The Progress., 1893-05-06
JUSTICE REIGNS IN CADD0,
And the Law Once More Respected BY the
Criminal Classes.


and Barnett last week purified and
rendered wholesome the public affairs
of Caddo parish.
Until this verdict of the jury was
rendered, he was indeed an optimist
who could draw from our court pro-
ceedings and the general tendency of
public morals, anything to Justify the
satisfactory belief that the criminal
classes had any respect for the law as
it was administered in our parish.
While from home pride we may
have been ever so inclined to speak
in praiseworthy terms of our public
affairs, Truth, the rightful sovereign
of our actions and words, demanded
a silence or the plain statement that
Lawlessness derided morals and treat
ed with contempt the administration
of Justice.
From the commission Of their hor-
rible crime we have ever reason to be-
lieve that Nash and Barnett have
never dreaded trial. Enthused by
the termination of similar O;es in the
past, having implicit confidence in
the power, influence and craft of Cad
dos professional jury fixers and wit
ness securers whose services We're en-
listed Immediately after the deed was
committed, these ed-hanbed murder
ers have all along been indulging
the fancy that the jury would be
packed, the trial farce, Justice
thwarted, the law overthrown and
they would come forth free. While
their plans were well laid and the
past justified the conclusion reached
they, like many another who plots for
eyil, forgot to look closely IN one I'M
portant place, which, in this instance,
was in the sberiff's office. In their
nefarious calculations the moral
standing, courage and official trust of
Col. John 5. Young, sheriff, and Col.
S. j. Ward, the deputy who attends
on the court, was not taken into con-
sideratlon. 1t never occurred to those
arch plotters to dethrone Law and
Public Morals. that these officials re-
cognized their positions and its re-
sponsibilities in such matters, and |
with the honest idea that Public of |
flee is public trust" would keep
their records clean and do their duty, |
let what would be the result. There
fore when Col. Ward, on his mission
to summon seventy-five tales jury
men, passed by the hangers on placed
there by the jury fixers and went out
in town and summoned only men of
good repute and standing, when this
array of men confronted the crimi-
nails, when one peremptory challenge
of good, honest man was but to
give place to another like himself, then
did Crime begin to tremble for his safe
ty in Caddo parish. And when our
judge, 5. l.. Taylor, showed by his
rulings, charge and general conduct
of the trial that, so far as the bench
WIS concerned, there should be no
sympathy there; and when
our district attorney, John Il. Land,
with resolute face and determined
air took his seat and, from start to
finish, fought for Justice like the
knights of old, then did Nash and
Barnett ard their immoral, law break
ing followers realize and with stun
ming, paralyzing force, that no more
on the name of judicial trials
would be permitted in Caddo.
Nash and Barnett have had fair
md impartial trial. A trial before =.
'uch jury as it is seldom the privi-
ege of men to have pass upon their
lcts. Such jury whose personnel /
vas SO influential with the moral
public that had they have rendered !,
he verdict mot guilty" the public 1
would have accepted it without muir
nur. The PROGRESS, who has taken
he most decided, stand of any one E
within our knowledge would Ger q
lave openly indorsad it. I,
Again we say more healthful e
tate of public morals has existed b
ince this trial. Already the effect
IN the moral tone of our community
las been felt, and the public now
ealizes with all the pleasure which 9
he fact can give to law-s-biding
,eople, that the law is not a dead fl