Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-04-28
GREEK AND THE GALLOws.
The Learned Murderer interviewed
by Professor mather, of Amherst
C0IIege-A FeIOn PhiIoIOgist.

The Learned Murderer interviewed
by Professor Mather, of Amherst
COIIege-A FeIOn PhiIoIOgist.
Professor Mather, Of Amherst College,
gives the Springfield Republican the fol-
lowing account of a visit to the muir
derer Rulloff in his cell:
The visit was not one of idle curiosity,
for one Of my colleagues in the college
had shown me, some months since,
criticism of Rullof s-written years
ago, when he was in the State prison at
Auburn, n Y.--upon parts of Professor
Tayler Lewis edition Of one Of Plato
dialogues, which had warmly interested
me in his scholarship.
The next morning, about nine clock,
the advocate and | went down to the
prison, and the gentlemanly high sheriff
at once consented to the interview, if
Rulloff was willing. The doomed man
at first refused, as he had done OF late
TO all visitors, but when told that / was
student and teacher of Greek he at
once consented He approached the
heavy latticed iron door and asked very
politely if / could remain long enough
to learn something of the beauties of his
theory of language. Without replying,
| turned to the officer and asked if |
might be permitted to go into the cell.
He said yes, and proceeded to unlock
the massive padlocks. 1t was a long,
narrow, granite-built room, but high and
furnished with plenty Of light and pure
air. As we entered Rullof approached
with two dilapidated chairs and with
the most winning courtesy asked us to
be seated, and offered to relieve me Of
my hat. He sat down on the rude pallet
opposite me- and / told him that | had
seen the criticism referred to above, and
that L had desired to learn how he had
acquired his knowledge of the old Ian
guages. He replied with smile that
he had obtained il all by honest work;
that he had never been in college or
university, but that from boyhood he had
a most intense interestin the beauty and
strength of the Greek tongue. He COM
plained that he had been laughed at by
the public as a superficial scholar, and
wanted me to satisfy myself on that, and
then hear what he had TO say about the
formation of language Ireplied that as
we had no text books | could not exam
inc him; to which he rejoined that many
of the classical authors he knew by heart
and would try and repeat portions if /
would suggest where he should begin.
Thinking that something from the Me-
morabilia might be appropriate to his
present needs, suggested the third
chapter, first book, where the sentiments
of Socrates with reference to God and
duty in their purity and exaltation ap-
proach so nearly to Biblical revelation,
and he at once gave me the Greek.
Other parts of the same work, as well as
the Iliad of Homer and some of the plays
of Sophocies, he showed great familiarity
with. Then, in order to show his thor
oughness, he criticised the common rem
dering Of certain passages, and he did 1t
with. such subtlety and discrimination
and elegance as TO show that his critical
study Of these nicer points was more re-
markable than his powers Of memory;
in fact, ] should say that suhtleiy Of
analysis aud Of reasoning was the marked
characteristic Of his mind. On one or
two passages Of Homer, in particular, he
showed great acuteness Of criticism, and
a most thorough appreciation Of the
grandeur Of the sentiment One or two
renderings of President FELTON, he op-
posed most vigorously, aad when ! sup
ported the common version, he quoted