The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-11-01
Iniurious Innncancn.


Some one has reminded the world that
innocence and virtue are By no means the
same thing that while the latter is a nos.
tive force against evil, the former Is often
~ positive lu attraction for il, and that
the existence of the first in d character bv
nature, without the supplement OF tho last
by added principle, is not only the tguipta-
tiuu and encouragement but also the cause
81 much OF the vice OF the human race.
CYnicaly hypercritIral as this proposition
sounds nt first hearing, IL carries ii. own
logic with u from the start, and embldir-
truth fitted a. combat very whoIa,omciv
a variety ct sentimental platitudcs where
with the moral sense Of community !.
often lamentably confused II in udrir p.
inlluity il is the office OF human iptelI,
geuce aud Christian charity 10 take int,
merciiul account the condition, q, its .,l,..,
SION stimulation, aud cratuitaus opuortnn.
tiles. there can be NJ Apr ximatisD to ey.
act justice without specific recognition ,r
agency OF what Is commonly deGn,,i M.
helpless innocence in virtually pruducin-,
guilt The innocence that /, wholly HELM.
less Is simply innocence without yirtua. or
IN other words, deceptive mjynerper nm.
loss applied To an idiot or 4 brute animal
Existing with this limitation in a hum1u
character It Is httie more than a pitilul
weakness OF ir.,.eIligence, not only acting As
Geohtlnu'., mighty temptation 10 the pre-
uac'' IS irailties Of human nature generally.
yut also prcdlsposing is cxemplar To rgth-
or welcome than repuse the Imposition
having It's decentralization in view. Ia the
pitilul series Of shamos and crimes chron
icled by the newspaper every week, it Is
curious % note how many Of them may. in
strict Justice, be as well attributed 10 the
unWrtu1us innocence of the ulmiullIy sin.
ned against a. 70 the gratuitous guileuf the
arragucd sinners At Brockpurt, New
York, the local paper called the RsD5gr
i inycighing ticrcely just now against uu
impDstor calling himself Lieutenant VII
liam II. Stone, who, after practlcing finance
ally upon the eredulitles OF several people
aud wedding an innocent and highly res
pectable Young lady OF that town. has scan
dalously He'd 20 parts unknown At the
outset this story appears b leave all the
blame upon the shoulders Of the spurious
lieutenant but little critical attention to
the chief incidents Of his imposition shows
that his rascality, or may hap insanity. could
never have reached very serious proper.
tons but for the notable help Of the eyre
giOus innocence or practical idiOcy ~
his willing dupes. In the first place.
he introduced himself o. q Mrs Church
as Lieutenant Chapel, Of the army, who
had known her late husband in the war.
and brought her news that the OIOvern-
ment proposed to pay her several th0us-
and dollars for property OF her father s
which it had appropriated for state pur-
poses Not satisfied with being innocent
10 the extent Of at once crediting this rep
resentation without the slightest inyestiga-
ton, the widow at once traced in her in
tOrmant such a striking likeness 90 her
long-lost brother, one William H. Stone
that she would give the man no peace un
ill he allowed himself 70 be transformed
into Lieutenant Stone. This Identified
ton achieved, the innocent sister and hel
friends at once introduced her recovered
brother 10 their friends, amongst whom
CHANGED 10 be a very innocent Miss Webb
On Thursday Lieutenant Stone met Mis-,
Webb for the first time on the Sunday
following she accepted his offer Of mar
rage, and on Monday the wedding tool
place. Thus within five days OF their ear
hest knowledge of each others existence
this curiously simple minded young lady
voluntarily became the bride Of the lieu
tenant, who, in another week, borrowed
few dollars lS7) from Mrs. Church and in
continently-bolted Now surprising thi
same lieutenant to be deliberate villain
though he does not seem TO haye exacteC
much money--how obvious is il from tn,
above bret details that all the graver of
fences Of his imposition we're fairly thrus
upon him by the incorrigible innocence o
ms brockport friends. One lady insist
upon making brother Of him at the frs