New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-04-25
VHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH RULOFFl |


In the prison at Binghamton there is man
waiting death who is too curious an intel
lectual problem TO be wasted on the gallOws.
He is one of the most industrious and devoted
scholars our busy generation has given birth
to- While other men of equal mental powers
have been applying all their energies to the
acquisition of money, this austere student has
lived remote from the world, bending every
faculty of his being to the work of philologi-
cal inquiry His mind has dwelt so fixedly
upon this absorbing theme that the usual NOR
bid condition consequent upon too powerful
and continued tension has resulted, and the
man has gone mad. His is not the malady of
weak nature, betraying itself in the eccen-
trcity of dress or conduct. He does not at
tire himself in motley, with straw in his
hair and reed in his hand, i'll mOckery
of royalty. He does not go bowling
and shrleking through the towns in the noisy
rage of the commonplace maniac. But he has
shut himself up in his poverty stricken her
mitage, vowing life of unflinching devotion
to his idea, sacrificing every joy of the world
to his imperiOus work. He has come to regard
the claims of his enterprise as more important
than any consideration of law or morality.
He could not take precious time from his
studies to go into business and make living,
as other men might do. He had no capital to
support him, or to labor for him in any reputa
BILE business He was driven logically into
crime by his love of learning BY using the
vulgar criminals who fell in his way, to ac
cOmplish his burglaries, he lost no hours of
work, he incurred no useless expenditure of
leisure and energy. Occasionally one of them
got killed, or killed another, but this was
purely fortuitous accident he could
not help. He felt the duty of his
life was to finish that book, and the
sordid cares of life must be met and
attended to in the simplest and most expedi-
tious manner possible. Crime lost its sig
nifcance to him. 1t became an expedent of
his scholastic poverty. He had no more con-
science about rObbing house than he would
have had in a days shooting Oh prairie.
The property of the well-to-dO seemed to him
to be fair game for needy scholars. 1t was
merely held in trust for the benefit of such as
he. He thought no more of rifing the till of
q tradesman on his way to the calculation of
the great problem of language, than a pilgrim
would think of plucking bunch Of grapes by
the wayside to refresh himself on his toilsOme
journey to a shrine of religion.
For while this plan worked admirably, but
the pitcher went once too often to the foun-
tain. One unlucky night an impOrtunate shop
keeper would not submit to be quietly robbed,
but insisted on selling and OBTAINING the baf
fled burglars. In this imprudent attempt he
lost bis life. Ruloff has made a most elabO-
rate exposition of his view Of the killing in
his petition for new trial. But it is not
requisite to adopt his statements. Whether
they be true or false, the essential facts re-
main the same. The victim was killed in the
attempt to secure the burglars, and Ruloff him
self intimates that he was entirely right in
Staying him. If he had been caught and de-
tanned, detection would have utterly ruined
his good repute seriously affected the recep-
lion of his pathological writings, when they ap-
peared, and Imprisonment would, of course,
delay and hinder the preparation of the work
These thoughts passing rapidly through his
mind decided him to the murder to free him
self from the imminent danger. He murdered |
he shOpkeeper in the interest of philology.
A man i'll this disOrdered state of mind is |
dangerous to the public peace, and should not |
,e permitted to remain at large. But nothing |
s to be gained by killing him. He should be
reated like any other violent mailman and
onfined under close and merciful surveillance.
With his great power of application and
nethOd, he might be made of great use in the
of a prison or an insane asylum
nd liberal portion of his time should be al
,wed him TO develop his scheme of universal
biology. 1t is highly probable that his ideas
re crude and worthless. But it will do no
arm TO let him arrange and elucidate them.
he failures of earnest scholars are not with
It n vai1e of their own; and if Ruloif can ex-
III iI,n Of iuIDl- |