The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-18
SHALL WE HAVE A CRIMINAL IMpE-
RUM IN IMPERIOP

RUM IN IMPERI0p
The state Of California for some time
past has presented a very pitiabls as
pect. We are supposed to have in the
Golden commonwealth regularly or
ssnized government. Law is thought to
be the guiding spirit in all civil
communities, and to be the sheet anchor,
or, to use pretentous classical term,
the Palladium of democratic-republicsn
institutions. And yet ct no stage of its
career has the com monweslth of Calitor-
mia made anything like q creditable
record in the line of the administration
of the law. Some fiippant eastern news
paper proposed to swap Grover Cleve-
land, president of the United States, for
Sanford B. Dole, president OF the pro-
visional government of Hawaii, and it
was presumptuous enough to suggest
that the United States would gain amaz-
ingly by the exchange. However that
might be, we will wager bag OF peanuts
that if Chris Evans were governor OF
California one II. H Markham would
not be permitted, in the supposititious
role of bandit, to terrorizs the state.
That our people have a sort of sym
patty with q daring criminal ia Ia
inevitable fact. Chris Evans is today
the object of covert but marked admit
ration of thousands of Californisns.
That he has multitudss of friends lie
shown by the ease with which he evades
the numel Gus posses sent out ostensibly
to capture him, but which ordinarily
take course Numerically opposite to
that which he is known to have taken.
The only instance in which shots have
been exchanged of late between the
pursued and the pursuer was when the
sheriff's officers stumbled on Evans and
Morel week or so ago, and then Sher-
| if Scott's deputies rivsled. in the speed
with which they got away from the
scene of danger, that which was claimed
for the courier OF Alexander, who is
said on apocryphal authority to have
made one hundred and sixty miles in
nine hours, dropping dead on delivering
his message at the end of his unprece-
dented sprint.
While it is not primarily the duty of
the governor to catch criminals, in the
present extraordinary state of things
the executive of the state ought to as
sume a good deal of responsibility.
That he would be backed by the people
aud the legislature in any efforts he
might make to assert the supremacy of
the law cannot be doubted. The masses
would applaud his vigor and the legis-
ture would rscoup any unusual outlay
to which the state treasury might be
put.
California has been peculiarly unfor-
tunate in her experiences with red
handed despersdoes. In the early days
Joaquin Murietta terrorizsd the state
and detied the law until the whole COM
munity was obliged to rise up and hunt
him down. About twenty years ago
Tiburcio Vssquez enacted similar role
OF bravado and murder. He was finally
run down and captured near the Ca
huenga pass by ex-Sheriff Rowland and
his deputies. The fact that these men
are sure to die with their boots on acts
in no sense as restraint. Chris Evans
is the last, and perhaps the most pecu-
liar of these reckless outlaws. The
Roscoe murderers have duplicated and
surpassed the performances of any OF
their predecessors.
There is every reason to believe that
the miscreants who ditched the train at
Roscoe on the night of the 18th inst.
are the same persons who held up the
train at the same place some weeks ago
It is slso quite probable that their head
quarters are in this city. In each case
they attacked No. 20, which carries the
through mails and express from New
Orleans, including shipments from New
Mexico and Arizona, presumably loaded
with coin and bullion, and which con-
nects with the overland. 1t ia quite
possible that the people who take the
first glance at the bulletin boards in the
morning are these identical worthless.
There is here an exec llent chance for
shrewd detectives to get IN their work.
Ever since the first escapads OF Evans
N SoA'@B eNo AAhALD Aas u"oiI upon |
the advisability of the organization of a |
mounted patrol for the state Of Califor-
MIA. There is no need OF its being a |
large force. A dozen members would |
be amply sufficient. 1t should be COM |
posed OF such men as Hi Rspelje and
others OF like approved skill and intrep.
idity. 1t could be concentrated in day
at any point where Desded 1t would
not only insure the capture of malefsc-
tors but would act as deterrent to