The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-23
A Curious InYestigatlon.

extensive and well known breeder oil
sheep In that county, and a farmer and
stock raiser oI large experience, wrote q
little book 10 explain what he conceived to
be the rationale Of human life as regards
the transmission Of mental qualities and
moral characteristics. He professed to
have paid close attention for many yearS
to the data upon which his conclusions
were based, and TO have generallzed i'm.
portant and almost invariAble effects from
well ascertained causes. Briefly ex-
pressed, his theory was that children in
herited the mental and moral conditions
Of their mothers during pregnancy,
and that these conditions largely de.
termlned the future life Of every child born
Into the world. He had made 1t point
to interview mothers who had borne
children evincing particular characters.
tics and had found In nearly every case
that their characteristics were clearly
uaceable 10 the mothers condition dur.
Ing the period named. This little book,
which elected very little notice at tho
time Of It's publication, might properly be
read now by those who take an interest
In the investigation instituted by certain
Boston physicians into the ante.n his.
tory Of the boy.murderer, PoMERoY, who
has acqulredsuch precocious, unnatural
and unenviable fame for cruelty and blood
shedding. As already stated in our dis.
patches, the mother Of this boy has been
interviewed by the physicians, and sho
made to them the following statement.
Among other things she said that her
husband was butcher, and that dur.
ing the period Of her pregnancy she
went daily to the slaughter. .houSe 10
witness the killing Of the animals, and
that somehow she took particular delight
In seeing her husband butcher, the sheep
the calves, and the cattle, and not untre-
quently ahe assisted him IN the bloody
work. She also said that after JESSE
was born and became old enough to have
aknite in his hands he was all the time,
when opportunity offered, lsbbing knife
into pieces Of meat, and, when still older,
and about his fathers market, he did the
same thing.
1t must be confessed that these were
bad antecedents for the outset Of any hu-
man beings life. Allowing that they
really determined the bent Of the boys
moral nature, to any appreciable extent
even, they certainly teach lesson that
should be pondered by all thoughtful
parents-especially mothers. The facts
Of this young fiend's life are strange and
dreadful enough TO lead scientists to seek
some physiological explanation Of the
strongly marked propensity which he has
shown for blood, inasmuch as no satisfac-
tory explanation is afforded by his sur
roundiDgs since his birth, which have
been as good as the average. According
to the Boston Post his mother is respec.
table widow who kept millinery and no.
ton store in that city for number Of
years, and managed to give her son a very
respectable education. The boy, himself,
who Is now sixteen years Of age, is rather
remarkable in his appearance. He has q
pleasing and intelligent countenance,
while his right eye Is very prominent and
Of CLASSY, milky color, from which cir
cumstance the victims Of his torture in
1879 described him as q "large boy with
awhile eye" His crimes were Of a re-
markably morbid character. he would,
in 1879, go into the suburban streets Of
the city carrying small package, and
upon meeting well dressed boy OF five
or six years, give him sum Of money to
carry the package to given point, gen
orally in some untrequented lane OF
wood. Young PoMERoY himself would
reach the same point by differ.
ent route in advance Of his victim,
and as soon as the boy would reach the
place the young fend would seize and
rip him, lie him to tree or telegraph
Leland begin to torture him systemati-
ally. Sometimes he would cash the vic
tim with knife and leave him tainting
from loss Of blood, to be found hours after.
wards by some accidental passer.by. Al
other times he would be prepared with
papers ol needles, and after tying up his
victim, would flll his arms and legs with
needles Of various sizes, frequently driving
them into the bone. Then again he would
vary this system Of torture by taking q
heavy leather thong and slittlpg 1t, impro
wise q csto'.nine.tails, with which hi
would excorlate his captive.
Up to 1879 the boy had not murdered
any OF his victims, so far as known, bu'
had simply tortured them. These tor
lures gave him intense delight. They
seemed 10 flll him with sort Of ecstacy
and he would actually laugh and dance
while inaicting agony upon those in hi
power. And yet, as has been stated, tht
boy was intelligent. One gentleman who
interviewed him found him to be q boy o
more than average intelligence, and quite
extensively read. When asked wha
book he delighted most in reading, he re.
Iponded promptly and with evident de.
light 1.-THE History OF King Phillip,
War" This book details the circum.