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

Some one has reminded the world that
innocence and virtue are BY no means tbs
same thing that while the latter is a nos
tive force against evil, the former Is Otter
a. positive an attraction for it, and that
the existence of the first in character by
nature, without the supplement OF the last
by added principle, is not only the tempta-
ton and encouragement but also the cause
OF much Of the vice OF the human race
Cynically hypercritical as this propositi,n
sounds at first hearing. it carries It's own
logic with 1t from the start, and embgdies
truth fitted To- combat very wholp,ouIelv
variety OF sentimental platitudes where
with the moral sense of community i
often lamcntably confused. If in iudpir
lhlqulty u Is the othce OF human inielli.
genee and Christian charity 10 take into
nercliul account the conditions OF its orrn.
SION stimulation, aud gratutous opportnn.
lt'es' thoTo can be no approximation to ex-
Act justice without specific recognition of
agency OF what Is commonly defined rs
helpless innocence in virtually producins,
gum. The Innocence that is wholly holm.
less Is simply innocence without yirtue nv
IN other words, deceptive misnomer mn.
loss applied to an idiot or a brute animal
Existing with this limitation in u human
character It Is little more than a pitiful
weakness OF lr..cligence, not only acting as
Sooh'ihu'.. mighty temptation IN the pre-
hacV IS trailties Of human nature generally.
Jut also predisFosing its exemplar 70 rath-
er welcome than repulse the Imposition
having its decentralization in view. In the
pitilul series of shames and crimes chrun-
icled by the newspaper every week, it is
curious 10 note how many Of them NAV. in
strict Justice be as well attributed 10 the
uuvirtuOus innocence of the n1minallv sin
ned-against rs TO the gratultous guienf the
arraigncd sinners. At Brockpnrt, New
York, the local paper called the Rep45,jc
j, inyeighing tiercely just now against an
impostor calling himself Lieutenant vii
liam II. Stone, who, after practlcing tnanci-
ally upon the credulities Of several penile
and wedding au innocent and highly res
peCtable young lady of that town, has scan
dalously Ned ~ parts unknown At the
outset this story appears % 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 mayhap insanity, could
never have reached very serious pr1por-
tons but for the notable help at the eyre.
eious innocence or practical idiocy ID
his willing dupes. In the first place.
he introduced himself - n Mrs. Church
as Lieutenant Chapel, of the army. who
had known her late husband in the war.
and brought her news that the Govern.
ment proposed 10 pay her several thous.
and dollars for property Of her fathers
which it had appropriated for state pur-
poses. Not satisfied with being innocent
to the extent Of at once crediting this rep
resentation without the slightest inyestiga-
ton, the widow at once traced in her in
tormant such striking likeness 20 her
long lost brother, one William n. Stone.
that she would give the man no peaee mn.
III he allowed himself to be Transformed
into Lieutenant Stone. This identiica-
ton achieved the innocent sister and her
friends at once introduced her recovered
brother to their friends, amongst whom
CHANGED 10 be very innocent Miss Webb
On Thursday Lieutenant Stone met Miss
Webb for the first time on tie SUNDAY
following she accepted his offer of mar
rage, and on Monday the wedding took
place Thus within five days Of their ear.
lest knowledge of each others existence
this curiously simple minded young lady
voluntarily became the bride Of the lieu
tenant, who, in another week, borrowed a
few dollars l$7) from Mrs. Church and in
continently-bolted Now surprising this
same lieutenant to be deliberate villain--
though he does not seem TO haye exacted
much money--how obvious is il from the
above briet details that all the graver Of
fences OF his imposition were fairly thrust
upon mn by the incorrigible innocence of
ms prockport friends. One lady insists
SR2n making brother Of him al the Ara,
~ and another readily WEEDS hin,