The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-03-27
MURDER AS AN ART.
The Two Bloodiest scoundrels of Modern
Times.


from the Chicago Tmes.1
People who have read De Quincey's
writings will remember his Murder
Considered as One of the Fine Arts"
In the sequel to this, entitled "Three
Memorable Murders" there is 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 muir
derer was abroad, for his identity was
not then known-by the fact that a
young man named Mari, his wife, an in
FAINT months old, and journeyman
artisan who boarded in the house, were
all found with their skulls smashed in
and their throats cut. A female SER
want 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 fendish workman had
made his escape. Twelve days later, in
the same neighborhood, Just round the
corner from Marrs house, an old man of
70, named Williamson; his wife, some
ten years younger, and servant girl, at
about the same hour of the night, were
murdered. As in the case of the Ma1r
family, the skull of each of the victims
was beaten in and their throats were cut.
Never" says De Quincy, through
out the annals of universal Christen-
dom, has there indeed been any act of
one solitary, insulated individual armed
with power so appalling over the hearts
of men as that exterminating murder,
by which, in one hour, John Williams
smote two houses with emptiness, and
asserted his own supremacy over all the
children of Cain. It would be abso
lutely impossible adequately to des ribe
the frenzy of feelings which throughout
the next fortnight mastered the popular
heart; the mere deirium of indignant
horror in some, the mere delirium of
panic in others. For twelve succeed
ing days, under some groundless notion
that the unknown murderer had quilted
London, the panic which had convulsed
the mighty metropolis difused itself all
over the island" It is evident that
murder is regarded as of less conse-
quence here than there, for the reason
that, although Richards, the Nebraska
fend, stands self-accused of nine muir
ders, and his victims are all known to
be dead, not one person in 500 or 5000
of our population knew, until he made
the confession, that the murders had
been committed. It was known within
a limited area that all these people had
been assassinated; but the fact made no
stir. The nation worked, ate, slept as
calmly as if all these lives had been ex-
tinguished by natures gentlest, most
kindly processes. There was here no
"delirium of indignant horror" or OF
Indignant panic" The very fact that
this people receives with SO profound
an apathy these sanguinary occurrences
will go far toward accounting for Their
frequency.
While there is the broadest OF con-
trasts 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
butchers. In both the love of murder
for its own sake is predominant trait
In killing the Mari family there was
not the slightest need of including the
8-months-old infant, because it could
not have possibly become an agent
for the detection of the assassin. Nor
after having crushed in the skulls oi
his victims, was there any necessity oi
cutting their throats; and yet this was
done in every instance. This demon
strates that Williams was inspired by 6
passion for murder. It is true that, in
both cases, he committed robberies, bu
this feature was simply incidental, q
the smoking of cigar supplements 1
good dinner, and yet forms no essentia
part of it. Richards has shown tn,
same passionate longing for killing. II
slay was to him what love of music O.
of painting is in many people. HI
killed to crafty an instinct, as men ca
when they are hungry, This is show
by his confessions. Had robbery beel
his sole purpose, he could have effected
it in the case of the Swede, and in tina
of the woman and her three children
without resort to murder. Moreove,
in relating to the members of the Chica
go press his diaboical crimes, he dilatet
upon them with the same pride exhibit
ed by an artist in showing super1o
| painting, or a composer at the success
full rendering of one of his works. 81
discussed them with an easy 7ao7achdl
G9ece which goes to prove that he looked
upon them from the standpoint of al
artist. He had no conscience; h.
repudiated any such weakness, ant
smilingly gave his listeners to under
stand that he occupied no such grovel
ing position. Rosy, suave in manner
not unprepossessing in appearance, h
again reminds one of Williams, of whom
DeQuincey said: 1t was in harmon.
with the general subtlety of his chaa
acter, and his polished hatred of brutal
ity, that, by universal agreement, hi
manners were distinguished for ez
quisite suavity; the tigers heart wa
masked by the most insinuating an
sneaking refinement"
Fortunately for the safety as well q
the honor of mankind, the Wil1iamse
and Richardses are rare exceptions. w
have desperadoes like Rande, who nun
ber their victims by dozens, but the
constitute distinct species. Rand
killed his men in quarrels: he CAV
them chance for their lives, an
killed rather from a love of danger tina
from any murderous instinct. He an
his type are generally unmistakabl
ruffians whom it is as easy to know an
to avoid as rattlesnakes. Williams an
Richards are of kind who, to an ins,
tiate desire for murder, add disgustin
cowardice. They crafty their passio
by striking uTawares, by numbering III
der the guise of friendship, their fient
ish designs yelled by persuasive mai
ners and gentle words. In many r,
spects the American Richards is MOI
notable wretch than the English VIII
Jams. So possessed was the latter b
his desire for murder that there was u