The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-09

but the same, OF nearly the Same; number OF
the a same kind OF crimes Win occur each
years Seeing thisssa man as:wise, perhaps
as Emerson, gravely proposed that the gov
ernment should take the matter lin hand,
and, having ascertained the yearly average
Of crimes and casualties, should proceed,
early in January of each year, to XIII OF the
requisite number OF victims, to the end that
the public should be put at ease, the law>of
averages justified, and that thenceforward
during the ensuing twelve months the pub
lie should be free to go whittier and do what
soever it pleased, with the certainty that in
so going and doing no murder, no suicide,
and no accident should occur.
This, no doubt, would be pleasant way Of
getting through the year; but unfortunate
ly, the prescription is not that OF physician,
but OF druggist quack. The curious part
about the matter is that there should be, as
it were fashion in crimes as in clothes; or
rather that crimes appear to beget similar
crimes, and accidents are followed by like
accidents. So much faith do engine-drivers
and railroad men put in this law, il law it
be, OF sequences in accidents, that, on the
occurrence OF an explosion or a collision,
they confidently expect a series OF collisions
and explosions for weeks to come, and
until the morbid force, 30 to speak, has ex-
pended itself. 1t is easy to see how this ex-
pectation itself should become the fruitful
source of recurrent casualties; but it is not
so easy 10 see why accidents of different
character, such IS kerosene explosions,
should follow e..cl other in quick succession
over wide areas and at places fer apart from
each other. Here is field for ingenious
speculation, to which we invite phlloso-
piers.
With regard to the present death-fashion,
the rage for poisoning in preference to oil
other modes of murder and Of suicide, it is
enough to point to the newspapers as them
selves the provocation OF this mania. a
certain amount OF maniacal or criminal inn
pulse is at all times present in definite though
ill-dehned areas of population. Too power
full to be longer restrained, it breaks forth,
as in the case OF Mrs. Sherman. The
fact is blazoned through the land in
all the pomp Of display type, and
all the excitation OF sensational paragraphs.
Reports vie with each other as to which
shall excite the most horror and amazement.
Their infammable descriptions Of the murder
by poison fall like sparks Of fire upon minds
already fully charged with the insane or
criminal impulse; and to Mrs. Sherman is
added Mrs. Wharton, and to Mrs. Wharton
is added Mrs. Ash, OF Savannah, to Mrs. Ash
is added Miss Laura Sparks of Washington,
D. c., and 80 the dreary list continues to ac-
cumulate until the spell is broken by some
superior crime or disaster, such as the late
steamboat explosion in New York, or some
new mode OF suicide or murder, as that OF
the young lady, who lately roasted her lover
to death, is introduced, and gives rise to
another new death.fashion. In default OF
this new fashion, the chapter OF accidents
and crimss runs it's ordinary varied course,
and is followed by period of repose, which
is, sooner or later, broken, and, when bro
ken, Immediately and immensel, aggrava-
ted by the sensationalism Of the Northern
newspapers. They are responsible for the
aggravation if not for the inception OF
crimes, casualties and death-fashions which
have become so proverbial OF late years.