The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-08-16
LOCALIZED HOMICIDES.
From the Rome Tribune.

From the Rome Tribune.
In and around Atlanta there seems
to have been a sort of epidemic Of
| legalized homicides, or, to be less po-
lite but more emphatic, ''legalized
murders, during the past few
months. There appear to be some
officers of the law who seem to think
they hold in their hands the scales
of life and death over human beings
entrusted to their care temporarily,
or others who may have been sus-
pected of the commission of crimes.
| On Friday near Atlanta occurred
peculiarly pathetic incident A
young man scarcely 20 years of age
was shot down and killed by con-
Wet guard. This young fellow had
been convicted of forgery, in itself a
crime of more or less gravity; in this
particular instance the crime consist
ed of forging few checks of about
$3.50 apiece. He was convicted by
jury and sentenced to a term of
four years in the penitentiary, and
it was while serving this sentence
that he made an attempt to escape
at least, the guard thought he was
attempting to escape, which was the
same thing to all intents and pur-
poses in the mind of the guard.
Whereupon the guard drew his win
chester and shot the man to death.
1t was a particularly pathetic case.
The man was the son of a widowed
mother, of gentle birth and breed
ing; he fell victim to his own weak
ness and the criminal carelessness
of the guard.
We do not believe this killing was
justified. The offense was a small one;
the amount obtained through the
crime committed was only few dol
lars. Some convict guards, and other
more pretentious officials, are entire
ly too quick to draw their guns and
shoot down prisoners or suspects on
slight proyocation. 1t has been only
few months since a young man
passing through the railroad yards
OF the Southern railway in Atlanta
was shot to death by two detectives.
who imagined him to be a suspect
and thought he was trying to draw
his gun. 1t happened that the man
in this case was an inoffensive young
fellow, boOkkeeper for a business
concern, and was on his way to his
nome when shot. A few days ago
near Rome a negro was shot TO
death because it was thought he fit
ted the description of a negro want
ed in Chattanooga-the negro at
tempted to get away with the usual
result.
The point we are driving at is this:
Ought not officers of the law to be
more careful before they shoot a per-
son down, even though he be an es-
capped convict? Convicts have some
rights. Because they have been con-
victed of crime and have been pIac-
ed in the penitentiary doesn't au-
thorize the officers of the law to
shoot them down. Guns are placed
in the hands of the guards to protect
themselves from desperate criminals
and as menace to those who might
attempt to get away We do not be-
lieve they have a right to take the
life of any convict unless they do it
in self-defense. There is no law that
we know Of anywhere that author
ICES a guard to kill prisoner, even
though attempting to escape. There
is a good deal of brutality mixed up
in some of this business, and it
wouldn't be bad idea if some of
those life-taking detectives and
guards were made to feel the strong
hands of the law.