, 1876-01-30

1Ao AkEfs 1A1 HAAoLUH9 kuC AootNA2 AVA 6IA
appears to have been a very superior humor:
ist. His humor was Of very grim descrip'
ton; it involved very disastrous consequences
to banks and to individuals; it may not strike
his victims as very enjoyable or genial; never.
theless it was humor, carried to an extreme
so far beyond the limits Of true humor that
it has the same effect, just as heat and cold
at their maximum of intensity produce the
same sensation and cannot be distinguished
the one from the other in their effects. An
inquiry appeared in the Boston Herald re-
| Gently, "After death, what?" To which
Mr. W1Ss1ow replied through the columns Of
his paper, the Ne,cs, I'VE cannot answer the
inquiry Of our brother, the Herald, but we
take the precaution to keep valise full Of thin
clothing in close proximity to our sanctum." "
The point to Mr. WNs1ow's reply is more
obvious when it is considered that week
before he decamped he purchased a
quantity Of thin clothing with regard to
the emergencies of his case. When Mr.
WNs1ow was making his preparations to
leave, he consulted q lawyer to find out
those countries where he would not be
troubled with the operation of e1tradition
Gle in his paper upon the wickedness Of his
fellow-forger, PoND, of Worcester, who is
now serving out term of fifteen years upon
the first Of thirty three counts in his indict-
mcnt, and who, if he serves out all his terms,
will revisit Worcester in the year of our Lord
NTA ho~o cv,eGar, 1f %ha ef
Mr.. W1Ns1ow's humor. MzpH1sTopHnEs
himself, prating of virtue and goodness, and
consoling the widow ScHwERD1LEH upon
the death Of her husband, was not grimmer
or more sardonic in his humor than
WNs1ow, who on the Sunday prior to
his departure delivered q sermon in the
morning at Auburndale, the theme being the
good that is to be found among men, the
nobility of human nature, and the duty Of
men to their fel1ow-men; and in the after
noon addressed the children Of the Sunday
school upon their duties to each other and to
their Cop. Perhaps the finest stroke of his
humor was his Endorsement Of note Of 800
made BY the forger POM in favor Of SHE1-
DON, the victim Of both!
There is side to this business, however,
which is not humorous, when wa pass over
the detailed operations Of WNs1ow and his
relations to individuals, and regard his opera
tions in their relation to society and to pub
lie sentiment Massachusetts, within very
short time has had the notoriety of contrib
uting to the annals of crime the rnscalities OF
PoSD, the forger; WNs1ow, the forger;
JACKSON, the defaulter; and the colos-
sal robbery OF the bank at rNorthamp-
ton. New Jersey contributes Mr. EARLE,
who has stolen $4,000 from corpora
ton of which his father was Treasurer,
and spent it in Wall street speculation and
Chicago adds young BURsHAx to the list,
with forgeries, the amount Of which is not
yet KNOWN n,-perhaps 800 AL of these
operations were upon mammoth scale, and
the first three persons named were men who
moved in the highest and best society, had
filed Offices Of public trust, were prominent
members of influential churches, and whose
characters were supposed to be irreproach-
able. twas dreadful downfall in each case,
and it must have been dreadful shock to all
to speak OF religious influences and their DO
tency in restraining men and keeping them
in the paths of virtue. Even worse than all
this, such lapses as these in unexpected quar-
ters must tend to weaken public confidence,
to make men distrust each other, and to fur
nish scofers and sco1uers with fresh arcu-
ments against the efficacy of the Church and
the influence of religion. Their operations,
however, are but the direct reflex of the ten
dency of tho times and the natural outgrowth
Of the present condition Of society, which are
in no wise traceable to the influences of re-
Ggion or morality. They found their first
impulse in the decentralization caused by the
War, which was not singular in its effects,
all great wars leaving behind them the
same decentralization of public sentiment.
The War opened up new avenues
Of speculation, in which vulgar men grew
rich, and thus induced multitudes
Of others to rush recklessly into them with
only one idea-that Of getting wealth, no mat
ter by what shortcuts or violations Of the
rules Of honesty, thrift, and
economy. The standard Of public morality
Was continually weakened. Such men as
JIM Fisk and JAZZ GOULD were considered
smart in their operations. It was smart to
awindle corporation, smart to pack iuries,
smart to bribe Courts, smart to keep mis-
treases and live sumptuously and sensuopsly,
and there were thousands Of young men who
sought to emulate them and acquire wealth
md notoriety By irregular and smart means,
The corruption gradually spread from indi-
viduals to corporations, and at last broke out
in the political world, and men stole from each
other, stole railroads, robbed banks, and
plundered city, county, and State treasures
with impunity. Great rings sprang up, taxa
lion was increased, and private extravaganza
ran riot The miserable BExcHER business
Was forced upon the public just in time to |
still further demoralize people and debaoch
public sentiment. The New York Ecen,no
Post in discussing these forgeries points out
another source Of the prevalent corruption.
and shows that these men, PosD and W1ss-
Low, have lived Tor years, Ike al tho rsat Of
IL, under the nnhealthful influences of a fa1sa |