Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-04-17
q MANS INHuMANIrY y

Our exchanges from every part OF the
Union contain daily records Of murder
most foul" Of outrages most heinous.
and of crimes most shocking. The de-
mon Of crime appears to have been let
loose to transmute our humanity into
monstrocity, and TO impel men to deeds
Of violence and iniquity.
One day we hear of husband muir
dering his wife and burning her body,
in Ohio: the next. Of two wives poison.
ing their husbands, in Massachusetts,
A paper from Auburn, N. Y, chroni-
clcs tragedy. whore a lover deliberate
ly shoots his beloved, and then blows
out his own brains. The Louisville
Journal brings us the announcement Of
similar, and, il possible, even more
horrible tragedy that took place last
week In Bullitt county, in that State,
where man named Bulky, in st Of
passion, shot dead his own daughter,
and then killed himself with the same
pistol. The same paper, Of the same
date, records the murder of q wife by
her husband, In that city, and the MUIR
der of one man By another in an ad Join
ing county. An Indiana paper tells us
how husband has lately been poisoned
by his wifc--a Missouri paper. how n
man murdered his brother by slabbing
him 10 the heart an Illinois paper
how father, by q series OF torments,
crushed the life out Of ,tep.son by
poacemoal. In London. Canada. a
woman and her paramour have been
convicted Of numbering her husband
with poison. In another part Of CSnada
u boy only ID years OF ago has just
boon sentenced TO be hung for deliberate
ly and premodltaIingly numbering play
mate. Tho New York papers almost
daily GIL their columns with the revolt
Ing particulars Of murders committed In
and aboat that city, and we cannot take
up even "baek country paper without
finding a record Of similar occurrences
In the vicinity Of It's publication.
No region throughout the settled por-
ton Of our laud. but that has been shock.
ed by u recent deed OF blood. The
murderer is abroad, his knife recking
with the blood Of his victims, his heart
sleeled against mercy, and his soul dead
TO all scruples Passion--lhat demon oil
deprayity--is getting the better Of hu-
man reason, pity, and temperance. Pas
slon--the stimulant 10 atrocity and in
humanity--''the devil Of which bad
mon are possessed" -spurs on lis vic.
Tins to the commission Of enormitiss toe
foul to contemplate. Was there ever q
time known In this land, when murders
were so frequent. so cold blooded. Sc
atrocious? Was ever q time known
when so many wifemprders and hus-
band-murders were committed, prompt.
cd by Jealousy. lust or anger?
We don't know that our humanity j,
on the retrograde In the scalcof morality
and virtue. We dom. know that men
or women in general are any worse now
than they wero q century ago. They
ought TO be better Christianity has APP.
pareAtly a stronger hold IN the world
and Is wider spread in It's influence; men
know moro, take them in q mass; and
he penalties for wrong doing are full asi
severe and full rs certain now as in ages
past But why is it-tell US, student oil
human nature--iell us. guardians of the
worlds morality and rcligion--tcll us
philosophers and sages why is it that,
Notwithstanding the increase OF church.
es, OF schools. Of general enlightenment
and general refinement, the demon Pas.
sion is apparently strengthening is hold
in the hearts of men. maddening their
natures, and driving them to excessive
and terrible extremes +?
We confess ourselves incapable OF
accounting for tho increase Of violence
and crime. apparent throughout our
country. twill afford a theme Of study
foi tho moral roformer and the anlhro-
pologisl. We leave TO them The task Of
diving the mystery.--Chicdgo Journal