The Opelousas courier., 1897-11-27

Reflections from Facts.


On Tuesday morning last !. wagon
and other vehicles left the entrance OF
the Jail yard, filled with twenty cen
victs for the peniteutiasy. AS the We
hicles moved from the yard, IL shout
went up from the convicts, and there
was tlouting of handkerchiefs, as if
lefyiDg the humiliation OF ignonlIn-
ious cundeinnation. There were by
ISLANDERS. too, who louteh their hand
kerchiofs, with exclanations of good
luck.' Around these convicted out
laws there stood al armed array, five
officers, with double barlelesl guns in
hand to "haud the wretches in order,
as Bnrns said. We conld but think OF
the state of general depsavity exhibi-
| ted by this spectacle of ths real "hard-
e,cd wicked" These mi, erahIc specl
mems of humanity. and otlVprs who were
term of our district CnfAt, cost the
parish not less than $4sDO AS tnHr-
nous as these tiguress appear, they
are but IL 1.-THE of what the expenses
would be, ,fNele ali tie vlolalors Of the
laws brought tn Judgment.
Yet, these viOlatoIS of al. Tie right :
OF OthtIs-thesa mirCftants VINO defy
the authorities Of government, i:ave tile
| audacity to asset that they a1e right
full factors in The machinery of govern
ment.
We saw these twenty condemned per
sons start away, and we know that sew
en- others of their class Wele left inl
INJURED within the parish prison walls.
That they had taken appeals from the
verdicts of their own chosen jurora, and
We thought of the subterIuges they
hung their hopes upOu-of the ahvAn-
nf Via js.l # thn
contrarieties and confusion that might
possibly arise from the "codeless myr-
lad of single instances already crystal
lied 10y our Law making Supreme Court,
and We lnWaIdiy SAID, Is law Il rute ni
civil conduct, nr is it /; utlu,lOn whose
efficacy depends upon political condi-
tions?
We know that there still remained
behind a battalion nf persons under III
ulctmeBts for crimes. whose cases have
not heen passed upon. To this list of 319
may be justly added AZ cases which were
nOtle prOsd by the District Attorney,
and about 20 placed on the dead docket
to await a judicial resurI ectioD, max
ing in all of those who stand as cIimi-
nails on the records of the courts, Alb,
persons IN n population of about 49,,
900 including women and children.
nVcub OHC NUN III INV, VI ~ fNi 'btt.
And yet, this is not all, for we know
that fully one fourth OF those who vio-
late law and disturb the peace of So
ciety, are never jndicaliy exposed and
brought to trial
Men are shot or killed for most iriv-
Olous excuses and their crimes are ac-
counted for with oily plausihility suf-
ticiently we'll to app"ase public investi
CATION, and lull the curiosity of offend
ed justice. 30, tempora! q, morcs !"
Can it be u source OF wonder that, with
all our natural advantages, we arc not
more pl ogressive and more prosperous
Who that has means, and loves peace,
will locate himself ameng a people
thus given to crime and thus immuned
from it's penalties? Who that desires
to rear his family under the elevating
influences of religious precepts, will es
tablish himself among people so many
Of whom despise the force of human
laws, forget tho Divine and riot in
shameless crime?
Our climate is mld--the growing and
producing seasons are !ong--the soil
wonderfully generous, and all nature as
bland as the human heart could ask,
and Notwithstanding all, progress is
stagnant, or plodding, along far behind
that of other less favored communities?
When may we witness IL change for
the better?