The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-10-03

ago Of consumption. a negro prison
or. under indictment for murder The
further statement vas made that ise
negro had b4,en In Jail two years "
seems he Killed another negro and
fled. and was not captufsd for about
a year. so the question Of that year,
delay may b. waived and enough De
left 60 make n text. from which per
haps there can perhaps be drawn
useful lesson, says the Houston
Chronicle.
We will begin with date two
years back, wten the negro vas fret
in custody Except In Dallas. Fort
Worth. Galveston. San Antonio and
Houston. and may be sherman. the
grand jury only meets once Ia six
months This case, however. happen
ed 10 be In Dallas. and as there Is a
perpetual session OF criminal
court there IL may be presumed the
negro had been indicted before he
hands OF the Law. ready for trial.
The issue was very simpie-did he
kill the negro iustifiahly or unjusu-
fiably. excusably or ineScusahly, be
cause that he Killed him. or rather
her. seems not TO have been denied.
The case ought to have been tried
In thirty days, and an appeal should
have been perfected In like time, and
should have been determined In yet
another thirty days, and that such
was not done means inexcusahle de-
lay.
trial seems to have been had,
and verdict of guilty resulted, and
the negro appealed. The higher court
got the big record. and amid the
multitude of objections, challenges,
motions to quash and continue, ana
all kinds of legal bubbles that had
no more to do with the only ques-
ton at issue, or with a fair trial, /
than had the first chapter Of Genesis !
the court found some error in Civ !
ing or refusing a charge or mo-
ion or some ruling out of a hundred !
md reversed the case, the taxpayers |
n the meantime supporting the ne
,ro in Jail in idleness, while he slow
Y died with consumption.
His victim had already crumbled
o clay, the grass was ready to re-
ppear on her grave, her taking off
lad been forgotten, the case had
zone up and come back, continuance
after continuance had been entered,
delays and postponements had been
numerous, and at last Death stepped |
in and rung down the curtain on a !
tragedy which had degenerated into
a farce.
In two years the courts could not
determine whether the act OF the ne
gro in killing the other negro was |
wrong or not, and the negro lay in |
all. fed by the taxpayers, while the |
ecord and the cost bill daily grew |
anger. but the solution of one sim
lie question was never reached.
In the meantime the costs were
fling up. A witness summoned once
S summoned for all time, but near
y every term the clerk issues and
ne sheriff serves new supeuas. and
he cost bills climb like a sourd vine
md while death stops venires and
notions and exceptions and lawyers
speeches. the cost bin is immune |
against death, il is immortal. and /
Death only hastens its maturity, and
if this negro murderer. If such he
was. failed TO get 10 i'm the neck. the
taxpayers did not, but will have to
pay st is safe to say. at least thous-
and dollars. and most of st uuueces-
sauly.
Half the cases reversed. aud by
means of which reyersal- criminals
arp turned loose, are reversed be
cause some chara, or SOME ruins
I ia tested Do. some decision made
/ hundred wears ago. IU which some
/ wds. said that such and such shuu.d
luUr Hs dome. and upon SOME GuibuIc
/ terminal. aru turned luu-s. uf whose
, 4uI, rbere H u0 pu-s.bl, doubt
s.. f5 fHe nr-rp iu uH.Ia fHs
I worst p1n ut Hls cas-, o. 'HBt bel 4as
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