The Natives Are Restless

On December 22 a New York subway passenger enacted the dream of many others: He shot four punks who tried to shake him down. As they lay bleeding, he helped a hysterical woman to a seat, spoke briefly to a conductor, and vanished into the tunnel.

For more than a week the “subway vigilante” was a nameless legend. Police appeals for tips resulted in a flood of phone calls praising the gunman. Radio talk shows and letters-to-the-editor columns were filled with encomia. When the authorities posted a composite police drawing of the gunman’s face, someone drew a halo over it.

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Joseph Sobran

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On December 22 a New York subway passenger enacted the dream of many others: He shot four punks who tried to shake him down. As they lay bleeding, he helped a hysterical woman to a seat, spoke briefly to a conductor, and vanished into the tunnel.

For more than a week the “subway vigilante” was a nameless legend. Police appeals for tips resulted in a flood of phone calls praising the gunman. Radio talk shows and letters-to-the-editor columns were filled with encomia. When the authorities posted a composite police drawing of the gunman’s face, someone drew a halo over it.