Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-04-26
RftkRGTos. DEL.
saturday Afternoon. April 2e.
CRIME AEDsIN TOO FAMILIAR-KEEP THE
HOMR CIRCLE UECORTAHIEATED.'


II crime does not sometimes become epidemic,
may certainly be said to occasionally assume a
co ltagious character. Without going abroad
for evidence Of this consider the four cases OF
muir Ter and suicide recently reported from
comparatively narrow locality on this Peninsula
A youth named Hall, in Wicomico county, delib-
erately shot a schoolgirl, with whom he thought
himself in love. and then, with equal deiibera-
ton, committed suicide, by throwing himself un-
der the wheels Of a locomotive! Hearing OF this
do 1ble tragedy and brooding over its sensational
features, boy in Talbot county, named Tarbut-
ton. took his own life by hanging, and soon after,
a merchant of Baltimore, visiting in Talbot
county. and becoming fully informed as to the
Tarbutton suicide, returned home and hanged
himself in manner almost identical.
All these cases were contagious. Hall, who |
first showed the disease, had doubtless caught |
it from sensational readiug which excited his I'M
agination. infiamed his passions, and unbalanc- |
ed his Judgement. The unsound, mock-herolc
stories of some trashy periodical had doubtless
communicated the infection to him, and from
his case the others caught it.
These, and other circumstances, lead to the
remark that the publication Of the details Of
crime is proceeding of doubtful.utility What
need is there, at all, that the community should
be informed of all the minute circumstances at
tending the commission OF a criminal act II 1t
is 8 murder, the investigation by the Coroner,
and the trial in the Courts are the occasion Tor
minute relation OF all that can be ascertained
concerning the act, but Of what service is 1t to
spread before the community, men, women and
children, all the shocking, horrible, or disgust
ing details The particular criminal is in no
way affected by it, for good or evil, while the
effect on the community is undoubtedly bad.
Tn , weak-minded are unduiy excited by it, and
the influence is contagious To describe, step by
stsp, inch by inch, detail by detail, the progress
of an atreeious crime has horrible fascination
for some minds, and it cannot be doubted that
from such excitement many an act OF violence
has resulted
While this is true OF murder, there ale other
crimes, two Of which have recently shocked the
community in Southern Delaware, which ought
not to be distinctly described in newspaper at
al. The public divulgement in Criminal Court
Is quite enough. Even there, the presence Of a
miscellaneous company of hearers is unfortu-
nate, and their sensibilties must surely be
shocked, il not blunted. The details of this
case, said the French Judge, as trial COM
meuced " are highly scandAlous. l advise al
the ladies' present to retire" Not one moved
Now, said the judge, after pause, as al
the ladies have retired, the officers may turn the
other women out"
The appetite for scandal, which the females
here alluded to exhibited, is by no means con
fined to their sex. However much we may re
grst it, there is popular demand for the de
tails OF crime. 1t pays newspapers to print al
the particulars, even of the nastiest cases. Goot
people are shocked, but new readers are gained
for the prurient and morbid do not read at all
unless they can have such attractions. By this
temptation, newspapers have fallen. They prin
what they worst class Of the community desire Il
read, feeling sure that the better classes, VIII
cannot do without their newspapers will endur
the blots.
But crime, and vice, and sin become too famil
lar The crammed columns OF the daily pres
are assisted by publications which devote them
selves to ehroncling the details of outlawry, anc
10 selecting them take the worst. These publ
cations are pests. They do no good, but the
entire influence is injurious. They are mort
lepers in the community.
The homs circle should be kept uncontamina
ted. The children of the present day know to-
much of the sinfulness of.the outer world. Their
is no need that they aheuld know so much The
will certainly be defled by its touch and the
may be more than defled. In all the list of d,
moralizing agencies none are worse for Ii
plastic character of youth. than the literature
crime and vice, appealing to the senses with IL
tongues of legion of fends.
BE careful, then, not only what strangers
in human figure enter your household, but VIII
literature comesin. Give your home circle reat
ing that instructs and eleyates; that strength
ems the better purposes, rather than panders t
the bad If the good citizens of every commui
ity would resolutely discourage those newsp
pers whose effort is to catch vicious reader
there would in time be an important and sal
tary reform effected.