Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-07-22

full effort to secure the man, and it
would make the impression on the
minds of people that the State puts
a high valuation on human life.
3. Again, the man who has killed
his fellow-man ought not to be let
out on bond, guilty or innocent.
He may be innocent of murder. If
so, there is no disgrace in remaining
a few days in prison. The disgrace
is not in the prison. A speedy trial
will soon set the innocent man free.
The right to let men out on bond
who are charged with murder has
been greatly abused; and, no doubt,
has been the cause of many guilty
man becoming free in the end. 1t is
very hard to convict man who has
been out on bond, practically a free
man. The murderer knows this.
Hence one of the first things his
lawyers do, after he has been
placed in jail, is to try &c
get him out on bond. The
law ought to be changed so that this
evil will be stopped
a. Again, the law against carrying
concealed deadly weapons ought to
be enforced better than it is. 1t is
a good law. In fact it would be we'll
to have the law forbidding the manu-
facture and sale of pistols. There is
very little legitimate business for the
pistol to do in this world--in fact,
the good is 80 small compared to the
great evils accomplished by it, that
its utter destruction and annihila-
tion would be an incalculable bless
ing to the race.
5. Again, the people ought to hold
officers Of the law responsible. If
the officers fail to enforce the law,
the people ought TO rebuke and con-
demn this neglect of duty in no un-
certain sounds. If public sentiment
agains: lawlessness were more pro-
nounced, III Tie officers of the law
knew they would be held responsible
by the people there would be more
rigid enforcement of the law, and
this, of course, would decrease the
lawlessness that now prevails in our
country. Public sentiment needs to
be toned up and made SO strong
that it will be felt both by the Off
GERS of the law and by the evil doer.
6. Again, the law against murder
should be enforced. The guilty man
should be punished. The penalty
that is prescribed against murder,
both by human law and Divine law,
is death. Hear what God says:
"Moreover ye shall take no satisfac-,
tion for the life of murderer, which
is guilty of death but he shall be
surely put to death" "Whoso she'd
deth mans blood, by man shall his
blood be shed, for in the image of
God made he him." This is Gods
law on the subject of murder. The
murderer has caused death and he
is to pay the penalty by suffering
death himself. There is no alterna-
tive. There is no recommendation
to mercy. This is modern device.
The penalty is death. 1t is severe,
but no more 80 than the crime.
The way to stop murder is to
enforce the law against the crime.
AS long as the murderer stands a
good chance to be acquitted, there
will still be an increase in this crime.
But, if the murderer knows that mur-
der is the sure road to the gallowS,
he will think long time before he
will commit the crime. In fact, he
will think about it 30 long that, in
the great majority of cases, the crime
will never be committed, at least, as
far as the overt act is concerned. 1t
is said that when capital punishment
was abolished in Italy in 1875, that
there was an increase of murders of
AZ per cent. The best way I know
of to decrease the number of murders
is to increase the number of hang
ings.
Z. Public sentiment ought TO ex-
press itself against this crime. The
theory that no expression should be
made on the part of the public until
the case is tried is supremely con-
temptible and ought to be spurned
by all good people. There is 3
power in public sentiment and it
ought to make itself felt against this
gigantic evil. The public conscience
ought to be so stirred when this
crime is committed in the community
that you can feel the righteous indig-
nation of an outraged people in the
very atmosphere. This is the way
to put down this evil and all other
evils. Therefore, the pulpit and the
press and the people ought to unite
their forces and their resources to
crush out this atrocious and national
crime. They ought to resist with
every possible energy effort to be
gagged.
Let MS go away from this place
properly appreciating the gravity of