The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-25
A D~EPLORABLE TRAGEDY,

A DEPLoRABLE TRAGEDY.
1t is safe to say hat every good cit
izen of the community al but regret
the outcome of the unfortunate affair
of last Wednesday night which has
SO shocked the city. Through the
mistaken zeal of one who then occu-
pied a subordinate position as an Of
icer of the city the life Of a young
man has been blotted out, while the
no less to be pitied victim of his own
haste now occupies a prisoners cell
awaiting trial for murder. In two
families grief and sorrow press with
their heavy hands and hearts are bow
ed down with woe. In one there is
mourning for the man already dead
and in the other is anguish and pain
at the possible fate of the one whose
precipitate haste and lack of judgment
! are responsible for the distress of
both. Pity should go out to both, pity
for the aged parents of the dead man,
pity for the sorrowing wife of the
man who caused that death.
No one will probably say that when
he started to do that which he be-
lieved was his duty the n who is
now bitterly regreting his rashness
had any intention of Staying the man
whom he says he suspected Of har-
boring evil and unlawful intentions.
But spurred on by over zeal and with
out stopping to give thought to the
awful results likely to accrue con
sequent upon his haste and rashness,
he brought the every ready revolver
into play and a tragedy was enacted.
On occasions such as this many per-
sons are prone to criticise and place
blame unfortunately. Without
wishing to be considered one of these,
The Gazette feels constrained to say
something concerning a custom that
prevails here, the same as it prevails
in most small cities. Reference is
had to the mistaken, but popular no.
ton that in order to be successful and
perform their duty best policemen
should hide their identity and conceal
their badge of Office, only to be dis
played as a last act in some great
emergency. While it is true that de.
tec1i, es often are police officers, dI,
policemen are not detectives. Their
duty is as much to proven, crime as
it is to detect and arrest the perpetra
tors. For that a in all cities OF
size they are required to go in uni
form and to display as co~nspiculously
as possible their badges of Office. This
is intended for the benefit and con
yenience of the public and also as a
measure of protection to the officers
Many a man, who if hailed or a dark
night and commanded to throw up
his hands by some n in ordinary at
tire may hesitate and if given the op
portunity kill the one hailing, to find
out later that it was a policeman
"iOul ne SuOL dHu WIZ udu ldhCH b'il
for a l~awbreaker. Such cases arc
known to have occurred, but they
would not have occurred had the Of
icers beer in uniform or worn the
customary badge where it would have
been in full view of the one he stop
ped.
If because of the smallness of the
force it is deemed not necessary tc
uniform the police and equip them
with clubs as in large cities al order
should at least be promulgated anc
enforced compelling the members tt
always wear their stars on the out
side of their coats, where all may see
them and know the wearers to be pc
licemen. Such an order may be the
means Of preventing a recurrence o.
Wednesday nights lamentable affair