Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-04
FASHIONABLE MuRDEgx.

FASHIONABLE MuRDEgx.
VI late years there is a refinement IN
cruelty thateis absolutely indescribable
ana TINS wonderful change in the manne:
OF INJURY Eas been attributed to the ar.
tistic culture of the age, and is termed
by caustic writer and crime critic "ses.
thetic brutality"
Ihe registered cour. Scenes or trials of
today, and late criminal st ,tist;cs, br.ng
into publicity many curious facts. A
prominent Case is that of an invalid
Wiie. VINO In punishment for comp,iin-
Ing OF being kept III too dark room. was
Iorcso by her brute of q husband To lie
nigh. aiter night IN very narrow bed,
WIN tue rays OF darA lantern falliuo
| directly on ter eyes. She had no power
70 move, aud SO the cruel CLEANS burned
into the eyes. weakened by tears of main
and terror, and in binding them entirety.
reached through tO the aching heart, aud
III piercing the bonds of life, gave tie
victim, In her last hours, tine courage to
olvulge what no one knew save the wretch
VINO had thus tortured her-rhe mother
OF MS growu-up children-even unto
death.
What earthly punishment could atone
Tor the anguish caused! None, and O
the man escaped unscathed in body, but
surely tortured by the pang9 of a guilty
conscience.
The latest Gallicism, Assassination
by Silence" was sim ,Jly the verdict of
medical men In the case of a recsntIv
deceased French lady of high rank. Her
youthful history was free from ostenta.
ton and uneventful, and society knew
absolutely nothing Of the strange story
OF her married life until after her death,
when the nurse who had cared for her
disclosed the system by which her mis-
tress was daily tortured.
The lady, says the crime annals, was
noble by birth and very rich. but she was
hoDelessly plain, ugly of feature and
humpbacked. Her husband, a duke.
married her for ber money and hated
her for her ugliness. A fortnight after
her wedding her rnartyrdom began, but
not after the standard rules of conjueal
martyrdoms.
The duke lavished attentions on her,
In public; he was affectiOnats, before the
servants; it was darling" and "be-
loved" and my little cat," when any
one was present; but in privatetho change
came, and only the old nurse knew of |
the secret scenes of torture and cruel
persecution.
He pretended to be jealous of his wife, |
and SO played Othello; he had the hinges |
OF all the doors 80 carefully oiled that |
they could be opened and shut without |
u creak; the domestics were trained to |
move about nOiselsssly; snares were set |
IN the vast gardens of their hotel, so that |
never the chirp of n sparrow or the song |
Of bird was heard. The poor woman
WAS forced to live In the midst of almost |
absolute silence, and when the duke went |
with her into society he scowled sJ fear
fully at every one who approached his |
wife to speak to her, that by degrees
people ceased to make the effort. And
then, after they had returned home and
the duchess had gone to her room and to
bed, the duke would enter the chamber |
with list shoes on his feet, SO as not to |
announce his coming, and would simu-
late fearful scene of jealousy.
Although these deaths are conditional |
and cannot in their details be compared |
with the Grimes that come within the /
reach of human justice, still they are |
intensified by anguish and equally bru-
tai murders. There Is, however, another /
phase of suffering, terminating in death,
which is hardly recognized, even by the |
victim, and such cases occur constantly |
ia our Very midst.
lie would pace up and down the floor |
like one III fury who is about to burst
into reprOaches; words of anger would |
ses IN to be on the point of issuing from |
his mouth; then he would stop BY the |
bedside and raise his hands as il in |
threat, but he never struck, he never /
spoke; and, resuming his walk, would |
90 through the same scene over and over |
again, until, overcome by horror and fil- |
tieue, the poor duchess swOoned.
Every night for ten years his victim |
watched for menaces which he seemed |
about to proffer, but to to which he never |
gave vent. The doctors were called in |
at u late hour, but the terrified sufferer |
could or would divulge nothing, and the |
utmost they could say was that they |
were In the presence Of some horrible |
mystcry. which could not be fathomsd |
without killing the husband; and when |
death ended the tragedy. and the faith |
full nursS no longer feared to increase |
her mistress's persecution, the dreadful |
secret was exposed.
Tho wise physician understan the |
mental as we'll as the physical coalition |
Of the patient, and administers soul |
strength HI we'll rs healing drugs; but |
even the most experienced doctors are |
sometimes deceived as to the nature of |
the malady, and those who are worried |
to Ceath OK die of "heart starvation ="
90 into their graves without having their |
pangs of anguish understood, much less |
aSsua9ed. |
Sometimes strong men sink under the |
pressure OF adverse circumstances and |
unapprociated devotion aud die of heart |
starvation, but only in rare instances |
This is peculiarly right of woman. and |
experienced physicians often render the |
verdict, congestion OF the brain,"
consumption" or "heart disease"
when the victim is only starved to death |
for want of sympathy, appreciation and
genuine love.
II is said such cases are entirely too |
aesthetic to demand consideration. Per- |
haps SO. They certainly are entirely re-
fined and unobtrusive in method of ex- |
ecution, but modern enlightenment ena- |
bles Us 10 see deeper than the surface,
and to make visible hitherto concealed |
facts.
"Disd of prostration." declared ply
sician in such a case. One who loved |
her wrote to an absent friend: "She |
died Of starvation" Her children had |
grown out of her life; they had found |
other loves aud other homes; they were |
kind to her after fashion, bus they |
could not realize how the gentle, uncom |
p.aining mother, who had tolled ali their |
bright lives for them, could really want |
anything but rest from her labors. "Shs |
has money enough to take 1t easy nov,
and father is with her." they said: and |
30. with her incentive to WORK gone, she |
commenced failing years ago.
-s~s----
An HONORABLE TRoPHY.-Co. b, 2tst |
Infantry, stationed at Fort Townsend,
w. T., has beea awarded the Nevada |
trophy. 1t will be forwarded to depart
ment headquarters by express, anu the |
Eompau cnmnia ander will COZ IA hara To 1