The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-06-29
COnceaImenI Of Crime.

crime, except when perpetrated in
the heat of unrcasoning passion,
that makes the perpetrator thought
less and reckless of consequences,
is conceived and then committed
with the expectation and purpose of
successful concealment. IL is lit
tie strange that after the experience
of centuries, this should be the case.
Every deliberate criminal selects the
circumstances under which he per-
forms premedItsted crime, and each
one undoubtedly keeps nppermost
the Importance of secrecy, and sat
isles himself, before he finishes the
details of the deed upon which he
has set his heart, that no one will
discover his secret. The meth
DDS OF all criminals are about
the same. They all seem to
overlook the fact that the
chances for the discovery of their
guilt are nearly all against them.
They expect to outwit the sagacity
of their fellowmen, and the ar
engagements of providence. While
it Is true that some criminals are
exceedingly adFOit and elude, for 3
time, the utmost vigilance of pur-
suit, yet the tracks OF q major
ity of them are successfully
traced, and they are brought to JUS
tice. The best planned murders of
ten haYe a weak spot. A mere trifie
often leads TO detection. When
Webster killed Parkman, in Boston,
some years ago, he tried to hide his
guilt by burning the body. He
probably would have been success
full had he not overlooked the de-
structiOn of Parkman's false teeth.
A Boston dentist had an exact mold
of them. Nothing could haye been
easier than the putting out of the
way of set of false teeth, and yet
they were found, and this trifIing
oversight led to the exposure of
Webster's great crime. So it is in
many cases. The shrewdest crimi-
nails are frequently detected by the
omission to cover the plainest track.
1t is not in accordance with the ar
rangements of Providence that men
should live by crime, and hence, the |
criminal is exposed to thousand
unthought of means of detection.
Nothing truer was ever written than
that murder will out" Notwith-
standing all his caution the criminal
is weak, and leaves behind him in
dications and foot prints which can
not be obliterated. It would seem
that every innocent man and wo-
man is detective against the man
who imbaes his hands in the blood |
of brother. The finger of suspi-
ciOn is ever pointing toward him.
He is through life playing q |
false part, and his studied ways of
warding OF suspicion are the very
means, frequently, of exposing him. |
Society is on the alert to hunt him |
down. There is no rest for him.
Conscience goads him on, and soon
er or later he falls, and often, too,
when he thinks he is making the |
shrewdest step. lie cannot con-
stantly live q false life. All the
eyes that are turned upon him will |
sooner or later detect his true char
acter. This is especially the case
with murderers. The act which he |
has done is against the laws of earth |
and heaven, and his freedom is con-
trary to the interests of both.
The following picture of the con-
dition of murderer is from speech |
of Daniel Webster at the trial of |
some murderers at Salem, Mass,
some years ago. His words are not |
more distinguished for eloquence
than truth:
''The guilty soul cannot keep its own
secret. 1t is false to itself; or, rather, it |
feels IN IRE sistible impulse to he true to
itself. IL labors under its guilty posses
sion and knows not what to do with il. |
The human heart was not made for the
residence of such an inhabitant. 1t finds
itself preyed on by q torment which it
dares not acknowledge to God or man. A
vuiture Is devouring 1t, and it can ask no
sympathy or assistance either from heaven
or earth. The secret which the murderer
possesses soon comes to possess him; and,
like the evil spirits of which we read, it
overcomes him and leads him whitherso-
ever It will. lie feels il beating at his
heart, rising to his throat. and demanding
disclosure He THINKS the whole world
sees IL in his face, reads it in his eyes, and
almost hears its workings in the very ST.
lence OF his thoughts. It has become his
master. 1t betrays his discretion, IL
breaks down his courage. it cOnquers his
prudence. When suspicious from with
out begin TO embaTrass him and the net
OF circumstances TO entangle him the
fatal secret struggles with greater Vio-
lence to break FORTH"