The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-03-05
POWER OF AN OFFLcEk.
Correspondent CriticiEss the Standards
Judiciai Views


4 Correspondent oriuoiEss the Standards
Judioiai Views
To the Independent
In its issue Of March l the Auaeonds
S,shda d poses before tie readers and ths
public, whether desiRnedly OF not will not
say. az an interpreter Of Law aud the obli-
cation Of oficiai ust IL IL an editorial
comment on the sad affair which occurred
al Blaokfsot. Idaho. on the night Of FEB.
26 Ia which one man was instantly killed,
a report Of the AFFAIR being found In the
stan iard's special disp atohes Ia I've issue Of
feb, 70. public newspaper should be ex-
ceodinRly cafeful as 20 what 10 admits 20
t,a col umns, aud more oareful As TO its edi-
torial comments upon the reported current
transactions. without hrat a. least OBJ
tanning all the information that may be
had. For an opposite ooufse might result
Ia irfeparable injury 20 an Innocent party.
Tue craZs which some newspapers have for
furnishing the news has led them into many
err oTs, aud very much harm has been done.
report IL sent up 90 Newspaper or n ru-
NOR 10 STATED ahoat. and At once she sdi-
torial brain Is set 20 work 10 furnish pAbu-
lum 10 an oveT-anIious an debs uohed pub
lie taste, not stopping 90 consider II all ths
facts relative to the oass have bssn pro
duosd, and. furthermore II on ths whole II
would NOT he better to refrain from COM
ment; II, indeed. 10 would not be wise 10
suppress that particular item OF news alto
gothef.
On last Monday night several men we're
seen 10 mount several coal cars standing la
tbs yards al Blaokfoot. as shown By the
Standards special dispatch, and on dissov-
ofing that they were being watched by
some parties they left the cars and started
10 on, when they were nTed into. and one
Of them almost instantly killed. This
BILE. The moral Law certainly does not
Justify H. but condemns IL not only as un-
necessary, but likewise a. violation OF
that great law from which there 10 no APP
peal, Thou shalt not kill" The Standard
moreover assumes that the unfOTtunAts
m-n was thief, and hence deserved to be
shot because, forsooth, be would not stoD
ami throw mp his hands AZ the call
OF one whom perhaps he did not
reoORnizS Aa an officer at all. And had he
known the man who killed him 20 be an
officer there Is no Law against hia making
his escape by flight II he coald. But even
admitting that the assumption of the
thief. its conclusion IL u non ssquituT. Bat
who says the man vas . thief. sxoept the
StAndArd1
The Standard says that 10 shoot q man
who Is simply nseinR for personal safety
and Liberty Ii mo unusual proesdurs-nor
iustinable. Yes this has been done 10
several Instances but when did Hny one
ever before claim that this was q lawful
aoti Will the Standard kindly point us to
one statute of Aontana, O. any other state,
that says an officer has the itght to shoot
simply suspected OF being oosl
thisfY The idea il preposterous. and IL
such we're she case how long would IL be be-
fore We would he under mob ruler Nov
read the following lesson Of th3 law &c
taught Ne BY the btandaFd's sage intefprs-
tsI: 40 intIniidate the fugitive and. IL
necessary. to WOund him Just enough 80
manifest duty" Manifest duty, indeed!
And for the sake OF the Augment admit
that this 10 the officers manifest duty"
who 10 10 be abe judge Of the nature aud En-.
tent of the wound which is lust enough to
coupe him 10 surrender" Aud how mar
course OF bis ahot and she degree OF pan
ishment inflicted By sending a bullet into
the body Of a fueitiye7
The u0ctrine OF the Standard. but surely
not designed, Is an expression OF she spirit
OF this mob. and strikes ~ the very FONDA
tion of good government and the personal
proteotion aud security Of the citizen which
the law guarantees 20 evefy one.
What 10 the logic of the Standards doc
trinei Why, simply this, that 10 being the
Officers manifest duty 20 wound a fuQi-
tive just enough to compel him 20 surren-
de =" he may. II in the judgment of the
officer wishing to make she arrest 10 ap-
psats necessary, shoot aud wound him as
often as be pleAses-and after this take the
mans lifs-so that he may thereby reduce
him TO that degree of submission that " Il
compel him TO surrender" The Stand
ard says shoot him, wound hin gill be suF-
renders.
But finally. the Standard says that the
officer who killed Dahisl Wright was pre-
vented by the darkness Of the night "from
taking accurate aim At the fellows legs. ="
Then both legs are to be shot. Bus what
parts OF the leRs. We would ash, and are the
wounds 90 be flesh wounds, OF must the
bones be brokon2 And how many times
must the fugitive be ahot2 The STANDARD
saws till he surrsnders. The poor fuRitivs.
n mere suspect 10 made by Law q target for
the officers Winchester Shades OF the
departed viailantssl Why not shoot the
feet, or the arms, or the hands. OF what
would give better prosf Of markmAnship.
try the william Tell act on the fugitive; II
the apple was not hit, perhaps the man =
head would be, ana this would compel
hun 60 surrendeT"-the result 90 be OBJ
tanned bv what she Standard asserts 10 be
good Montana law. ), w. BaRBEE.
Great Falls, March 4.
n meat yt-,v III. ~. HI.