The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-09-07
the WORLD.



crime covering a period Of twenty, 8
thirty or fifty years, or even a cen .
tury, and compare them date by !
date, decade by decade, or season |
py season, with those chronicled
now a days among current events.
An exhaustive review and calcula-
ton of criminal statistics might
serve as damper to those who are
given to croaking, and who believe, I.
or affect to believe, that the world IS
growing worse and worse, and IS
becoming more and more wicked
with every passing day.
Let us consider moment. Once
upon a time there were pirates and
| Ihighwaymen and feuds. No mans
life was safe if he was out after
dark, unless he was under escort,
and it was one of the most ordinary
of occurrences when lawless band
swooped down upon an unprotected
hamlet, or a gentleman's country
residence, or lordly castle, and car
ried off whatever gold and treasure
il contained, together with the iiocks
and herds, and ended by snatching
|up the women and children and
lscurrying away over the borders
with such Of them as were likely to-
be Of use, or leaving the bodies by
the roadside hacked and mangied H.
lit so pleased their brutal captors.
There was time when a man
! held possession Of his goods and
chattels simply and solely because
: of his ability to uphold his claims,
either by force OF arms or because
|he had from previous encounters
become terror to his neighbors.
, And the greater part ct business
and social matters was arranged ana
conducted on something OF the
same principles.
Tribal relations were precarlous,
l. and peace negotiations and treaties
1 rested upon most uncertain ten
:. ure. Brother warred against brother,
and father and son thirsted Tor each
others blood. No relation was sa-
cred enough to insure continuously
ouiet existence. All classes and
q conditions Of men were filled with
1.-The spirit of plunder and violence
and deadly encounters were OF ev'
Ieryday occurrence. What a con
|trast is the state Of society to-day
Imagine mounted troop charg
ling down upon one OF the many
: beautiful homes with which on
broad land is filled. They spear Q
stab the servants, make the adul
members of the household prison
10 ers beat out the brains OF the chill
|dren. or run them through with tn
sword, or, as is related in more thai
one instance, impale them on pike
and ride about with the wrlthln
bodies suspended in mid-air Al
, ter sufficiently amusing themselve
in this way, they fling the victim
to the dogs, or into some adlacen
Il Il. swamp, to be devoured by the vii
Ice ls beasts which are supposed to be nu
merous, gather up whatever treas
lure the band may have discovered
and 90 their ways, serenely cor
scious Of having done brave, pei
fectly permissible, altogether praise
worthy bit Of business.
How would such state OF thing
be looked at in our day and gener'
|tion and among the Christian pee
1Iple OF America? !,
al 81, True, there are remnants OF nal
on;; |civilized nations where outrages {
A such nature are perpetrated, bl
these are isolated instances.
81 England was at one period OF M
history at the mercy of quarrelsom
tribes. lawless highwaymen an
n n bands Of robbers who tattened upo
nv the patient industry Of the terrorize
on| |husbandnen. Herds and harves
nd were the Legitimate prey OF thes
=, 4. al,.Iruflians, and resistance to their d.
40 q mands meant instant death. Ric
men were carried away and held Il
- ransom, and children were ki'
@. mapped either for a price or reveng
err and no one dared follow the miscr
ip, ants or bring them to justice.
nd All Of this would DO impossible
to this free, Christian, enlightene
i'm country Of ours. Public opinic
.would peremptorily insist upon u
apprehension and punishment
such criminals, and nothing but ~
!. and complete satisfaction for sue
- misdeeds would appease the publ
mr. wrath. !,
ast While we occasionally hear stori
ndlof daring robberies, and at long !
J." ."ltervals kidnappings and deeds
murder that almost curdle the bloc
ner|we are forced, upon sober secoi
to admit that they are u
--Al -SAs.- 81 s,~f tho prIa