New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-07

OF course, Mrs. LYDIA Sherman, who lately
ESCAPED from the Connecticut State Prison. Is
called a Lucrezia BOrgia or a Brinvllliers IN
the newspapers. II she poisoned three hus-
hands and seven children, as she Is said to
have done, she is certainly entitled to place
in the catalogue of eminent criminals OF her
sort. Mrs. Sherman, convicted of one OF these
many ohenses, was in the prison for life; and
she exhibited there a profound cunning Her
first resource was to assume the character of
a. confirmed invalid, and this part she has
played with astonishing skill. Naturally fair
woman she became as dark as an Indian. Ii
is now discovered that she had secreted III her
cell yellow crayOns, with Which she stained her
conntenance. In some way she cOntryed 10
have frequent fainting fits, when she appeared
rs if about to die. She contrived to make a
little money by the manufacture and sale of
fancy articles, and this she was very improp-
erly allowed to retain by the Matron, from
whom, it is said, she also stole $50. She OBJ
tanned and secreted a white muslin dress,
which, before escaping, she substituted for the
prison costume of linsey-woolsey.
The case of Mrs. Sherman is only another IL
lustration of the prociivty of certain minds to
crime, fraud, and deception, which are prac-
ticed until they become second nature At
first we are inclined TO regard them as very
far from wanting in intellectual efficiency. In
mere cunning and shrewdness, in the faculty OF
ingenious stimulation, and In those reimbursement
accompany an utter lack OF cOnscientlousness,
the deprayed character often IS by no means
wanting. But the experience of mankind shows
that this apparent strength is weakness itself
How can it be Otherwise since the cleverest
criminals are oftenest found in penal durance
The Italian prOverb declares that " there are
"mOre foxes than asses skins coming To the
"markct.n If honesty be the best policy, 1t IS
the best phil1sophically as well as morally.
There seems to be point beyond which the
sharpest wrong-doer cannot go without detec-
ton and punishment, as If there was some
mysterious law of right and wrong, working
according to "A method as yet nncla>siiied, and
in the long run, often in the short run, aveng-
ing its own violation From this point OF
view the acutest wrong-doer is no wiser than
a fool. His adroitncss is stupidity and his
very dextciity proves a fatal clumsiness.
Mrs. sherman, after long and piinstaklng
preparation, contriyed to get away from the
prison, being somewhat favored by the negli-
cence of the NIatron who had charge Of her. But
being ont, with all the world before her, with
some friends to help her and with some money
in her pocket, she leaves Hartford only to be
arrested in Providence, and returned to her old
quarters. So, too, though she was sharp enough
10 poison three husbands aud seven children,
she was not sharp enough to escape detection.
She was confronted, she is confronted still, by
the imnutable law of right She is willy for
nothing, and partly succeeds only to fail isno-
miniousy at last. There is no such cheat in
the world as a criminals own cunning.