The Portland daily press., 1873-07-07
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE

needed only to be lighted, and the smoks
was sure to ascent with satisfied, confident
curl tar into the sky.
cam $, on the contrary, refused to burn.
We can see it all. The smoke STRUGGLED
and Topped. 1t crept along the ground, and.
cnging to his feet, wound about him like
serpent. 1t grew black and angry, shot side
ways in his eyes, binding and strangling
him.
And there stood Abel beside his pile, radi-
ant, satisfied, wanting to be an angelI
1t was but the work of moment. The
pent-up, disorganizing influences of a life
time found v MT in one wild moment of emo
tional insanity. Abel was no more.
Why dwell upon the tragedy? The world
Is familiar with its sickening details. We
shall not repeat them here, nor shall we
question the justice OF the punishment that
came to Can-the remorse, the desolation,
the sense OF being fugitive and vagabond
on the face of the earth. He had killed his
brother, and the penalty must be paid. Sane
or insane, terrible retiibution must have
overtaken him. But how about his guilt?
Are hereditary organism, teinperamented
excitability, emotioual phieDsy not to be
conside. ed? No! thousand times mol
What competent juror" would acquiesce in
such proposition
Friends, the time has come when this case
- 'onou up. lCS DiguJy issues can no
longer be set aside. If Cain was not sane at
moment OF killing, the stain of murder uust
be wiped from his brow now and forever.
This tafdy justice may at least be done him.
Our children and our childreo's ch ldren
must be taught to speak of Cain the man.
slanghterer, Cain the peculiarly cir, umstanc-
ed But Cain the murderer? Neve~l
A mans own testimony shah not accquit
nor convict him. But are we not to take in
n a A. indication. of hia ar nj nd
actors and declarations coincdent with the
commission of the crime alleged against him?
IL at or about the time of the fatal deed there
was positive evidence of incohere, ce-what
then. Witness the last recorded wor s of
Cain:
Ectry one that .fndeth me shall sldy mef''
Is this the utterance of sahe mind? "Ep-
cry one tina. indeth me shall slay mpp'
Gentlemen Cain at this point was not only
crazy-he was the craziest man that ever ex-
istedl No ordinary lunatic, he wever prepos-
terous his terrors, expects to be killed more
than once. But to this poor creature retribu-
tiOn suddenly assumed hydraheaded form.
His distracted brain, unc Jnscious that Adam
was the only other man in the wide world,
instantly created an immense population. He
saw himself falling again by the strokes of
successive assassins, even as Abel had fallen
under his hand. His first dazed glimpse of
death expanded and intensified into horror
never since conceived by mind of man. His
happiness overthrOwn: his reason a wreck; a
prey 10 tears that stretched before him iortv-
er, with no possible hope of final destruction
tho only consolation is that he could not
forcknow the merciess verdict of posterity.
He did not recognize in himself the first muir
derer. Rather than dream OF such ignominy
as this, was it not better that lie should cry
in his rawlings: EVERY one that findeth me
shell say mer'
We leave the question to the intelligence
and the justice of this faithful al d enlighten-
ed century.