The herald., 1894-07-30
A TALK ON HORRIBLE MURDERS
Opinions on Their Cause Ad-
vanced by Rev. Dye.
Rev, A. s. Clark breaches at Christ's
Episcopal.
Rev. j. 9. Thomson at Unity Church.
Missionary Talk Before the
Y. nj. G. A.-ssrvlce
at 81. Paups.


Los Angeles Baptist church were we'll
attended. During the past week the
choir box had been raised on a level
with the pulpit and the new choir. un.
der the leadership of Mrs. Nellie Nor
foot, gave some excellent selections.
Sunday night the pastor, Rev. Geo. E.
Dye, delivered timely discourse on the
Causes of Increased Crime. After al
luding to all the horrible murders of the
past week he said: "Woe betide human
society when it holds human life lightly,
when it regards human existence IS
mere tri6e-a mere leaf in the forest OF
existence. Society can not afford to
permit the murder Of the least infant.
1t is a sad comment on our national life
that statistics show that in tho United
States the highest crimes are most ire
quent and least punished. The records
of the press, the testimony of citizens,
the declarations of judges and statistics
establish the fact that our nation stands
at the front in horrible crimes. 1t is
passing strange that the recent murder
which shocked the people of the state
was perpetrated by the Eand OF one
who had long been a member OF tn Q
police force-one whom we should have
thought would have learned to respect
the majesty of the law.
sin 1890 the number OF murders in
the United States was about 1000; in
1891 the number was close to 5000; in
this year of the strike, whom 80 many
have ignored the majesty of the law, it
will far exceed 5000. Our murder sta
tistics are double those of any country
in Europe. In view OF the command of
God which says Thou shalt not kill,
and in view of our laws against murder,
this is an appalling state Of affairs and
calls for q careful consideration OF the
cause of the increase. Without stopping
to consider the inherent wickedness of
the human heart or enalyzing the mo.
tives which lead to murder, let us look
at the environments which encourage
murder today. First, our justice mills
are sadly deficient. If, like the mills OF
the gods. they would grind slowly and
grind exceeding small we could tolerate
them, but they grind exceeding slowly
and do not grind at all. The jugglery
of lawyers, the long delays, trial after
trial and everybody worn out but the
gentlemen who get big fees, the gallows
is cheated again and again of its victim.
Another cause of the increase of high
crimes is that the higher the crime the
greater glamour surrounds the criminal.
Newspapers give prominence to the
deed, women gush and carry the poor
fellow bouquets. his deeds are written
up and sold on trains, clergymen wait
on him and he is made in one sense the
"a guilty hero of the hour-all OF this in
face of violated human law and OF divine
law, which says Thou shalt not kill,
and 'Ye know that no murderer hath
eternal life.' When murderers are
Cheered on the boards like Evans and
Sontag and lionized like the James and
- Younger brothers, we need not expect
anything but increase in high crimes
and misdemeanors.
Again, our laws are lax. The pendu
lum has swung from the extreme ol
European laws, which we're too strin.
gent on minor points, to the other OK.
treme of lenity on great crimes. Senti-
mentality has swept US away from strict
Justice until one OF our American
judges says. taking life for the highest
crime under due process Of law seems to
be the only mode of taking life to which
the average American has any objec.
tions.'
Then there is the unfortunate twist
given to the medieval theories of law
Laws we're made in earlier ages to pro-
tect average men from rulers. proprie-
tors and superiors. Laws made fol
honest men are now used to protect
criminals. Safeguards of honest men in
in the fourteenth century have become
shields for criminals in the nineteenth
century. Conviction is made hard anC
the criminal, in too many cases. easily
creeps through the meshes OF the law
OF course l am not here to gay there art
not extenuating circumstances as in tht
recent case of self defense in Orange
county, but when such red-handee
murderer as that OF policeman by Johr
Riehl of New York, Haddock OF low,
and others throughout the country, tn,
murderers of whom 60 scot free, it ie .
sad calamity to our nation.
Another cause for the sad state o
high crimes in our coun try is the weak
ness of jurors and juries. When a mar
is charged with murder he is brought
before them and every expedient ia SO
to work by criminal lawyers to work up
on their feelings. The murdered man il
forgotten. He lies mouldering in hi