Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-05-02
Tho Insanity OF Cain.

The following are the closing
paragraphs of 4 remarkable article
in ScRIBNER's for May, on "The In
sanity of CAIN"
In Judging of Cain, look at the
situation. On the one hand, ter
rible family mystery, no schools, no
churches, no lectures, no society,
no amusenents, no apples! On the
other hand, the whole burden of hui
manity borne for the first time, pa
ternal discipline; undue phrenologi
cal developments; monotonous en-
ploymcnt; antediluvian monsters;
antediluyian parents, and an ante
diluvian good brother in whose
mouth butter would have remained
intact for ages
Undoubtedly that brother had an
cxasperating smile. He was happy
because he was virtuous. He had
u way Of forgiving and forgetting
that for a time would deprive the
offender of reason itself; above all,
he had Il cool, collected manner Of
bis own, added to a chronic desire
to be an angel. His offerings al
ways fulfilled the conditions. His
fires needed only to be lighted, and
the smoke was sure to ascend with
a satisfied, confident curl far into
the sky.
Gains, on the contrary, refused
to burn. We can see it all. The
smoke struggled and Topped. 1t
crcpt along the ground, and, cling
ing to his feet, wound about him like
a serpent. 1t grew black and angry,
shot sideways into his eyes, blind
ing and strangling him
And there stood Abel beside lis
pile, radient, satisfied, wanting to
be an angel.
1t was but the work Of moment.
The pcnt-up, disorganizing intlu-
cnces Of a lifetime found vent in
one wild moment of emotional in
sanity. Abel was no more.
Why dwell upon the tragedy?
The world is familiar with its sick
ening details. We shall not repeat
them here, nor shall we question
the justice Of the punishment. that
came TO Cain,-the reinorse, the
desolation, the sense Of being a flu
gitivc and a vagabond on the face
of the earth. lie had killed his
brother, and the penalty must be
paid. Sane or insane, 4 terrible
retribulion must have overtaKen
him. But how about his guilt?
Would it have been the same in
either case: Are hereditary organ
ism, tempcramental cxcitability,
emotional phrensy not to be con-
sidered? No, thousand times NO.
What "competcnt juror" would ac.
quiesce in such Il proposition.
Friends, the time has come when
this case must be taken up. Its
mighty issues can no longer be set
aside. II 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 and our children's
children must be taught to speak Of
Cain the man slaughtercr; Cain the
mentally-cXcitable; Cain the pccu-
liarly ycircumstanced But Cain the
murderer? Never.
A mans own testimony shall not
convict or acquit him But are we
not to take into account, as indica-
tive of his state of mind, actions
and declarations coincident with
the commission of the crime alleged
against him? If at or about the time
Of the fatal deed, there was positive
evidence Of incohcrence-what
then? Witness the last recorded
words Of Cain:
EVERY ONE THAT FlNDETH ME
SHALL SLAY ME.
Is this the uttcrancc Of a sane
mind? Erery one that tindeth me
shall slav me? Gentlemen! Cam, at
this point, was not only crazy-he
was the crazicst mau that ever cx-
listed. No ordinary lunatic, however
prcposterous his terrors, expects to
be killed more than once. But to
this poor creature retribution sud
denly assumed 4 hydra headed form.
His distracted brain, unconcious
that Adam was the only other man
in the wide world, instantly created
an immense population. He saw
himself falling again and again by
the strokes of successive assasins,
even rs Abel had fallen under his
hand. His first dazed glimpse of
death expanded and intensified into
a horror never since conceived by
mind of man. His happiness over
thrown; his reason a wreck: a prey
to fears that stretched before him
forever, with no possible hope of
final destruction,-the only conso-
lation is that he could not torcknow
the mcrcilcss verdict Of postcrity.
He did not recognize in himself
The First Murderer. Rather than
dream of such ignomy as this, was
it not better that he should cry in
lis rawlings: Every one that iindcth
me shall Stay me!
We leave the question to the in,
telligence and the justice Of this
faithful and enlightened century.