The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-08-31
Undiscovered Murders.

The old saying, says the London Tele-
graph. that murder will OUT is uneXcep-
tionable as IA moral axiom, but unfortu-
nately is not altogether SubStantlated by
experience. The number of undiscovered
murders is fur larger than might be sup
posed. Those who will take the trouble
to search their memory of the last eight
or nine years will recall several cases
where, beyond all question, a crime has
been perpetrated. and vet no clew has
been lett to gnide Justice on the proper
track. But few years ago the mutlated
remains of woman We're found floating
in the Thames, and there was no M nner
of doubt that she had come to her death
by foul means. From that day to this,
however, the mystery has remained un-
solved Twenty years since. OF there
abouts, Il boy. the son OF respectable pa
rents, who was standing near the Angel,
at Ellington, was asked by an unknown
man in a dog cart to hold his horse Tor
him, The stranger gave him some pence,
and offered him "lift" on his way home,
which the lad accepted The boy was
never seen again until, six months after
wards, his body was found in ditch at
Ealing, covered with wounds and bruises
and in Z. condition VIII; ch showed too clear
ly that he had been starved to death. 1t
is unnecessary to multiply in detail this
CHASTITY catalogue. Builders of experience
know that whenever any old rookery is
swept away the Workmen, in the course
Of their excavations for the new street,
come across skeletons which obviously
have never had lawful burial The truth
indeed, is that murder is not only COM
moner, but also an easier crime than is
generally supposed, 1t may. no doubt, be
the case that great many of the so-called
"mysterious dsappearances' are, in 4 GER
tain sense. fictitious, and that the person
whose death by foul means is suspected
has simply to use significant American
phrase "gone under" On the other hand,
the London police tell US that almost daily
IN the river and elsewhere are found bodies
of persons who have obviously come to
their death by foul means. but about whom
no inquiry whatever is made Some few
years ago the corpse of a young girl, well
dressed and evidently Of superior posi-
ton in life, was seen floating in the Re.
gents Canal She had been stunned with
a heavy blow and then thrown into the
water, and it was clear from her apparel
|
have been living amongst people well-to-
do, at any rate. if not, perhaps, exactly
what Is called respectable. An inquest
was held, an open verdict was returned
and for some weeks an accurate descrip,
tion of the unfortunate young woman ant
her dress, together with the very letters
with which her clothes were marked, was
inserted in all the papers Hundreds o
people came to see the body, but nobody
identified it, although there can be n(
doubt that the unhappy creature wa'
known to persons who either knew, o.
guessed only too well, the cause of he
disappearance. 1t is terrible to think tina
things of this kind should be possible; bu
that they are possible cannot for momen
be questioned, and it is indeed doubtful
whether murder is not more common il
civilized communities than amongst thos
barbarous nations where the elements o
life are simple, and where the miserable
cares, desires, jealousies, suspicious ant
hatreds that are bred of wealth and luxu
ry are altogether unknown.
Last evening woman crowded he
way into city hall, took a man by the ca
and waltzed him down the stairs with III
remark, "If catch you walking dow
Congress Street with that woman again
I'll leave the print of my ten command
ments on your face or hers, you take m
word for t." The man made no resistance
Portland Advertiser.