The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-05-21
THE SEASON OF CRIME,

THk SEASON OF CRIME
Our Northern exchanges are fllcd with
tho loathsome details OF every species Of
turpituda and crime, which the imaginatons
Of tho hearts of men ever conceived. Read
ers of delicate and sensitive organizations,
slrinks shudderng and appalled,, at the
contemplation of such u feast of horrors :;
yet there are thousands Of the oJsceno volu-
creS of human kind, who seize and dcvour
with greedy avidity these putrid morscIs Of
depravty. The trial Of Mrs. Cunningham
in New York, has re-opencd tho discussion
Of the tragedy; but tho rehearsal of that
horrible cases is absorbed in the more re-
cent and equally mysterious murder of the
unknown girl, whose mangled corpse was
discovered i'll field near Newburg. A day
or two ago, the Herald had and article Sc
vcrely reprehending the Boston journals
for publishing minute accounts of the pro-
ceedings of tAe criminal courts, and there
by pandering to Il corrupt and vitiated pub
lie taste.
But no sooner had the faintcst tidincs of
murder in New Jersey reached the city
Of New York, than Bennct dispatched a
special reporter to the scene of that affair,
in order to gather fresh food for the insati-
able appetite of his readers. Besides these
cases, the detailed reports Of the murders
in Western Pennsylvania would alone suf
hce to satisfy the cravings of ordinary
gourmands of the horrible. The publicity
Of judicial proceedings have been heretofore
regarded rs one of the peculiar features and
most Indispensable guarantees of free gov
ernment; but it is a question whether the
damage, which results to public morals form
the promulgation of the records of criminal
trials, does not offset the evils, which might
befall the administration Of justice by hav-
ing such trials conducted in secret. At
least, it would be well, if possible, to pre-
vent their indiscriminatc circulation through
the press.
Familiarity with scenes and descriptions
of crime, SO far from cxorting wholesome
Influence OH the minds Of men, by an un-
accountable pcrversity, have just the con-
:rary effect.
TWAS very true remark Of Bulwer, that
at certain seasons, some particular crime
seems to become fashionable, and spread
through the country like an epidemic a
man commits suicide in An unusual manner; :;
minute and exaggerated accounts of it are
scattered abroad, and Immediately the
newspapers teen with Ike cases. Many
miserable wretches terminate their existence
in the same manner, solely for the sake of
obtaining an Infamous noteriety.
Just now, at the North, murder is all the
rage, stimulated, in great degree, by the
publication Of every transaction in the an
mails Of crime 10y the newspapers, with all
the embellishments that wit and ingenuity
can supply to give them zost and piquancy.
Perhaps, after all, the papers are not to
blame. The fault is deeply radicatcd
in the framework of Northern society. The
public demand such entertainment, and few
journalists at the North have tho intrepidi-
ty to oppose the current of popular feeling.
The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin says:
awe are not Pharisaca enough to boast
of Philadelphia's exemption from any of
these criminal incidents of the Immediate
present; for we fear there is very little be-
yond accident which has thus far saved us
from the disgrace. But it is matter of
congratulation that there have been but
very few outrageous crimes committed here
lately, and that our courts have not furnish.
ed any material for depraved appctites, sucl,
as the Dalton, tile Kalloch, the BurdeII, and
other scandalous cases. When crimes and
immoralitics seem to prevail through the
land with almost epidemic force, it is a
matter of rejoicing that we have escaped
tho contagion, and it is to be hoped that
our community will long continue"
Yet none are more diligent than the Bull
letin in collecting particulars of the awful
tragedies" for the qualification of its "de-
praved" readers.-IAe South.
HOOPS
Many scandalous stories have been nut
in circulation to the prejudice of this arti-
Gle Of female attire, but tho following, from