The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-03-13
MURDER AS AN ART.
The Two BIOOdIesi Neoundrels of Modern
Times
GChicsgo Times.

/ SUA6ANCACA 40 OhC Va LbC Il AIC al -.
In the sequel to this, entitled, "Three
Memorable Murders" there ia given
the case of Williams, who, in London,
in 1872 threw all England into frenzy
of CONSERVATION, fear and horror, by his
bloody exploits Somehow, there seems
to be something in the case of Williams
that suggests the crimes of Richards, the
| Nebraska murderer.
Attention was first called to Williams
that is to say, to the fact that a muir
derer was abroad, for his identity was not
then known by the fact that q young
man named Mari, his wife, an infant
eight months old, and a journeymsn
artisan who boarded in the house, were
all found with their skulls smashed in
and their throats cut. A female servant
had gone out for some oysters. When
she left Mari was about closing up for
the night when she returned, an hour
later, the bloody work was done and the
| fiendish workman had made his escape
Twelve days later, in the same neighbOr-
hood, Just round the corner from Mars
house, au old man of seventy, named
Williamson, his wife, some ten years
younger, and a servant girl, at about the
same hour of the night, were murdered.
AS in the case of the Mari family, the
skull of each of the victims was beaten
in ard their Threats were cut.
Never" says De Quincy, " through
out the annals OF universal Christendom,
has there indeed been any act of one
solitary, insulated individual armed with
power 50 appalling over the hearts of
men as that exterminating murder, by
which, in one hour, John Williams smote
two houses with emptiness, and asserted
nj g own supremacy over sill the children
of Cain. 1t would be absolutely impos>
sible adequately to describe the frenzy
OF feeling which throughout the next
fortnight mastered the popular heart
the mere delirium of indignant horror in
some, the mere delirium of panic in
others. For twelve succeeding days,
under some groundless notion that the
unknown murderer had quilted London,
the panic which mad convulsed the
mighty metropolis diffused itself sill over
the island" 1t is evident that murder
is regarded of less consequence here than
there, for the rea on that, although
Richards, the Nebraska fiend, stands
self-sccused of nine murders, and his
victims are all known to be dead, not one
person in five hundred or five thousand
OF our population knew, until he made
the confession, that the murders had
been committed. 1t was known within
a limited area that all these people had
been assassinated but the fact made no
stir. The nation worked, sJe, slept as
calmly as if all these lives had been
extineuished by natures gentlest, most
kindly processes. There WAS here no
"delirium Of indignant horror" OF of
"indignant panic" The very fact that
this people receives with so profound an
apathy these saDguinary occurrences,
will go far toward accounting for their
frequency.
While there is the broadcast of con-
trast in the feelings engendered among
the two nations by the news of the acts
of Williams and Richards, there are
many points Of resemblance between the
two men. Both rank as wholesale butch
ers. In both the love of murder for it
own sake is a predominant trait. In
killing the Mari family there was not the
slightest need of including the S.months-
old infant, because it could not have
possibly become an agent for the detec-
ton of the assassin. Nor, after having
crushed in the skulls of his victims, was
there any necessity of cutting their
throats; and yet this was done in every
instance. This demon states that Will
liams was inspired by passion for MUIR
der. 1t is true that, in both cases, he
committed robberies, but this feature
was simply incidental, as the smoking of
q cigar supplements good dinner. and
vet forms no essential part of it. Rich
ards has shown the same passionate long
ing for killing. To slsy was to him what
love of music or of painting is in some
people. He killed to CRAFTY an instinct,
as men eat when they are hungry. This
is shown by his confessions. Had rob-
berry been his cole purpose, he could
have effected it in the case Of the Swede,
and in that of the woman and her three
children, without resort to murder.
Moreover, in relating to the members of
the Chicago press his diabolical crimes,
he dilated upon them with the same pride
exhibited by an artist in showing SUI
perior painting, or composer at the sue
cessful rendering of one OF his works. |
He discussed them with an easy nonckal>
ance which goes to prove that he looked |
upon them from the standpoint of an
artist. He had no conscience: ne repu>
dated any such weakness, and smilingly |
gave his listeners TO understand that he
occupied no such groveling position.
ROSY, suave in manner, not unprepos-
sessipg in appearance, he sgain reminds
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