The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-08
NO DANGER OF MOB LAW.

and cowardly crime committed in the
city last week should arouse a feeling
Of bitterness and resentment toward
Hose responsible for it's commission,
and it was only human that the
friends of the victim of it in the first
moments of their grief and anger
should give way to the weakness of
mankind and speak seriously OF
wreaking sure and speedy revenge
upon the wretches whom they held
as the authors OF their sorrow. In
doing so they showed themselves to be
men, the same as the one was whose
untimely and unnatural death they de-
plored, and it cannot we'll be said tina,
they are to be blamed for permitting
their feelings to put words into their
mouths and desires into their minds
that they might not utter or enter
tain when calm reason once more as
serted itself.
We are all prone to say things in
times of stress or excitement that
would remain unspoken in calmer mo-
ments, and sometimes that excitement
is so intense that it impels to deeds
that later are regretted, but as the
individual is to be depended
upon to act sanely and in a lawful
manner in a mojority of cases, SO COM
munities may be relied upon not to
degenerate into laWless mobs and un-
der a pretext of indicating an out
ragged law become l~awbreakers them
selves. Certainly, there was talk of
lynching Moser and Grady, should
they be caught, and it is probably
not trenching upon the domain OF
truth to say further that there were
men in the community who would
not have hesitated to supplant, words
with deeds, but they were then and
are now in the minority. Much as they
condemned and deplored the fearful
crime and much as they abhorred
its perpetrators, the majority would
have been found aligned on the side
of law and order had the guilty ones
been caught at the time and had the
more hot headed ones sought to carry
out their threats.
SO long as courts exist and those
entrusted with the duty and r~esponsi.
bility of enforcing the laws manifest
1 the slightest inclination to fulfill their
obligations no excuse can be made
for lynch law and under no pretext
may the people usurp the prerogatives
OF the courts and their constituted
officers. Certainly not here in Billings
may it be said that offenders of the
law have been dealt with otherwise
than they deserved. Not a breath Of
suspicion has ever been raised agains.
the courts and no charge of corruption
and dishonesty has been heard against
those who as officers of the courts
have to do with enforcing their man
dates and assisting in the admins
tration of orderly government. Il
men have escaped punishment less Sc
we're than the public believed the
should have received it was because
Of the Observation-Disclosures of juries O
the inadequacy of the laws undel
which they were tried. For the on
the people themselves were to blam,
TOT Jurors are selected from among
them-while for the other blame mus
be placed upon those who framed tn
laws.
In arranging for the detention 0
the men at a jail removed iron
the scene of the crime which the,
committed, no doubt the gentlemal
who fills the Office of sheriff of Yellow
stone county acted as he though
best and for this he is to be commend
ed, as he showed the proper spirit TO
q peace oficer, but for all that Their
was little likelihood of mob law an
the covering creatures who since hav