The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-19
A HUMAN LIFE
What Is Its Value ?-Is 1t Possessed OF
Any Value Except to the Nearest OF
Kin, Perhaps Few Friends?

ferred to several homicides of strangers
i'll Shreveport, individuals who had no
fixed residence or who we here on
business or pleasure.
Of all the cases cited. there have fol-
lowed arrests and some convictions, for
instance DR. Bush and his son, who are
in the penitentiary for the murder of
young man named Guice.
As an opposite to this conviction,
which was secured III spite of the
strongest influence to acquit, may be
cited the case of Dr. Crawford, who shot
and killed young man named Vickers.
Crawford was acquitted, although he
had been the aggressor.
Up to the time of Dr. Bush's convc
ton white men guilty of murder had
surety of escape through sentimental
iurics. The conviction of Bush and his
son clarified an atmosphere overcharged
with deliberate miscarriages of justice,
which had emboldened the murderer at
heart or the man with fancied griev-
ance to seek and kill his victim without
pity or chance for his life.
Apparently the atmosphere is again
becoming overcharge with the senti-
mcnt which encourages men to murder
or tp homicide on the least provocation
or pretense.
What is tire value of human life?
Every man i'll community should be
concerned in the human life which is
snatched away in moment, in the
twinkle Of an eye
There have been cases of homicide
traceabe to an impulse of temper unre-
strained, to the careless and reckless
handling of deadly weapons, to the care
less and reckless driving of some We
hicles, but in all these cases no punish
ment except in the case of the negro
driver who ran over a child on Sprague
street, has ever been meted out to the
individuals who are responsible and who
must, some day. account TO their Maker
for their carelessness and their reckless
ness. which resulted in the increase of
widows and of orphans.
However, we have digressed some
what from the point of view of human
life as applied to the case of diabolical
murders which have Mortified the COM
munity, which has soon recovered its
equahimity. Some of these crimes have
become almost as memory.
In considering these cases, such for
instance as that of Mrs. Matthews, of
Mrs. Nagle, of young Balfe, of Fuchs,
and recently of George Hanson, it is
anentabe to contemplate the fact that
the murderers have escaped identihca-
ton, except in the Hanson case and the
Nagle case when all the circumstances
indicated the guilt of the murderer who
secured his liberty because he was not
seen in the very act of committing the
crime.
Young Balfe was found at the break
of day on Louisiana street within hum
dred feet of the police station. He had
been felled with piece of brick which
fractured his skull
The German, Fuchs, was murdered
within reach of his home He was struck
on the head with picket from fence
nearby or some blunt instrument oi
murder
In neither of these cases did the att
thorities, city and parish, and the detec-
tive talent develop clue.
In the case of Hanson the circun,-
stances are all directed at High. Of all
the murders of the series named, this Il
the most horrible. 1t was premeditatet
and executed with fendish deliberatior
when the opportunity was offered. Han
son was struck on the head with a piece
of iron pipe and finished over Cros
bayou where the body, with the heat
mutilated, was discovered under tn
music house, where it was dragged de
liberately.
i AS the crime was committed betweei
I'm and I o'clock on Tuesday, October
there are no eye witnesses except tn
cowardly criminal and his associate, an
these, if held by the grand jury an
brought face to face with trial Jur
may escape on the convenient and read
plea of alibis.
i Connected with all these cases is tn
query: What is the value of huma
life?
2 Having recovered from the shock {
such crimes, the people, engaged in the'
daily pursuits, gradually forget, the az
2 thorities relax their vigilance, the dete'
, tives become less alert, and the mul
, derer undetected may faunt with inse
lence his crime in the face of Law
abiding community ready at any momef
to again slay whoever may have II
& Icurred his displeasure or enmity.
al Is it not time to be less sentiment
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