. and yet two men found in law
full act of his such an offense that they
took his life.
The first question which this shocking
affair raises is, what are the causes
which have contributed to so destroy
the sacredness of human life that ordi-
narily lawless characters will take it
upon the slightest pretextP The only
cause for the murder of Mr. Eyster that
has been discovered is that he permitted
his telephone to be used to call patrol
wagon. For this it is believed that two
toughs deliberately planned and took
bis life. Upon so trivial pretext not
even the conscienceless rough would
commit murder If there were a
certain penalty attached to that greatest
of crimes. The evil lies in the fact that
there is no certain punishment for muir
der in this and many other States.
Again. these toughs committed the muir
der because their estimate of the value
Of human life is low one. This low
estimate comes in part from the failure
to emphasize crimes involving the in
tent to take human life by adequate and
summary punishment, but more largely
from the practice of carrying deadly
weapons. There are thousands of young
men and boys in every city growing up
without restraint in the atmosphere of
low and criminal dives who carry pistols
and other deadly weapons. There are
too many young men in decent employ
ments and whose intentions are, for the
most part, good, who carry revolvers.
Thousands will have loaded "gun,"
even if they cannot buy coat. Ostensi-
bly, these weapons arc carried for self
defense. but they are entirely unneces-
sary for that purpose. except fora few
men who may be known to- carry money.
The fact that so many concealed weap-
them to assume that they have the
right, not only to defend themselves.
but to enforce their rights. The very
knowledge that thousands of pistols
are carried with the Interior purpose of
taking life cheapens it. When vicious
wretch or tough reared in the slums
of a city can purchase. without him
drance, revolver for So and wear it as
he would a coat, for no other purpose
than to use it against human life, it
should be no wonder that life is cheap.
What can be done to check the in
creasing number of hOmicdesf Punish
to the limit of the law all murders and
hOmicides-if deliberate with the gal
prisonment, let the murderer be sent to
q special prison and be deprived of
human intercourse and placed beyond
the power of executive clemency; if for
homicide, let the prison punishment be
go distinct as to burn the fact into the
lowest intelligence that life-taking is
anawful crime. Make the sale of pistols
to minors and 6isreputable characters n
misdemeanor and the finding of such
weapons upon such persons as great q
crime as is the findipR of burglars tools
or of eounterfeiting implements upon
the individual. Deprive of the protec-
ton OF license all those resorts where
lawless characters congregare and where
lawlessness and crime are inculcated as
reading and writing are taught in pub
lie schools-such places as that where
the probable murderers of Mr.. Eyster
spent much of their time, and where. it
is alleged, when the shrieks of his wife
were heard. the remark was made by
other toughs that che [Eyster] wouldn't
telephone for any more patrol wagons"