The Ouachita Telegraph - Dr. Flemming Kills Peddlar Silverstein

Date: Oct. 2000 
Submitted by: Lora Peppers <lpeppers@ouachita.lib.la.us>



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The Ouachita Telegraph
Friday, June 24, 1881
Page 3, Column 2

 From what we can learn of the killing of the Jewish peddler, Silverstein
whom our citizens will remember as having passed through this city some time
since, by one Dr. Flemming, just above the line in Arkansas, we condemn it
as a most atrocious and willful murder.  Silverstein was accompanied by his
little son at the time of the murder, and begged for his father’s life, but
his appeals were wasted upon the blood-thirsty villain, who with murder in
his heart, shot down the defenseless man, while his little son looked on,
horror stricken, and unable to do aught to save his father’s life.
Silverstein’s remains were brought by his Jewish brethren to Bastrop and
interred in their cemetery at that place.  Dr. Flemming made his escape and
may never be brought to trial.  If he does the “insanity dodge” will no
doubt be invoked, for as the story is told, after accomplishing the murder
of his victim, after having followed him up for some time, for that purpose,
“he laid down his gun and wept.”  There are few cases in our opinion where
the old Mosaic law of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” should be
invoked, as we consider the question of life and death the most sacred thing
known to laws, human and divine, (and we incline to the opinion that life is
above human institutions) but so long as the law remains upon the statute
books making the wilful (sic) murder of a human being punishable with death,
we think, in a case of this sort, the full penalty of the law should be
meeted out to the guilty party.

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