The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-05-11
EDITORIAL BREVITIES,


The suicide, mania appears to be
followed, or rather accompanied by a
series of cold blooded and deliberate
murders, many Of which appear to, be
committed without tho usual motives.
But a few evenings since MIR. Putnam,
a wall known citi,en Of New York, was
attacked by raf6an upoa the platform
Of car running on = public street in
that city, Knocked senseless and the
back Of his skull crushed in, so that
ho lived but short time. Foster, his
assailant, the son Of a wealthy citizen
Of NV York, had insulted two ladies
with whom Mr.. Putnam was riding in
the street car, and was a stranger to the
entire party. After inaioting the fatal
blow, Foster passed through the car,
which remained in motion, leaving his
victim lying in the street, and eluded
capture for several hours. The people
Of New York talk of lynching tho muir
derer, but if they succeed in convicting
him in their courts, and thus obtain his
speedy punishment, they will be dong
we'll, in city that has 50 long vinked at
outrageous crimes. Audwhile the coun-
try remained astounded At this metropol-
itau butohery, Springfield, Illinois, was
the ssene of another murder equally rs
bold and atrooious. Hon. Sharon Tyu-
dale, ex-Seeretary of State, left his resi-
dsnee in that city at one o'clock in the
morning, to take the st. Louis train At |
half past one. Three hours afterward
his body was found buta few rods from
his house, With his head badly bruised
and . pistol wound, which must have
caused instant death, just behind tho
lett ear. His pockets had been partially
riaed, but evidently the assassics were
disturbed, asonly his money, something
lesa than one hundred dollars, was car.
ried away. As yet the guilty parties
have escaped arrest. -,
"A San Francisco court has inst
finished session Of t. enty.six days,
entirely absorbed ID the trial of Mrs.
Laura E. Fair, charged with the murder
OF A. P. Chittenden, q prominent law
yer. She has been married four times,
delirium tremens aud accommodating
divorce laws relieving her of tho first,
second and fourth husbands, while she
killed tho third with revolver. Being
tried for the o6ense, Chittenden with
whom IN improper intimacy had before
existed) appeared in her behalf and
succeeded in securing an acquittal.-|
The intimacy was renewed, but shortly
broken off by Chittendec, who sent for
his family, then in the eastern states,
to return to San Francisco. They had
Just arrived and were with him on the
ferry boat crossing the bay to the city,
when Mrs. Fair suddenly appeared,
armed with pistol, and shot Chitten-
den through tho head. The jurymeu
were hard.hearted enough to find her
guilty, from which it must certainly ap-
poar that "rights" ore at discount on the
Pacific coast. But while they are dis
regarded in some sections, it would
seem from . case just tried in England,
that jnrymen arc net all bratoe. A
Mr.. Torpey cbloroformed a jeweler
while her husband seized yaluables
worth $125,00O, afterwsrd escaping
With tho plumber to the continent. Mrs.
7. subsequently fell into the hands Of
the police, was tried in London, and
triumphaut1y acquitted, upon the
ground, that acting under the eye of her
husband, the law presumed coercion and
sompulsion on his part, and hence she
was not responsible.
Railroad matters are at q stand
still at the present, and will probably
remain 80 until tho return of Mr.. Payte
and Col. Mcclellan, who are now run
ming the line to Brainsrd, upon the
east eide Of the Mississippi. They
will survey back upon the west side.
"A letter from Alabama asserts
that the members Of the Ku. Klux have