The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-03-24

Not as Great as He Could Have Been
His Implacablc Prejudice Boomerang
of the Laws Majesty

pt the Law Majesty.
The article following l. IN editor1
| clipped from the Picayune Of March i
here are few men III the Union to
can people than is William lraycr, Tcr-
ome, district attorney for the city and
county Of New York. who has been tot
the past two months aud more cou,uct
ing criminal trial in New York city
When Mr. Jerome started out in hi,
hr>t term ot office he now occupies after
a reelection. many people thought he
was about to develop the same sort oi
grcatneS, of character. iuvincible cotir-
age III the performance of his duty. aud
the answering determination not to be
turned away from 1t under any consid
CREATIONS whatever, a. were exhibited bv
Governor Folk of Missouri. When As dis
tr1ct attorney OF the city and county of
St Louis he boldly attacked official
crime and political corruption wherever
they were to be founJ and pursued them
until the offenders. no matter how high
their political social or financial rank.
were driven into prison or into exile.
But Mr.. Folk was a great man. while
Mr.. Jerome is far from it. When he
started i'll to prosecute the king pin of
the New York gamblers. people thought
he was gong to do something, bat when
he fell down before the great capitalists
who had been lootinR the big life nsur-
ance companies. it was at once seen that
he was not of the Folk type The re
tnarkabIe display he has made rs pros
ccutor III the Stanford White murder
case has again brought him back from
the obscurity into which he had fallen.
aud he has11galn become an object Of
wide public observation and curiosity.
here Is no purpose here to comment,
on the case. and it will matter little to
the world at large how it NAV end. but
Mr.. Jerome part in it is of some little
interest.
1t was brought out in the course of
the trial that Stanford White, a cclclrat-
ed architect. 4 wealthy man and society
leader. was one Of the most morally de
PRAYED men who ever lived aud used his
wealth aud position to debauch and
destroy young grrs. For this purpose
he kept several den> i'll variou, parts of
the city into which he could drag AMI
secrcte his prey until his abominabIc
purposes were accomplished
The evil deeds and character Of this
man were known to the official agent for
the suppression of vice, and to others.
but his position and surroundings pro
tected him from molestatior so that he
carried OF his nefarious acts with COM
plete impunity. Finally one Of his VIC
tins became the wife of man who.
when he realized the facts Of the horri-
tying story she told of her treatment at
the hands OF White. either aggravated
The insanity from which it is alleged ke
had previously suffered, or created in
him momentary madness under the in
Huence of which he shot to death the
mlscreant whose deeds had already mcr-
tied his determination
Mr.. Jerome is doubtless only doing his
duty i'll seeking to convict and punish
he perpetrator Of the killing. but he is
putting into the work an amount of en-
argy and eNertlon, a degree of zeal and
apparently Of implacablc prejudice that
ire truly astonishing. Every public Off
'lal must be applauded for any Jealous
tnt devoted performance Of his duty. |
'ut many persons will wonder why he 50 |
'ignally failed when he had greater
.ame and world-famous cause in which |
o display his talents.
The conviction of Thaw to the electric
hair or to lifetime in prison will vir-
TALLY give notice to the other Stanford
\ hiteS, If there be any more of such
IN the great metropolis. that
hey are above prosecution. and that the
aw will zealotisly wreak a terrible re-
enge upon any man. whether sane OF
mad, who may propose to avengc or vim
licate outraged innocence The law in
IS majesty IS grand and awful. but
its majestic powers are avail
bic only 10 encourage evil of the very
worst sort