Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-11-15
THE EMPORIfHOMICIDE.


THE EMPORIHHOMICIDE.
Tho Coid-BIooded Murder of W. II.
Mcmillan.
Empora Republican, Noy.G.
The cOld-blOOded, mercenary murder
committed in Emporia on Friday night.
adds another item TO the continuous
record of horrors spread before the
country by the daily tclcgraphic report.
Distance, ike time, has wonderful
mitigating effect upon the nerves. We
hear, with comparative indifference, OF
crime perpretrated, or an accident
suffered, either a hundred years ago or
hundred miles away. The Java
earthquake, destroyin $1,000 lives, in
September, awOke scarcely more than
a languid and passing interest in the
mir DIS OF American newspaper readers,
even though they received news of the
catastrophe Il couple of hours after il
occurred. The $4,000 miles of distance
moderated the shock until its vibra-
tions but barely caught newspaper at
tention. Crimes of the most atrocious
description occurring every day in our
own country are felt to be the essential
feature of news in an interesting telc.
graphic report. and cause no especially
dlsagreeable sensation, except in the
places where they occur. The cold
blooded murder in our own city has
caused profound sensation here, and
in Topeka, where the murdered man
| lived and was well andtaYOrably known.
But elsewhere the accounts OF this
crime will be read with no greater
interest than newspaper readers in
Emporia and in Topeka feel every day
rs they skim hastily over the scnsa-
tional column OF tclcgraphic news. A
year hence this murder and the horror
It creates will be almost forgotten, OK
ccpt By the relatives and near friends
Of the victim, and possibly those ut the
murderer, if he is detected. Time and
distance are potent barriers proVld'
ed by wise Providence to Tighten the
burdens humanity has to bear, and II
it were not for these barriers, the race
would sink into despair, Could we
feel the shock OF every murder 3nd
every accident related every day IN the
telegraphic dispatches, as we feel the
shock of murder and Of accident when
they occur in our midst, we should
either have to dispense with news
| papers or die from surlclJ OF the
horrors they relate.
The Emporia murder is ono of the
wopst, because the most cold. blooded
and uniustiiable, committed at any
place or time. Robbery seems to have
been the object. The victim and his
murderer were probably strangers.
Yet as n man who is no doubt stran-
ger in Emporia was seen early in the
evening breaking in two the sickle.bar,
with one end Of which the fatal blows
were struck, there must have been
several hours at least Of deliberate
intent TO waylay either the victim or
anyone who mifhttake the path he did
along n lonely railroad track. Had it
been n murder for rcvenGc or of long
intent, a more usual weapon would
naturally have beon prepared. Rob.
berry was an object, because the body
was plundcred of all valuables. The
blow must have been uncXpectcd. be-
cause the victim did not raise hands or
wrist TO ruard his head. The surgeons
think the weapon was used by a left
handed man, and the blow was struck
from bchind. The murderer may have
met his victim, passed and then turned
and struck him, The murdercr's self
control Is shown bv Che tborourh rlllinp
of his victims clothing, and lis desire
TO avoid detection by his placing the
body ON the track in position to be
run over by an expected train. The
throwing OF the weapon or dropping it
some sixty feet from the body shows,
too, that in his hurry the murderer for
got that its discovery would suggest
that murder had preceded accident.
Some man OF evil habits, driven to the
alternative OF work or crime for some
needed money, chose the latter course,
and the determined action he took
SUgHtSlN dll uLlVuHI va otll- pbhFuoSloIl
that may now be enabling him to walk
the streets with apparently undisturbed
composure.
The officers have q reasonably ac-
curate description of tho man who was
seen to be breaking in two the sickle
bar. The state, city and county Gt
the latter has authority should unite
in Offering rewards which will insure
the prompt efforts of experienced
detective service in ferreting out the
bold villain who was seen with the fatal
weapon in his hands, apparently as
defiant OF observation as he was rCck.
less of consequences.
Had tho red. handed assassin. who
committed this horrible crime, received
n million dollars. instead of n hundred
or two, and could he in some distant
cline live in riotous INDULGENCE ON his
blood.stained nlunder, conld he secure
every luxury and indulge every pas,
Sion monrv criminally obtained could
puicNa'1' lio 10 ni''o' ,o''' wa ',i'H'' rf'n
moro tbon an innocent and unofrsndino
naon,s I;to Uo Los ecnt his victim
bomo to a grief-stricknn household