Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-12-15

~ WV 'hiNN'i WV ~ - IfftuNf,
and dhot bis enemy. The wounded
man was taken to the Asior House,
fingered ioraiow days in great agony,
was nominally married on his death.
bed to the wife Of his murderer by
two ministers, and then went to the
bar of God.
During his dying hours this man
received messages Of sympathy from
distinguished men and women, inclu.
ding married men and Christians.
The press manifested the liveliest
interests in his case, and with very
few exceptions, spoke tcnderly Of him,
and invoked the vongcnce OF the law
upon his murderer
To US, tho whole casc,-the seduc-
ton, the murder, the sympathy, the
nominal marriage, constitute the
most disgusting aud domoralizing
chapter in the annals of social and
domestic life. We read nothing worse
N the worst days of London or Paris
society.
1t needed the farce of a pretended
marriage solemnized by two ministers,
to complete the ghastly drama. The
astounding ceremony, to the horror of
the Christian community, was actually
performed, and the guilty bridegroom
passed from this ruptial tragedy TO
his reckoning with Him who has said,
"Thou shalt not commit adultery" as
well as, "Thou shalt not kill"
Those two commandments govern
our views of the right and wrong of
this triple crime.
The facts are briefly these, as we
gather them from the papers Rich
ardson, writer for the press, became
intimate with the wife of Mcfarland !,
she left her husband and resided in
the same house with Richardson she
obtained an Indiana divorce from her
husband without his knowledge; and
her husband murdered Richardson.
1t is not pretended that Mcfarland
was unfaithtul to her; but be had be-
come Incorporate and lost his prop.
erty. A divorce obtained under such
circumstances is void and worthless
in the eye of morals and religion. To
marry woman so divorced is adul
terry, and the minister who aids in the
pretended marriage abets the crimo.
Mcfarland is murderer in the
sight OF Gods law as Dan. Sickles is
who was appointed Minister to Spain
and as Cole is, who has Just been
appointed to Office in Washington.
Those men,-McFarland, Sickles, and
Cole,-are all guilty of manslaughter.
even IN the mildesl view Of crime, and
it would be well for society if they
could be held responsible, and pun.
ishcd as manslayers. No possible
justification of their crimes can be
made. In the case of Mcfarland
there IS even less palliation than in
the Others. He has been two or three
years about it, and sudden provo.
cation cannot be urged in extenuation
of his crime. 1t will be hard to make
any jury take this view of il, and
when they sit in Judgment on a man
who shoots the seducer of his wife. |
they will bring in verdict-serped |
him right. That has come to be the
common, but immoral, sentiment of
this country. We hope be will be con.
victed and punished to the extreme of
the law
And Gf we are alone in the press of |
the United States in the opinion) we
nevertheless deliberately and def.
nitely proclaim the opinion that off
t,oo lcicked men, the seducer is more |
vile than the murderer. The tenth |
commandment is as holy as the sixth. |
The seventh is as binding also. Key
was as base man us Sickles. They I
who invade a homo with the purposes
of such destroyers, are the vilest men |
who walk the footstool of offended
God, and the swift retribution of their
guilt by the hand of an iniuriated hus-
band, is as deserved as the more
terrible thunderbolt of divine indigna.
lion. 1t does not make il right for a
man, even in his madness, to take
aw into his own hands. But the
wrath of God sometimes is speedily
executed by the wrath of man.
But what of the chief sinner? Is
nc to be reckoneda a martyr and saint
Had the ministers of God gathered
about the dying bed of this bad man
20 tell him of the only way TO heaven
through Jesus Christ; had they prayed
with him that his sins might be for
given, and his last hours be made the
ife Of his immortal soul, IL would have
been a mission worthy Of their calling.
But to sanctify his crime with the
'fiices of our holy religion and to
hank God "for what these two have
been TO each other and for wkat then
nag be yei," is an outrage that sur
passes anything which we have lately
lad TO condemn. We would not have
believed that there is a Christian
pastor on the earth, who would employ
he offices Of religion and the words of
prayer, to crown with bcnedictons
uch horrid bed. 1t would have
,een charity and Christ-like to do the
lying sinner good, and no Christian
,astor would have been better en-
,loyed than in pious ministries to the
departing soul of this hardened,
man. But we do not hear.
hough the newspapers reveal all the
eorets Of that strange nuptial death
'ed scene, that any of the three cer-
,ymen said one word to the poor man
If the Lamb Of God who takelh away
he sins of men, not one word of the
Instant need Of penitence and pardon;
n OF hope
That while the lamp holds out to burn
The vilesi sinner may return"
Perhaps they did, and the reporters
10 not tell Of it, But they do tell us
hat the woman in response to Mr..
}eccher's inquiry promised to love the
lying man as long as she lives, though
is woll-known to all parties, that
Ter husband, according TO the laws Of
iod and the State of New York, is