Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-05-10
THE INSANITY OF CAIN.
The Case Of Cain Considered in the Light
Of Modern Legal Praetioe in Murder
Cases-A Reversal Of Judgment Asked
For.


The following are the closing para
graphs of remarkable article in Serb
ner's for May, on ''The Insanity OF
In Judging OF Cain, look at the situa-
tion. On the one hand, terrible family
mystery, no schools, no churches, no lee
lures, no society, no amusements, no
apples On the other hand the whole
burden of humanity borne for the first
time paternal discipline undue phren-
illogical developments monotonous en-
ployment; antediluyian monsters ante
diluvian parents, and an antediluvian
good brother in whose mouth butter
would have remained intact for ages.
Undoubtedly that brother had an ex-
asperating smile. He was happy be
cause lie was virtuous. He had way of
forglviug and forgetting that for time
would deprive the offender Of reason
itselfi above all, he had a cool, co lected
manner of his own, added TO u chronic
desire to be an angel. His oftrings
always fulfilled the conditions. His fires
needed only to be lighted, and the smok
was sure TO ascend with a satisfied, con-
tident curl far into the sky
Gains, on the contrary, refused to
burn. We can see it all. The smoke
struggled and Topped. II crept along
the ground, and, clinging to his feet,
wound about him like a serpent. II grew
black aud angry, shot sideways into his
eyes, binding and siranglmg hi
And there stood Abel beside m pile,
radiant, satisfied wanting TO b, an angel
II was but the work OF a moment.
The pent-up, disorganizinu Influences Of
life time found vent IN one wild moment
of emotional insanity. Abel was no
more
Why dwell upon the tragedyl The
world is familiar with lis sickeniug de-
tails. We shall not repeat them here,
nor shall we question the Justice of tue
punishment that came to Cain,-the re-
morse, the desolation, the sense of being
a fugitive aud yagabond on the face of
the earth. He had killed his brother,
and penalty must be paid. Sane or in
sane, terrible retribution must have
oveitaken him. But how about his guilt
Would II have been the same in either
case Arc hereditary organism, temper
amental excitability, emotional phrensy
not to be considersdl No a thousand
times NO What competent Juror "
would acquiesce In such a proposition
Friends, the time has come when the
case must be taken up. It's mighty issues
can no longer be set aside. If Cain was
not sane at the moment of the killing;
the stain of murder must be wiped from
his brow now and forever. This tardy
justice may at least be done him. Our
children aud our ehildren's children must
be taught to speak Of Cain the man
slaughterer Cain the mentally excitable;
Cain the rly-cireumstanced. But
Cain the murderer Never
A mans own testimony shall not con-
Wet or acquit him. But are we not 10
take into account, as indicative of his
state of mind, actions and declarations
coincident with the commission of the
crime alleged against himl If at or
about the time of the fatal deed, there
was positive evidence of ineoherenee-
what then Witness the last recorded
words Of Cain;
Every one that flndeih me shall slay
me
Is this the utterance of sane mind
BUery one'that ludeth me shall slay met
Gentlemen Cain, at this point, was not
only crazy-he was the eraziest man that
ever existed No ordinary lunatlc, how
ever preposterous his terrors, expects to
be killed more than once. But to this
poor creature retribution suddenly as
sumed a hydra-headed form. His dis
tracted brain, unconscious that Adam
was the only other man In the wide world
instantly created au Immense population.
He saw himself falling again and again
by the strokes of successive assassins,
even as Ahcl had fallen under his hand,
His first dazed glimpse Of death expanded
and intensified into q horror never since
conceived by mind of man. His happi-
ness overthrown; bis reason wreck a
prey TO fears that stretched before him
forever, with no possible hope Of final
destruction, the only consolation Is that
he could not foreknow the merciless ver-
dict of posteiity. He did not recognize
in himself The First Murderer. Rather
than dream Of such ignominy as this, was
il not better that he should cry In his raw
ing Every one that tlndeth me shall
slay me
We leave the question to the ntelll-
gence and the justice Of this faithful and
enlightened century.