The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-09
Greuiug Ttltgraph
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1866.
The Confession OF Probst.

in the crime would have prevailed in the pub
lie mind; and yet there is a solid satisfaction
in having all doubt on that subject com
pletely removed by his confession. Even the
faintest apprehension that an undetected
murderer was abroad in the land would not
have been a pleasant thing Tor any one to
walk the streets or lie down at night with,
while there is something consoatory in the
reflection that, whenever a great crime is
committed, justice has overtaken all who
were concerned in its preparation.
PRoBsT says that before he killed CoRNE-
LIUs CAREY, who was his first victim, the
bare thought of his design appalled, him. He
raised the axe thrice before he could strike.
And yet we have his own admission, thet
after he had taken the life OF that poor boy,
who was his companion in want and toll, he
felt a sudden thirst for blood, and could have
slaughtered a hundred more without COM
junction. This is all natural enough. In
these cases the difficulty lies in the first step.
As "Lady Macbeth" says
"The attempt, and not the deed, confounds US
But when the instructive antipathy to mur-
der, implanted in almost every human breast,
is once overcome by motives strong enough
to conquer it, and the gulf that divides inno-
cence from guilt is passed at a leap, there
would seem to be an instant Transformation of
q creature with moral sensibilities and hu-
name sympathies into a demon with none. II
is, perhaps, seldom that any one becomes
consummate criminal at once. Growth in
crime is usually very gradual, the commission
of small ofense leading naturally to the
next in magnitude, until at last, by process
of hardening Generalization, more or less
slow, the transgressor is carried forward to
the utmost extreme of deprivation and guilt
But ii PRoBsT is t. be believed, he vent
through no such progression in inlquity, but
reached the highest limit of crime at single
bound. But this is not altogether true; for
he has revealed enough of his antecedents to
show that he did not become utterly bad at
once, though the strides he took in crime were
but few and wide apart. He declares that he
had done no wrong before coming to this
country in 1868. Immediately afterwards,
however, he became a deserter and bounty
jumper, which included lying and robbery,
and having passed these grades in his down.
ward descent in sin, intemperance and de-
bauchery, and a reckless profigacy in the use
of money wrongly obtained. were quite sutii-
cient to entirely corrupt and debase moral
character not naturally good and mental
organization not strong enough to resist the
impulses of a sensual and wicked dis
position. Nor is it hard to reconcile
the revulson from the first homicide with
the prompt perpetration OF the whole eight
in the frighttul series of murders. Moral
cowardice broke down at once with moral
repugnance to the greatest OF crimes. The
initial act in tie tragedy, in point OF atrocity
and responsibility, included all the succeed
ing acts; and with sense OF overwhelming
guilt came, OIL course, a feeling of despera-
tion. Hence, be who can persuade himself
to commit one murder may easily fancy
that, under certain circumstances, the COM
mission of a dozen or more might improve
his chances of escape, while not essentially
increasing his crimnality. Thus PRoBsT
may have reasoned, if he reasoned at all, and
so thinking, he probably said to himself
81 am in blood
Stepped in so far, that, should wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er."
There is another feature in his case that is
rather curious. IT, as he says, he shrunk so
much from the bare idea OF the murders, how
marvellously strange must seem the match
less GOODNESS of his conduct Immediately after
he had killed the whole DEARING family!
Besides searching the house for money and
other valuables, putting them up in carpet
bag, to be carried away, he tells us that
he shaved himself with Mr. DEARING's
razor, washed and dressed himself put Mr..
DEARING's clothes on, and then ate some
bread and butter" Here, truly, was a most
remarkable exhibition of composure under
conditions the most appalling, and yet it is
not more amazing or inexplicable than is the
apparent inconsistency of the demoniacal
malice that murdered eight human beings
and then quietly enjoyed a supper in the very
chambers Of the slaughtered family, with the
thoughtfulness that cared IN the last moment
for the wants of horses and chickens, if that.
indeed can be traced to any lingering senti-
ment OF human pity, rather than to some less
worthy motive.
Ontha whole, this case Of ANTOINE PRoBsT
is certainly extraordinary in many respects,
and will, no doubt, be ranked in criminal an
mails among the causes celebres.
The death-watrant for the execution of
PRoBsT was received yesterday from the
- AI,o Gko.-