El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-09


women times when they earnestly feel
that they must do something to ease
the hard requirements OF the laws of
our La I'd, when the letter of justice is
hsrsh, seemingly out of all proportion
to the spirit in which the SHINING
against the laws was done. Every
gentle impulse is aroused in cb mpion-
ship of the good that is in the law
breaker, and in opposition to the lack
Of sympsthy In Judge aud jury. III
Paso has just now two or three such
cases that are trying to the public
sympathies because one cannot be en-
tirely hard-hesrted concerning any
one OF them. Not one is the case of a
oonfirmed criminal. Each presents
some reason for our pity and perhaps
for our mercy.
First comes Mrs. Rich, accused of
numbering her husband. 1t is be-
lieved that che killed her husband. 1t
IL argued that he was untrue, and that
they had Qusrreled' often; furthermore
that Mrs. Rich was an American wO-
awaiting the slow coming of Mexican
justice with fearful heart. and that
she is not really in her right mind at
all For all these reasons we must pity
her. On the other hand there Ia every
reason to believe that the Mexican
courts will let her off easily, because
she did not Rill a Mexican; her victim
being an American, the Mexicsus can
have no possible personal feeling
against her except that the Mexican
law was broken by her crime. 1t is
also the opinion of many that Mexico
viii be lenient with her as an earnest
of the purpose to treat extraditiOn
cases fairly.
However, Mrs. Rich is in jail in
Juarez and the general opinion is that
q Ale xican prison must necessarily be
worse than one in the United States
simply because everything in the Unit
ed States is better than everything in
every other country, and jails even in
the United States are not pleasant
abiding places.
Again we, even the women OF us,
are 80 chivalrous that we don't like
the idea of a woman in Jail unless she
be q confirmed and incorrigible GRIM
inal and a constant Danger to society.
Mrs. Rich is a professional wO-
man pugilist: has always been on the
stage; che has not behaved prettily and
% far ones sympathies are not instinct
lively with her, out she had some eX-
ouse for anger. She has been deprived
of freedom and given Unlimited OPP
p0rtunities to worry over what her
fate is to be, and so we pity her.
Next comes Garcia convicted of
to lose his own life. OF him ia urged
his youth, his carelessness, his ire
sponsibility. 1t Is pleaded that there
was no malice, none can be proved,
that the law is sympathetic, refuses
70 recognize in his shooting the simple
hot-headed excitement of q boy who
saw his uncle knocked down: and
shot-s grave crime but not ins truth
first degree murder to be punished
with death. On the other hand is all
the sad story of the man shot down, a
lusty young fellow destined, one would
have said, to have mauy years of
strong happy life, but his life was snuffed
ont as carelessly as though no more
divine than a candle light, by THE
Mexican boy who hung on the edge of
. saloon crowd with a pistol in his
pocket ready to send its death at a
caprice.
The third case is that of the Mex
lean women who swore falsely in a
hone to protect Garcia from the re-
suits of his crime. One the sweetheart,
the other her mother. Their defe nd
ers say they are simple hearted women
knowing only that they loved the fell
Ow. They had not the slightest CON-
,eption of the enormity of the crime |
Of perjury, they simply swore falsely |
70 snve the fellow. 1t ia claimed that |
nsuy men in nigh positions commit |
'pen and unhid perjury aud are not |
ragged before the law and punished |
With years of confinement in the peni-
ensiary, and that these. Mexican wo-
men, totally unapprecistive of the
rhine they were doing, only ODE yed
beir fond instincts in trying TO save
arcia'at all hazards. They ought not
o be punished when SO many Others-l
1Ore wilful offeaders-go free and are
,opored.
Those who sympathize with these Of
enders against the state have two
ides to consider. That of simple, di-
oct mercy, that gentle rain from
eaven that is twice blest. blessing him
lat gives nd him that takes. It is rot
b at one should be oblivious to mercy,
but tn at law and justice represent
,ercy also-that mercy to many which
gre alter than mercy to one.
Law is not vindictlve. The idea of
is rather that it is Drefera BILE that
lauy guilty should escape than that
ne Innocent man should suffer wrong
:. But when a crime is plainly proved.
ne criminal should suffer as the
wv mmands. The penalty of death
often decreed. Our laws are not
svere. But the taking of human life
no small thing. No courts can ever
epair the wrong that murderer does.
he best the law can do is to make so
srritle an example of the murderer
nat others with murder in their
carts may give pause and think and
Iay th eff hands from the red deed. If
be sta e does not use it's highest force
D protect the lives of its citizens from
he hand of the mao i sane with desire
, Kill; from the thief in the night who
oes not hesitate to take a life that
es be tween him and handful of gold:
,om the man who lusts; yes, and from
ne hand of the careless. A man may
e without malice in his heart, and yet
he be 80 entirely without that rever-