The San Francisco call., 1897-10-10

Captain Hume's book, was Leander Nor.
ton, who robbed the overland express in
1870. In the great iailnreak of 1871 he
escaped from the Nevada State prison, but
was pursued through Esmeralda County.
He was accom- panied by two other es-
capped conyicts. On the road they met q
boy on horseback carrying the mail, shot
him dead, covered his body with brush
and set fire to it. This brutal outrage
reused the people of the neigh borhood TO
fury. Under the lead of ls-Fa-go's
agent they gave chase to the conylcts and
overlook them. a pitched battle ensued,
in which Wells-Fargos agent and one Of
the Sheriff $ posse were killed; but the
convicts were taken. One, mere boy
named Roberts, who was wounded, was
released. Morton and the other fugitive
were lynched by the people of Aurora.
In running over the list of ROBBERS, the
reader is struck by the failure OF justice
to prevent crime. Most of the prisoners
sent to the State prison served out their
sen tences and then went back to their old
trade OF robbery. The examples OF re-
formation are infnitesimaIly few. As
every one knows, the sentences are never
executed, except in cases OF refractory
prisoners. A convict who is sent up Tor
five years serves three years aud seven
months; a sentence for ten years is really
for six aud q half years; sentence Tor
fifteen years is really for nine years and
five months; one for twenty years involves
a term OF confinement for twelve years
and four months. 1t is strange, too, that
Governors should so often interfere TO
commute sentences or to pardon prisoners
whose release is sure to be followed by
fresh depredations on society, with
chance of assaults upon life. Judges are
rarely so harsh that there is any call for
executive interference on the ground OF
humanity
Captain Hume's report closes in 1884,
but since then, he tells me. the old aver
age Is about maintained. TIE volume of
robbery has neither increased nor dimin-
ished. During the fourteen years ending
in November, 1854 the number of stage
robberies was 3l3, or something over %
per wear. The mum Der OF convictions for
robbery or attempts at stage or train rob-
berry was 226, so that in a quarter OF the
cases the crime escaped punish ment. 1t
cost the express company nearly million
dollars in the fourteen years ending in
TO defray the expense of keeping an army
of guards and detectives in the field. IN
the same period the business of road
agencv involved the loss of SO lives, TO wit,
stage drivers and guards and passen-
gers killed, I6 robbers killed and lynched
by parties of citizens. The mortality
among the wrongdoers was heavier than
among their victims.
1t fell in my way to meet m an who,
not to put too fine a point upon it. was q
stage-robber at one period of his life. He
has since reformed, and leaos so exem-
pIary life that no one suspects this plot
in his early career, and it would be quite
uniustiisb bic to mention his name. though
my friend Captain Lees would proba bly,
prick up his ears if he heard it. found
him in an affa BILE mood, and over a whisky
toddy he was willing to talk about call
ing which he admitted at one time had
considerable attraction for him. He did
not care to discuss the moral side OF road
agency. That was an aspect which did
not seem to deserve his serious attention.