Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-27
Science and Assassination.

1t Is next to impossible, If a sovereign, or a
p a or an e g1es
from statfoning himself somewhere en- route,
and taking shot at his adversary the instant
he appears No watchfulness. no guardianship,
nothing indeed, but seclusion, VIII prevent that;
but the use OF machinery may be prevented.
The men who make the machines may give
warning, and so may those who see them being
be rendered Illegal under heavy penalties. We
should certainly make the manufacture of
'Ihomas" apparatus a crime throughout Eu-
rope In h,d most countries, the laying Of trains
Palace would be noticed and reported on;
While SO many must know the secret that as
happened In both these instances warnings
may be forwarded to the the intended victim.
Besides, great deal Of brain is required Of the
assassin, at moment when his Selfcom-
mand Is affected. He must be OF the class
which can manage scientific Instruments
is. must more or less realize what he is doing
yet must adjust everything, while momenJly
r1sking disgraceful death, with the GOODNESS OF
soldier and the calculating skill of mathe-
pistol. or to make spring with his knife, but
to spends hours or days or weeks in prepara-
ton, 70 calculate inches OF distance and Sec
escape which. if he uses such means, lie is sure
not to forego. He can escape, from the very
method OF his crime, and he will try to do 1t.
A man In the position OF Hodel or Otero gives
himself up all through. He knows perfectly
well that within SO many seconds OF his sh 1t be
ing fired he VIII be in the hands of a crowd mad
for his life-a frightful position in 1tself-and no
more thinks of escape than soldier In a for
lorn hope or sailor when the shells come
thick. Either may survive, but lodging will
not help either. The man, ON the other hand.
who explodes box OF dynamite or a barrel OF
gunpoWder through long train of powder Or
by an electric wire, is necessarily at a distance,
necessarily alone Or with comrades, and necas-
sartly able to escape, or at least to make a bolt
for 1t. Accordingly, having the chance, he Is
careful Of the chance, and that consideration,
together with the fact that he Is shaken,
as he must be shaken, by the approaching
death OF innocent persons-innocent, that is.
even In his own perverted vieW-and with
the other fact that his enemy Is in
visible, all combine to destroy the cool
ness necessary to success. The torpedo ex-
plodeS at the wrong moment, and though 1t
produces more effect on Europe than knife or
bullet would, 1t has not produced it on the
body Of the intended victim. The misery OF
the Kings is frfghtfully enhanced by the use of
scientific appliances, because they render pre-
caution OF so little avail and, as It were, make
the danger perpetually present. but, we suspect,
the actual danger is not. The result to the
world may be even worse. because power eXer-
cised under such conditions of fear Or rage is
sure to be badly exercised: but we are not dis
cuSsing that, but the actual risk of life In an
actuary'S sense We should say that though ii
had increased, perhaps dreadfully increased.
from the increase tn the number of potential
assassins, it had decreased from the resort TO
scientific methods of assassination. Neither
bomb nor dynamite-box is as certain as the pis-
toL-IRe Spectator.