The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-06-22


storm centres bearing, in some respects, n
likeness to the clusters of nuclei which form
in disturbed regions on the suns surface.
1t is also worthy of remark, inasmuch as
the increased electrical influence OF the sun
during its periods OF spot maximum is rccog
nized, that in the recent great storms the dis
play OF electric forces was very remarkable.
The Probabilities in the Gutermuth Case
There is serious occasion for disquictude
in the fact that a crime like the GUrERMUTH
murder can be committed in the streets of
New York and go unpunished yet there
seems little likelihood that the murderer
will ever be detected. We are reluctant to
adopt the conclusion, however, that the crime
was simple manifestation Of street ruflian-
ism, prompted only by the wanton DISPOSE
ton of night providers. That view would in
dictate the existence of greater danger to the
law-abiding public than the explanation
which appears to us most probable in the
light Of the testimony thus far obtained.
Upon the facts now known, we think that
five differences as to the probable truth may
reasonably be drawn. The assault was pre-
meditated. Two persons were engaged in it.
Il was not intended to cause death. The
victim suspected who his assaiants were.
He had enemies capable Of making such an
attack upon him, and who had some cause of
offence. These probabilities are reconcilable
with all the legal evidence, and with most of
the statements made out of court by persons
protesting to have any knowledge of the
case
The assault was prcmedtated. The first
person who saw the assailants at all was
HENRY d. BAUM, night Waterman. Two
men running along Fifty-seventh street at
tracted his attention. One Of them wore
Derby hat. Five minutes later he heard
cries from the place where the struggle oc-
Cured. He rushed thither and found GUTTER
MUTH lying on the ground wounded. Mrs.
HAWKS also saw two men. She warned Mr..
| GUTERMUTH that man was following them
This man had on a Derby hat and dark
clothes. He was the one who struck the first
blow. His companion came up afterward
and felled GUTERMUTH the second time. The
fact that two witnesses saw these men, or
one of them, before the assault, under such
| .;.o,.,S,-tarooa i-AA--s~ f,~---A. a
an evil purpose, is sufficient evidence OF pre-
meditation on their part.
The testimony Of the same persons tends
strongly to show that there were two crimi-
nails Mr.. GUTERMUTH himself does not seem
to have made any statement in regard to the
number Of his assailants, except in one in
stance. Miss LAURA SHERWOOD, an acQuaint-
ance whom he visited shortly before his
death, has declared to reporter that he said
he could not believe Mrs. HAWKES. story
about two men having assaulted him; that
he was aware OF the presence of only
one, when knocked down, and did not
think another could have come up
quickly enough TO inflict the subsequent
blows, as they followed so soon. We are not
inclined, however, to give as much weight to
Miss SHERwooD's unsworn declaration as we
should to testimony under OATH She is
manifestly unfriendly to Mrs HAWKS, and
DESTROYS to discredit her account Of the as
sault. The manner in which Mr.. OUTER
MUTH was attacked might we'll have left him
under the impression that only one person
had assailed him, although there were two
in fact. Hence we regard the evidence of
others on this point as more Trustworthy
than his, even on the assumption that he
said what Miss SHERWOOD relates.
The assault was not intended to cause
death. The evidence concerning the instru-
ment by which the wounds We're inflicted is
scanty, but indicates that it was not what is
ordinarily known as a deadly weapon. DR..
EDGAR L. WEED of Roosevelt Hospital tcst-
fled that the blows might have been dealt
with a blunt instrument. Mrs. HAWKS
does not speak of having seen any weapon,
nor did Mr.. GUTEEMUTH mention any to his
friend Mr.. THOMAS G. GREEN whose tes-
timony at the inquest would rather show
that the victim himself thought that his
chief injuries were sustained in striking the
sidewalk as he fell. Miss SHERWOOD, how
ever, says he told her he was struck ON the
mouth with pair OF brass knucklcs. Some
thing of that sort was probably used If
there had been an intent to kill a form of
weapon more certainly and Immediately fatal
would naturally have been selected. Tho
brass knuckes would suffice to stun and dis
figure and innlct serious injury without be-
ing likely to cause death, and the chances are
that Mr.. GUTERMUTHs assailants did not
seek to do any more than this.
That he suspected who the guilty parties
were seems to us extremely probable. De-
tectlve RILEY visited him at the hospital the
day after the assault. According to that
officer, MIR, GUTERNIUTH said he was all right,
ana dld not want the police to do anything,
and refused to give any information. Was
this the conduct Of a man who had been
assaulted by utter strangers to him, or who
supposed himself to he the victim of an
attack intended for others? 1t would be much
more natural in one who regarded the
beating as the outcome of some personal
controversy which he did not care to have
made public. He evinced marked disn-
clnation to talk much about the matter to
any of his friends, although Miss SHERWOOD
says he told her he had no enemies up town
and was certain the attack was meant for
some one else To no other friend, however,
did he make any such statement. He said
nothing about the identity of his assailant,
even to Mr.. THOMAS q. GREEN, with whom
he appears to have been most intimate, and
to whom he said that the story was very
long one and he would tell him all about it
when he got we'll