The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-23

ana Wholesome meal WQulC 90 WHICH,
they arc hungry. People should be
taught to reverence the law, and to
look upon the officers of the law as
servants Of the Almighty. And until
this is done there will be no change
for the better in the present state Of
affairs.
4. Intemperance causes many mur-
ders. How many men have been
ushered into eternity without mo-
ment's warning by this enemy Of man
kind! And yet there are many peo-
pie who want to license this agen-
cy of evil and send it abroad through
the land upon its mission Of destruc-
tion.
5. Carrying concealed deadly weap-
ons is another cause of so many muir
ders. 1t seems that there are many
men to-day who look upon the pistol
as necessary part Of their toilet. 1t
certainly has a bad look. The man
who carries the pistol is prepared to
use it when the opportunity presents
itself. He certainly would not carry
it unless he thought there was prob
ability chat he would need it. When
man carries a pistol in his pocket it
is frequently an evidence that be car
sies murder in his heart. Many a
man has been killed by the ready pis-
tol which was close at hand who
would never have been killed if the
pistol had not been there. Such kill
ings usually result from some momen-
tary excitement. If the men involved
had time to think about the issues at
stake, perhaps, in nine cases out OF
ten the killing would never occur.
But the ready pistol is at hand to DO
it's work; it is brought into requisi-
tion and life is destroyed.
6. Failure to execute the law is the
last cause that I shall mention, and
this cause needs to be emphasized.
The fact chat so many murderers are
acquitted encourages this crime, and
has been one of the chief causes Of its
increase. In 1886 there were in this
country 1,l4O homicides and only
eighty-three legal executions. In
1895 there were 10000 homicides and
about 15S legal executions. More
than seven times as many homicides
in less than ten years, and not twice
as many legal executions! Here is
satisfactory explanation of the rapid
and alarming increase of this crime.
Our Courts fail to Go their duty. In
stead Of being Courts Of justice, as
they are called, they are frequently
places where justice is outraged. 1t
is almost impossible these days to con-
vict man who has money and social
standing.
Let me call your attention now to
the remedy.
1. The slayer should be brought to
speedy trial. The longer the MUIR
derer can have his case put off, or
continued in the Courts, the stronger
the probability that he will be cleared
of his crime. If he, has bad case,
this is the course he pursues. How
many guilty men have gone free be-
cause their cases have been postponed
from time, till the people have lost
interest in them CT some important
witness had died. 1t is a shame!
The newspapers tell of case that oc-
CURED recently in Alabama, where a
man murdered woman. 1t took FIVE
years to settle the case. The man had
advantage of FIVE trials. At the first
he was sentenced to death; at the
second, tc life Imprisonment: at the
third, to fifty years Imprisonment: at
the fourth, to ten years imprison-
ment, and at the fifth he was cleared
altogether. This may be an extreme
ease, but it illustrates what is going
on every day in our land
When human being is killed the
matter ought to be settled just as soon
as possible. The law ought to be so
framed that an extra Court could be
held in such cases, and have the man
who is charged with such crime tried
Immediately. If the man is innocent
he ought to want this; and. if he is
guilty, the community and law and
justice ought 80 demand it. If this
could be done-and it can bet would
exert tremendous influence in the
right direction. But how is it now?
Everything seems to be in the mur
derer's favor. The poor man, who is
dead, has very few rights. even before
the Law, as it is administered at the