The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-06-28
REPRESENTATIONS
Is THE REAL CAUSE

+
star reporter yesterday ran into a.
bunch OF good and law-abiding citi-
zens who were discussing the wave OF
crime that just now seems to be rather
more than LAYING the social shore
1t Ii an undoubted fact that no man
knows what~ffme he will be the victim
or an assassin. Not only the funda-
mental traits of revenge, avarice and
jealousy are likely to cause killing.
Al comparatively unimportant business
dispute or even a change In the
weather liz liable to bring on trouble
In which a law-abiding man is killed
or has to kill In defense OF his life. In
such disputes. the wrong man is near
ly always the victim. IL Providence
would only reverse this rule, the trou-
bile would soon end.
We could dispense with the aid of
Providence in this, as in most other
things, IL men would do their duty.
The grim specter of the gallows does
not loom before any white man in
Florida In the mind of every man Of
the Caucasian race who contempiates
capital crime turks the innate belief
that he will escape the consequences
OF his act. Murder to him means
chiefly an unpleasant incident of a
few months in jail and paying large
fees to the lawyers, the burden OF
which Is generally born by his rela-
fiTes.
From the day that a murder Is COM
mitted, the victim is forgotten except
by his relatives and immediate friends.
Nearly all the thought and sympathy
OF the public goes to the slayer. 1t
shndders at the idea of the horror of
the death sentence and execution. but
seldom does 1t think OF and never does
1t realize the agony of the victim in
the death struggle. and the months and
years Of misery of those he often
leaves helpless.
1t is the present fashion to denounce
the courts and demand the recall, but
as far as murder cases are concern
ed. the greater fault is with the juries
The jurors shrink from doing their
duty, they will not convict on circum-
stantial evidence, and when the evil
dence Is direct, even for the most
hideous crime, they seldom fail to
make Recommendation for mercy.
The following editorial from the Mi
ami Herald Is quite pertinent to
the subject:
Unless capital punishment is made
effective, 1t might as well be abolish
ed. III every brutal murderer could be
apprehended, tried, convicted and rail-
roaded to the chair or gallows while
the crime was fresh in the public
mind, there would not be eight oil
nine times as many murders in pro
portion to population in the United
States as in all of Europe combined.
srCapital punishment and the prac-
tice OF the courts are deterrent te
81 frna In nd ~, Can 40
but its different story here. Hand.
writing, experts. alienists, and al
sorts Of specialists have to make a liv.
ing In America, and the courts hell
them make II to a very large extent
Take the Thaw case. for instance
Thaw killed q man in cold blood
number of years ago. He Is in an asy
lum. fighting every day for liberty. TIL,
courts possibly will finally free him
He has cost the state of New Yorl
thousands Of dollars, and as Thaw'
relatives are wealthy. they will keel
up the fight. Every time Thaw put
an alienist on the stand, the state o
New York puts one on. and so 1T goe
on and on.
THE murdered victim cannot appea
for Justice. while the brutal villain al
ways finds some one to help him
whether to prove an alibi. or declar
him insane, and he escapes the conse
quences of his acts. That is the rea
son the United States has 10000 homi
cides every year. Soft hearted ex
ecutives and jurymen almost every da,
give liberty to criminals who have for
feited every right to burden societ
with their miserable lives.
And still, some people wonder a
crime. The average juryman recon
mends life Imprisonment rather thar
have, in his own heart and mind. tn
thought that the blood of a fellow
man Is on his hands"