Mohave County miner., 1899-06-24
Sympat or Justice, (which?


One need not be pessimist to per-
ceive that human life is held alarming
ly cheap by a part of our territorial
population, Killing and attempted
killings are distressingly frequent, and
while mining camps furnish the largest
percentages of cases, no locality can
boast of freedom from homicidal epi-
demic. Stafford paper generously
awarded the palm for lawlessness to
this county and the issue had hardly
reached its more distant subscribers
when the village was Mortified to learn
that one of its best citizens had been
murdered at his own home by cow
ardly assassin who shot him through
the window and made good his escape.
The district court which convened at
Tombstone today, if it completes the
calendar, will have to try ten or eleven
cases wherein human life has been Ia
ken or placed in jeopardy. Part of
these cases, it is true, were continued
from the fall term, but the situation is
sufficiently serious Notwithstanding.
Arizona's proximity to Mexico and
its being the westermost of the frontier
territories, together with the broken
and mountainous nature of much of its
area, render it the resort of desper-
ADDE'S and criminals of every sort from
the settled states and from our neigh
Dor republic. We were lately informed
by a reputable gentleman from Wyo-
ming that several of the "Hole in the
Wall" gang, when forced to leave that
stronghold, came to Arizona. The
lawiess element being present, it is
clear that the utmost effort of the con-
stituted authorities and right minded
citizens should be enlisted for the pro-
lection of life and property. Does this
state of things obtain? With frequent
murders throughout the territory, is it
possible to convict one who has friends
or the means of employing capable
counsel? Is not the legal hanging of
white man an almost unheard of
event in Arizona? How many coun-
ties can report this execution?
The trouble is not so much with our
officers as with lax public sentiment
There are too many sympathizers with
crime. Too many citizens, when they
act as jurors, appear to consider how
they would wish to be judged were
they in the defendants place, rather
than ask themselves whether the per-
son accused committed the crime with
which he is charged. Cases should be
decided according to the evidence and
not from sympathy.
II is not so much the degree of the
penalty prescribed by the statutes for
the crime of murder as the certainty
of punishment which deters criminals.
What does murderer care for the
statute if there is not one chance in a
thousand of his being convicted. He
gratifies his hate and jury of his
peers acquits him, or, at the most, he
receives sentence of a few years i'm
prisonment and is pardoned out.
We need not take time to picture the
effect of such occurrences on the fu-
ture of the territory. There is graver
aspect to be considered The Amerl-
can public is patient to fault, but
when its wrath is once aroused the
score is quickly settled. We do not
approve of lynch law under any cir.
cumstances, but one may foresee the
coming of what he does not sanction
Things have reached such pitch in
Arizona that markedly unjust yer.
dict might easily be spark which
should cause dire explosion of ven.
geance. Ii the evidence In lacking
we'll and good, but if there is conclu
sive proof Of crime, let stern justice
dictate the verdict, regardless of the
fear or favor of the criminal and his
sympathizers..-Ran News.
Education-fit and Misft.
Tho Port Ia nd nrauo pia N Iy In