The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-01
HANa ON nrnCraocUrn THEM.

mo mercy for child steaiers." an
nounces The Portsmouth star. ITO
steal . child" It continues. from its
home and those whose fondest care its
to watch over and tenderiy protect It.
Is q crime 50 inhunan In its sordid
brutality that the normal mind can
scarcely believe that any man could
perpetrate 1t. However that may be.
it il a crime that Ii becoming far too
common in this country and we fear
that 1t will grow as long as hope OF
gain even through the wringing OF dis
tracted parents hearts continues to
animate the breasts in human form who
ply the horrible trade OF Kidnapping
until some Of their worthless bodies
decorate the gibbet The crime OF
Kidnapping is one for which there
should be but one penalty anywhere.
Otherwise, there need be no senti-
mental twaddle about the evils Of lynch
law, should one Of these men who steal
children fan into the hands OF an OUT
ragged public"
We heartily agre with our Ports
mouth contemporary. kidnapping
child il more than crime. Many
crimes are committed which bring no
physical pain or suffering to any but
the criminal himself, in case he is APP
pretended and punished. The victim
may suffer inconvenience and pscuniary
loss, but that is AL. The crime IL
none the less a crime, for all that.
Kidnapping a child f. q different
grade of offence. 1t Is stealing and
may terminate in murder. II not ran
somed the innocent and helpless little
one may be put to death, as is not in
frequently the case. II its life is spar
ed it is likely to grow up amid foul
and criminal surroundings, never
knowing the love of parents, ana per-
haps knowing little OF the joys and
pleasures Of childhood. A more deplor-
able fate can hardly be imagined for a
child that is we'll born and has before
It the promise Of many and happy
days. Is not death kindlier fate7
And to steal a child is to take ad-
vantage Of the dearest and hoIiest feel
ings of our common humanity. The
days Of waiting and hoping, of mourn
Ing and uncertainty, OF hopes raised
and then dashed TO earth, of anguish
ana mind torture-all this and more
follows the evil work OF the child
steaIer. Saying nothing of the infa-
nous cowardice and inhumanity of ex-
acting blood money from bereaved pa
rents, which of itself is the meanest
form of robbery, the crime is one for
which no mercy is deserved and for
which none should be shown. The
great obstacle standing in the way of
dealing out proper punishment to
scoundrels of this kind is the diniculty
OF apprehending and Identifying the
guilty parties. Like moles, they work
in the dark Like snakes, they strike
when least expected. Like vampires.
they live on the hearts blood Of their
victims. Morally speaking, to use the
words of Poe:
They are neither mar Or woman.
They are neither brute nor human:
They are ghouls.
Proper punishment for such inhu-
man beings is the gallows or the cleo
trio chair. Parents in such cases win
give their money freely, even to giving
up all they have, in order to have
loved child restored to them and TO save
it from a life Of misery. This Is the
holieat type OF human nature and on
this knowledge the vile brutes lay their
plans and carry out their worse than
british crimes They know that in
most cases the ransom demanded win
be paid IN some way, and that they pay