The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-06-06
The Walw0rtb Tragedy.

The killing of Mansfield T. Walworth
by his son in New York city has caused
an unusual sensation even in that great me-
tropolis. The Walworth family has been
among the most influential and illus
trious in the State. The family OF
the mother of the young man is hardly less
distinguished. Col. Hardin, her father, was
personal friend Of Henry Clay aid, as gal
liant soldier, fell in the Mexican war. He
was once q member of Congress from Ken
lucky. Gen. NJ. D. Hardin, brother Of Mrs.
Walworth graduated at West Point and is
now in the Artillery arm of the service. Dur
ing the war he achieved brilliant reputation,
and lost an arm in one of the campaigns of
the Army of the Potomac. He was an ap-
proach to the ideal soldier, chivalrous, hon
orable, commanding After the death of
Col. Hardin his widow married Chancellor
Walworth, the father of the murdered man,
and this union was followed by the marrl 'ge
of the son of the Chancellor and the daughter
of Mrs. Hardin.
The marriage was an unhappy one on ac-
count of the intemperance and infidelity of the
husband, who, although brilliant man has
shown q lack of principle. Three years ago,
after years of trouble, Mrs. Walworth OBJ
tanned divorce from her husband. Since
that time, Mr.. Walworth has taken every
means to annoy the lady and even cast re-
proach upon her character and threatened
violence.
1t was this interference of the discarded
husband and father that ted to the awful
tragedy. The young man is doubtless OF a
chivalrous disposition and felt keenly out
ragged at the indignities offered by the father.
He assumed to be her protector, which was
well, and to be her avenger, which was so ia
tai. He had imbibed those fatal notions of
the yindication Of personal honor which are
relics of barbarism, or at best, feudaiism. He
had seen Mcfarland acquitted OF wiful MUIR
der and Cole, who murdered his man, go out
of court without conviction. He has seen the
wretched quibbling in the Stokes case. He
knew that the leading journals of New York
approved of the acquittal of Mcfarland. Per-
haps he had heard the applause of the crowd
attending the court when the jury gave their
verdict of acqnittal. He knew the law-was
law student; but he had been taught that
jurors and public opinion as expressed by
leauing journals, did not regard such
homicides as murder, so he DELHI n.
ately plans the murder of his father.
He starts fom Saratoga intent ON that
purpose. lie thinks of it all night and
rises in the morning to do the decd. After
making himself a parrricide he goes deliberate
ly to the police station and delivers himself to
the authorities. In short, he behaves as a
heightened murderer should, and there are no
wanting journals that half apologize, if not
for the shocking crime, for the young man,
and call into requisition their ITS to create a
sympathy in his behalf.
If there ever was case of deliberate MUIR
der, this of young Walwoith Is one; and it
is none the less shocking, none the less a
helm ,us crime because committed by a young
man so respectfully connected. Will he be
punished? Mcfarland was not, and it looks
as though Stokes might escape; from which
we infer that the opinions of New York
are not changed to the degree, that this
young man will ever suffer the extreme pen
atty attached to his fearful and revolving
crime.
There is but one further inquiry that is
pertinent in this matter: Would Cole and
Mcfarland have escaped the punishment that
brands the murderer, if the revolving death
penalty were supplanted by certain imprison-
ment for life with such secus;on as would
preclude them from the sight of their friends