Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-07-01

our pen upon an essay upon murder, con-
sidered as one Of the fine arts" That dream
ing, opium.eating old master, Thomas DeQulncy,
has exhausted the entire matter in an elaborate
essay upon the subject To such as desire to
make further Investigations into the interesting
topic, we would say, referring to the above
charming chapter from the author named, quO3
eide, PGssim. Neither have we notion of af.
firmng as to our subject, er,-that the
style Of the present day surpasses, aesthetcally
contemplated, that Of the past ages. Quite the
contrary indeed. About all that we claim for
murder, it is at this day, is-a numerical
supremacy. AS to artistic style of execution,
it falls considerably below that Of former times;
so that we must conclude, that DeQuincy has
most signally failed in his philanthropc endea-
Vors to bring about reformation this point.
A certain Mr.. Hamlet, ST., who himself had
been murderously dealt with by an unfaithful
wife and her wicked paramount, but who, to the
unSpeakable wondcrment of his son, slyly slip
ped out of his quiet inurnment night, re-
marked to his terrified offspring that murder
taken in its very best light, was ,"most foul"
thing. So it is. He further remarked. how
ever, that husband-murder (and we take it that
wite-murder occupies, as near as can be, SIM
liar category was not only 'mOst FOUL" but
'strange and unnatural" We Judge Mr.. Ham
let, ST., to have been a prcjudiccd witness on
this point-seeng that it is very natural for
men to condemn evils that make against them
selves, moro strongly than those that afflitt
others. Hence the extra explosives added TO
the crime of husband.murder.
Without going into argument, on first
principles, upon the relative foulness OF the
murder of stranger, or Of one in no way con-
nected with you, and Of the murder of one &C.
cupying tho position of husband or wife, we
beg to refer to the actual existing custom Of the
present day, which, in any codrt of law, would
be received as evidence. Examine your news.
paper files Of the last year; look over the telc-
graphic column and the column Of "news
items" and you will find scarcely any one par
ticuar species of news so frequently occurring
wife murders In the New York dispatches,
appearing in the InteUigcncer, only few weeks
ago, there were accounts of three several ones,
all ncrnrrirT tho n M rl"sr About " ''oo"tl,
ago, in our neighboring city, Pittsburgh, two
were swung together from the scaffold, for sim
liar offences and only Il few days ago we had
accounts from the same place of another start
ling case Of that kind. But we need not refer
to special cases. Our readers know (and with
what feelings they contemplate it, we will not
premusc to say,) the truth of our assertion
Now taking it postulate that in the pro.
gross of time and civilization, mankind are be-
coming more cruel in manners, what must we
infer? Why, unQueStionably, that wife murder,
of all other kinds, is the most innocent We
may infer, also, that whilst murders Of all kinds
are in the increasing proportion to other crimes,
murder is really less heinous offence than used
to be supposed. The ghostly Hamlet, Sir,
therefore most grossly misinstructed his son.
But we started ont by saying that the style Of
murder Of the present day is inferior, in artistic
execution, to what it formerly has been. This
is also the TRUTH as the records will show. 1t
is hugely coarse and awkward and vastly lack
ing in delicate touch and finish, when compared
with the mode once prd ctised. THE conse-
quence is that most of ourIlattcr dAv Jobs are
without either mystery on sccrccyt -tbe chief
desiderata in our ideal conc option of mhrdcr.-
1t has become little more than brutal batchery
and is as frequently done in open day lieht. and
in the presence of numbers of spectators. as in
any other way Iii time that this botcR ery and
bntchery should be stopped. Let De Qg,incy go
to work again with his pen, and if tho fcforua-
ton can't be brought about by moral mi fans, then
let our authorities go back to the old pacticc of
scrupulously hanging every blunderihg rascal
that butchers any body-even his wife,-in the
grossly stupid fashion, at present prevailing.
TIE Zouaves at PaIestro, they tell us. got
them bagged trouser legs so wet, and therefore
SO heavy, in crossing some low lands, that.
when ordered to the charge, they cast off their
trousers and ran to the Austrians, bayonet in
hand, bare legged. The corps has been so wild,
it is also added, and has so lite regard for
maeum and tenn, that the Emperor summoned
certain number Of them and told them he would
order them back to Africa and to France, ifanv
thing of the like occurred again; whcreupon, it
is said, they cried like children, and promised
good behavior
The Leavenworth Times Extra relates that
the express coaches FROM the mines were run
into by herd of butfalocs, the mules frightened
and a passenger injured by jumping out, and
finally no whole 6ocha1 Ovnw -