The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-09-06
COMMENT ON HIGGINS LYNcHlNe
Sioux City journal and Lincoln News
See Reason For il.


Sioux City Journal and Lincoln News
See Reason For it.
Sioux City Journal: The explana-
ton of the Bancroft lynching is the
same as that of the Charles City lynch
ing-distrust of the law. The Charles
City lynching followed executive COM
mutation of sentence in the case of a
criminal who had committed a crime
similar to that for which the victim of
the lynching was awaiting punishment
under the law. The Bancroft lynching
came while the pardon record of the
late governor of Nebraska was clear
in the recollection of the people.
The Lincoln Journal asks that the
majesty of the law shall now be vim
Dictated by furnishing the lynchers.
The Charles City experience does not
encourage the hope this can be done.
Neither does the experience of other
communities in which lynchings are
more frequent than in Nebraska or
Iowa. The bald fact stands out in
both cases that the lynching met with
the approval of the man in the street
the average citizen. 1t received this
approval because the average citizen
was dissatisfied with the way in which
the law had been administered by Of
ficials whose duty it is to enforce the
law. The practical moral in both cases
seems to point to the elimination OF
delays and Sentimental clemency" in
administering legal punishment for
crime The Nebraska murderer would
not have been hanged illegally If there
had been confidence that he would be
hanged legally. The surest way to
gain respect for the law is to make the
law effective. 1t is unfortunate when
lax administration of law can be point
ed to for justification of popular ig-
noring of law in such incidents as
those recorded at Bancroft and Charles
City.
Lincoln Evening News: Because
the people of Thurston and Cunning
counties had lost faith in the efficiency
of their law.made instruments to ad-
minister exact justice to Higgins, the
murderer of the Copples, some thirty
men took him forcibly from the Gus
tody of the officers yesterday and
hanged him, after which they riddled
the corpse with bullets to make sure
that he was dead
The action Of the lynchers cannot be
defended upon any grounds, but neil
Their will there be any great amount
of censure descending upon the heads
of the men who summarily ended Hig-
gins life from well-informed persons.
The application of lynch law at Ban
croft yesterday was but the logical re-
suit of the trifing with justice that has
marked recent events here at the state
capital, where all murderers are sent
for execution. The farcical proceed
ings intended to free Frank Barker and
the remarkable affidavits made to save
Harrison Clarke's neck from the moose
are part and parcel Of a mass of cir
cumstances that have combined to
rouse the mob instinct in the average
human breast.
There is a law upon the statute
books that says the man who purpose
Iy and with deliberate and predemitat
ed malice kills another or Stays while
engaged in the preparation of crime
of violence shall hang. This law has
been almost completely nullified In
Nebraska through the acts of small
minority of the people, and 1t is upor
the shoulders of this small minority
that large part Of the blame for sucf
outbreaks as occurred at Bancroft yes
terday must inevitably rest. Some
very good people have assisted in this
notification, and these good people
must understand that their efforts hav'
resulted in most gruesome tragedy
have caused something more to b.
deplored than the fate from whicl
they have so far saved two others
Fremont Herald: When black head
lines announced the hanging of Mul
derer Higgins by masked mob, Tn
Omaha World Herald and the Be
threw seven kinds of editorial fits
They denounced the hanging in III
measured terms. The Bee mercilessl
assailed Sheriff. Young, and the Worl
Herald lampooned the good old ia
mers who put Higgins out of business
in a most vicious manner The thir
Omaha daily published alleged int
views with alleged prominent Omi