The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-11-20
The LVchingS.
bismarck Tribune.

| Swift and summary vengeuce was de-
manded by party of men Sunday morn
ing for the atrocious murders of the afro
cious murder of the members ef the Spi-
Ger family last February. Three men un-
der arrest, and of whose q lilt. doubtless
the lynchers were satisfied, we're taken
from the Jail in the night ard executed.
The lives of the tree men were taken, in
vengeance for the lives of six members
of an innocent family, who we're heartless-
Iy murdered acd fearfully mutilated.
The principle involved i'll mob ven-
geance is never to be sanctioned. for the
reason that it Is opposed to the basic
principals of law and order, which de.
mand tht,tr punishm0nt shall never be in-
fioted except by proper authority, un-
der the approved finding of court and
jury. Tho stability and maintenance of
the law depend upon the respect of all
persons for law is taken into the hands of
the mob, sanctity of the law is attacked
and i.a safe continuance threatened.
Lynching is to be deplored for many
there is grave possibility of punlshing
the innocent in the heat of frenzy and
passion-not alone for the reason that the
exumple of defiance and contempt for the
law is dangerous-but fol- the additional
reason that il giaes rein to the worst pas
sions of men, and sets an example op-
posed to the calm and dispassionate
workings of legal machinery.
There is of course another side to the
question. In the case in point, the crime
for which the man we're executed was pc.
culiarly horriable. It's details we're
enough to slcken the most hardened. Men
woman and children we're ruthless!y
slaughtered and mutilated. Those who
were not given opportunity to see the re-
suits of the tiendlsh deed of the murder
ders, id the hacked and mutilated bodies
of the innocent persons, suddenly and
brueally stricken down by the hands of
fands, cannot appreciate the passionate
indignation of those who lived near the
murdered family, and listened to the re-
cital of the details of the crime from two
of the men who were executed Sunday
morning. If the punishment of the men
was summary and its manner deplorable.
the crime was horriable aud revolving.
There was the fear that the men would
escape punishment altogether to further
own hands and meted out to the prisoners
what in their opinion the demands of JUS
tioe and vengeance called for.
Then too. there is the additional fact
that, in this State and many other Slater,
many murderers have escaped what pub.
lie opinion has set as a righteous punish
ment for their crimes. The law has be-
come 80 careful of the lives of defen-
dif3cultmatter 70 mete out the extreme
punishment proviped by the Law. Legal
a questions are often raised successfully to
aefer it not prevent, executions, where
public opinion has declared to be called
for. Normand the murderer, escaped
death sentence. Kent likewise escaped,
Swldenskl escaped. It is NOT to be said
that the escape Of these men is due to any
man or body of men, nor is it to be
claimed that it is due to any single infiu-
ence, other than the tendency which has
come udon the civilization of the nine.
teenth century to pass every law with the
idea OF protecting the defendant, and
none with the idea Of aiding in the pros
ecntiOn of the offence. We deplors tn,
methode adopted in oldsn times, to force
confessions and extract the guilty secrets
of criminals under pressure, and deplore
them rightly. But there ia an opposite
estreme IN tho too careful protecri0n Of
the criminal, and in many cases that sx-
treme has been reached.
Lynchings are deplorahle. but they
point one moral-.to speedier trials, fewer
legal objections and technicsiitips and
sternsr aud swifter punishmsnts.