Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-05-30
AFTER MURDER, WHAT NEXT?


has gone to the scatfold without sign of
fear or remorse, and with his crime not only
unconfessed, but absolutely denied.
In his novel of Eugene Aram," Bulwer
Lytton makes the murderer, Houseman,
tremblc under the shadow Of his crime, and
pictures him as afraid to be out when light
ming is playing overhead-a condition which
he SAYS makes the stoutest Of criminals
quake He shows that william later on con-
Tossing his sin in low, choked aud faltering
tones. As for Aram himself, Bulwer makes
hiE, say that he never gave in token of love
and friendship, TO any human being the
right hand with which he dealt 81 murderous
blow. In the course oil his careful work the
author quotes "WakeGeld OH the Punish
mcnt OF Death" as his authority for the be-
lief that zone little month of suspense. when
it involves death, is sufficient to fix ploWed
lines and burrows in the face of q convict Of
five and twenty; sufficient to dash the
brown hair with gray, and to bleach the gray
to white"
Nearly every English novelist who has
treated Of murder has INDUCED the fancy or
echoed the belief that murderers are haunt
ed by their crimes and torn by remorse.
The seepleas nights OF murderers, their
blanched faces, whitened hair, their NUT
tered confessions during sleep or fire.
uuent starts from slumber, accompanied
by shreks Of fright Of agony, are
as familiar to novel readers as is the idea
that lover can not properly engage him
self in marriage except he does so with
long and beautiful speech to the object of
his alteration. The pulpit has even lent
wings TO the same idea, and only last Nov
enlber the Rev VIM. Walton, OF Brooklyn,
as he stood over the the murdered body OF
poor Phoebe Paullin, uttered these words
The body OF the victim often has Il strange
fascination for the assassin. De-
pend upon it, wherever ne is and whoever
he il, Gods punishment is already overtak
inc him. For him the night has strange
tcrrors, and the glad sunshine only seems to
show with greater painness the hideouS
| brand OF CAIN upon his brow"
| Do these statements bear comparison
with the facts? Are murderers slaves OF
| the tor1nents ascribed TO them? Phoebe
Pauln's murderer has not been driven to
surrender himself and end the torture be is
said to suffer. The Nathan, Rose Amh-
| Ter, Hayden, Maybee, Cunningham. Mary
| Rogers and scores. yes hundreds, Of other
| murders committed in OF near New York
| are to-day unconiessed. Who can recon-
Gle the fanciful remorse Of Houseman with
| the iaunty air of the real murderer, Chas-
| tine Cox, and his repeated assertion Dat
| was the first 'sault au' battery / ever COM
mitted?' How caE the justification OF Petto
Balbo, she bit my finger to tho bone, and
! in rlv agony / seized the dagger aud killed
her. he quoted in veriication Of the beha'
| v;or CT Aram. who never allowed his blood
stained right hand to touch the palm of a
| friend?
Three murdcrers, under sentence Of death,
row await the gibbet in Raymond street
| iaii, Brooklyn. One is George Mills, who
slcy in u fit OF rage the wife he now says he
| truly loved, because she would not send out
for more beer The second is Giuseppi
/ Guidici, who deliberately, after premedita
ton slaughtered fellow workman for
| tnncied grievance The third is Alexander
/; Jefferson. the Crow Hill assassin, who stood
outside Il shanty where his friends were
assembled and fired into The party again
and again, until he had killed two and
wounded two.
"Do they wake up at night and Shrek? ?"
the reporter inquired of Warden Julian.
| "No," said the warden in loud and
derisive monosyllablc.
"Is their hair turning white?"
"No;" in the same manner.
"Do they dread the darkness? Do they
say they are sorry? DO they admit that
they have done any thing for which they
should sufier?"
"Nothng of the sort" said the Warden,
and he looked at his questioner as if the
reporter was poet or callow boy
t'But they are very miserable, of course"
continued the reporter, knowing as they
do that their end is close at hand, and will
be comprised in . lrightful manner?"
"Why," said the Warden, in amazement,
eve have to stop the Italian from singing,
he's so happy. He sings so loud and so
much we have to stop him. But, other
wise, the three murderers are the best pris-
oners we have; the quietest, most orderly
and best"
"Have they any appetite? Can they
eat ?"
'sLord bless you; you oughtto see them.
OF course, murderers always eat hearty"
sLook here" said the official, II never
knew any man to suffer such things as you
suppose these people do-that is, any ex-