New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-05-09
REMARKABLE CONFESSIOE.

Our readers well remember the case OF
Thomas A. Piper of Boston, who is now under
sentence of death for the murder OF Mabei
Young in the bclfry of the church OF when
he was sexton. Piper has all along asserted
his innocence, and good deal of public SYM
pathy has been awakened in his behalf. On
Sunday he surprised his counsel, who was III
consultation with him concerning new tiial,
bv admitting the murder not only OF Mabel
Young but of Bridget Landregin at Dorches-
ter in 1878, and of Mary Tyner, girl of the
town in Boston, about two years ago. We
have only the confession of tho murder of
the child in an authentic form at present; but
so great has been the impression made upon
Pipcr's lawyer by this statement of his client
that the application for new trial has been
formally abandoned
The case is n very peculiar one. Piper seems
to have had no motive for murder. at least III
the instance of the killing of the child. If so,
he killed merely for the sake of killing, and Is
himself the victim of hOmicidal mania which
he did not choose to control. But we are in
clincd to accept excavations like this with no
little caution, partly because we believe that
propensity to murder merely for the love Of it
is of very rare occurrence, unless accompanied
by q well-marked arrangement Of the intellect,
which in PIpcr's case is wanting. That he
may have had no motive which 10 the majority
of men would have been an adequate ono we
are willing TO admit, but not that be acted
altogether without motive. He il great liar,
and has been coming falsohoods ever since he
was locked up. Men of such ingrained falsiiy
are ant TO lie on to the end. His confession Is
valuable, because 1t is cOrroboratcd by crcum-
stances. Otherwise it might be said that he
made it with sinister motive
At first glance, the fact that a murderer really
in love with killing for its own sake may go
about maintaining for years a decent position,
is sufficiently appalling. We feel that we might
at any time be thrown into the company of such
a monster TO our own great peril, and that our
children arc no longer safe, since Mabel Young
died death SO dreadful. But it requires only
a little reflection to convince Us that the num-
Der OF these wild beasts in human form must be
limited. Civilization has reduced the hOmi-
cidal propensity tn minimum. Instances oil
it pure and simple are by no means frequent.
If it were otherwise the world would find out
the fact to its sorrow and dismay.
Hardly any nan with the gallows in prospect
is ever very candid. Under the influence of
an Oycrmasterms apprehension he IL constantly
devisng some cxpedicnt by which hc may
escape It is terribly hard for him to tell the
whole truth. and he is especially wary i'll con-
ccalng the real motive of his crime. Piper
probably killed tho little girl for reason.
1t may have been no more than the impulse
of uncomfortable anger which stimulated the
deadly deed But if we admit in It's full
force the truth of an abnormal homicidal pro-
pensity, it by no means follows that the muir
derer is morally irresponsible. Piper ut this
very time is suffering greatly from remorse
| If he is now truly penient, it is for an act
which he must have felt was criminal at the
time of its commission. All crime comes Of in
sufficient sef-rcstraint; and, if the whole truth
could be known, we should probably find that
| Piper was in rage when he so cruelty slaugh-
| tered tho little girl.