Year: 1875

A City Paper Gives n Hint rs to What


Should be Done with Midnight In


Yaders.


Householders may as well understand
that burglars are just now very numer-
Gus and bold. In cities and their vici-
nifty, says the New York Times, there
are constant reports of engagements with
these villains, and our readers need not
be reminded that some of the collisions
between housebreakers and those who
were defending life and property have
been no child's play. Two or three re-
cent affairs in Brooklyn illustrate the
dangerous character of the marauders;
and only recently burglars broke open
store in East Broadway, New York, and
when courageously attacked by the
owner, who lived in the building, one of
the thieves fired at him, with intent to
kill. Fortunately, the shopkeeper es-
capped with his life, while the would-be
assassin was captured. One of these
fellows, who was caught in house in
Natick, Mass, lately did not get off
SO easily as most of his kidney. The
plucky householder fred at the villain
as he attempted to spring, and mortally
wounded him. The burglar in this case
is supposed to he one of the tribe of
Cramps" now so numerous throughout
New England and some parts of this
State. The East Broadway offender is
identified as an old hand, and the police
can have no difficulty in CHASING him
properly with the particular branch of
operators to which he belongs. He mar
rowly escaped being murderer as well
as thief, and his condign punishment
will be fitted to the aggravated circum-
stances of the case.


AS these midnight prowlers always go
prepared to take life, the citizen has no
alternative but similar preparation to
receive them. Under our system of law,
the forcible or illegal entry of dwelling
or other building is defined as burglary.
Burglary in the nighttime is q more seri-
GUS crime than felonious act of that
character committed in the daytime.
The thieves themselves know this very
well, and, while they do not usually go
into house or store with the intention
of killing the inmates or watchmen and
then robbing the premises, they do go
prepared to defend themselves with
deadly weapons if surprised. AS in the
Bay Ridge case last autumn, they will
fight when commanded to stand, and fire
away indiscriminateIy in order to get off
without detection. The householder,
therefore, is right to fire on the intruder,
just as the Van Brunts did at Bay Ridge,
or as Mr.. Phipps, of Naticl, did when
he saw the burglar crawling out from
under the furniture in his house at two
o'clock in the morning. The man is
there on no lawful errand; he is pre-
sumed to be ready to slay as we'll as
steal; the law holds him harmless who
fires at him in self-defense. If this may
seem stern application of the law of
sef-preservation, it should be remem-
bered that any softer method of treat
ment is only offering premium to
crime. So long as housebreakers may
be sure that their risk in entering houses
is slight, their bad business is a thriving
one. If the rascals oftener met with the
reception which the plucky citizen of
Natick gave his nocturnal visitor, we
should not so frequently hear of houses
rifed, and the lives of their occupants
put in deadly peril.


1t is hardship, however, that men
should be obliged to guard their lives
and property by establishing sort of
private arsenal. Peaceful citizens do
not like to feel that they must lie down
at night with burglar alarms about them,
and deadly weapons within easy reach.
1t should be true of an advanced civil.
zation like ours, that the citizen should
be so completely protected by the gov
ernment, that he may sleep as secure
from invasion by night as though he
were in fortress. AS it is, the law
makes each mans house his castle he
must defend it for himself when the
State fails to secure him. Human life is
precious, even sacred, and it is a trying
emergency for man when he is COM
PEELED to defend himself by aiming a
deadly weapon at another. But the
householder, under the burglars pistol,
has his life to save when he is attacked
or put in jeopardy, the enemy within his
doors forfeit5 all claim to mercy. The
sooner the midnight prowler is taught
this, the better it will be for society.