The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-16
WITH THE EDITORS
Is Murder an Obsolete Crime !

We seem to be fast approaching a
time when we shall have to consider
whether it is possible in this country
for man to commit murder A few
days ago two men were acquitted by
Virginia jury. though they had de-
liberately and knowingly killed, they
having acted-so it appears-under the
higher law" A little later a man
charged with murder, and proved to
have killed, was acquitted by a Mis-
souri, jury. the unwritten law again
having been invoked. In Indianapolis,
not long ago, another killer was freed,
his plea having been that he was in
sane at the time of his action 1t is
said that the woman in Chicago who,
few weeks ago, killed the man with
whom she was in love, will plead in
sanity. In Nebraska, Frank Brink, who
killed his sweetheart, was found to be
insane by commission of experts
Thereupon the Judge instructed the
jury, which brought in a verdict of not
guilty. The plea of insanity has been
interposed in behalf of a f1fteen-ye year.
old girl who murdered the baby which
she had been hired to nurse. From
Ohio we get the story of another brain
storm" One man simply killed an
other in the old-fashioned way, but
his friends and lawyers insist that he
was the victim of brain storm, and
was suffering from dementia at the
time of the shooting. Finally, we have
from Maryland the interesting story of
the acquittal of a woman who killed
her sister because she was always
running after my husband" The theory
in tN no
the slayer did not even know what she
was doing.
Here are nine cases of killing in
which the slayers were either acquitted
or stand a good chance of being ac-
quilted when brought to trial. And
yet in every one of them killing was
done. And, no doubt, in every one of
them, tn killer knew what he was
about So we think that people may
well inquire whether murder is not an
obsolete crime in the United States.
And yet to say that lack Of self-con-
trol-which is about all that a brain
storm amounts to is such insanity as
to be a sufficient defense, is to put a
premium on violence of all kinds 1t
is the business of men to control them
selves. the law expects and demands
Il
Men who by lawless and disgraceful
courses OF living have weakened their
intellectual and moral natures should
not be allowed to plead the weakness
which they themselves have created by
their own vicious habits. Nor should
any more tenderness be shown to those
who by indulgence in unrestrained
passion and anger have dethroned their
will. To accept such pleas is to say
to men and women that the law does
not demand that they control them
selves-that there Is no legal Obliga-
ton on them to do so. Yet at such a
time as this men are preaching the
doctrine Of human responsibility
denying that the state has any right
to punish for crime. and are waging
war on the social order which is the
growth of ages and which must be
maintained If we are TO escape q re-
lapse into barbarism. 1t is time to
think rather Of the insulted law, the
outraged social order. and the imperiled
peace and safety of American COM
munities. than of the lawless. the
vicious and degenerate who are at war
with all good and helpful forces.-In-
dianapolis News.