Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-25
WATSON'S CRIME AND DEATH.


WATSON'S CRIME AND DEATH.
A Sad and Moa PerpieIinq Story OF Tn
1ooked-For Crime.
The London DdHU Ne,rs In a recent
issue says The death Of the Rev. J. Selby
Watson, in prison, al the advanced age Of
seyenty-seven. recalls one Of the saddest
End most perplexing stories OF unlocked
for crime. Mr.. Watson was nan OF
undoubted learning. He is best remem-
bercd in literature, perhaps, for his We.
sions OF certain Latin authors. He was the
auther not orly OF schoo-boOks, but
OF Person and Warburton. These eXcr-
cises do not seem TO have brou hit
him much money, and probably be was
not much more fortunate than Gold
smiths "POor Ned Purdon" in his con-
nectiOn with literature. Mr.. Watson
was also for moro than twenty-five years
head-master OF Stockwell Grammar School.
In the later years Of his mastershlp the
number OF boys in the school diminished
so much that the trustees deprived Mr.. Wat
son OF his office. This occurred in October,
1870. Mr. Watson went on living in Stock.
well. He kept but one servant, girl, who
depoScd that his relations with his wife
seemed 10 be friendly. On certain sunday
IN October Mr.. Watson committed the crime
which has given bis name strange, psyche
logical interest. We must remember that
though he bad ceased to be an efficient, or at
all events popular, head master. bis moral
character was blameless, and nothing seems
to have heen said against his soundness OF
mind. His servant considered him a
kind-hearted gentleman" She thought
that be and Mrs. Watson "liyed very hap
ply together" No complaint had ever
been made against him Except the com.
plant that he Was not popular teacher)
by the committee OF the school in which he
taught. The vicar Of his parish church said
that no one could possess a higher char
acter for kindness and humanity. Being
such man. he went to church with
his wife on Sunday, October 8.
1871. The pair dined early aud
had wine and dessert in the library.
When the servant returned from her Sun
day half holiday Mr.. Watson let her IN,
ard said that Mrs. Watson had gone out.
He also drew the girls attention 10 stain
on the floor, caused. be said, by port wine.
Next day he ordered n packing-case OF GER
tam dimensions. in which he concealed the
remains OF Mrs. Watson. The next day
but one, after telling his servant that ho
felt unwell, be attempted TO poison him
SELF The prussic acid which he admins
tered to himself was diluted, and he thus
failed TO commit suicide.
This is briefly, and emitting the more hor-
rible details, the story Of the murder OF his
wife by Mr.. Watson. Naturally the ques-
10 h. Il
down and destroy his aged wife under an
uncomfortable homicidal impulse, which
found him sane and left him sane, though
be Was insane at the actual moment OF TIE
crime? This is the view OF the case which
the Jury found themselves unable TO take.
II is, indeed, q doctrine niue too dan
gerOus ever to be accepted, we trus', in
this country. There NAV be such i'm
pulses. A kind OF devil may enter into
an elderly, kind-hearted man OF letters
and may make him slay the partner OF his
life, while 1t also counsels him to conceal
her body, to account for her absence, and
to attempt suicide. But this sort OF pos
session or madness, or whatever 1t may be
called, II 1t only becomes apparent in the
homicidal act, and cannot be fOreseen or
guarded against, il by no means the sort Of
insanity which should carry with 1t ire
sponsibllitv. At the trial one witness de-
clared that Mr.. Watson had spoken Of pre-
vious bitter quarrels with his wife. On
these occasions. then he bad resisted the
homicidsl impulse or the obsession OF
the murderous spirit with success.
All that human punishments and laws
can do i. to add fresh motive
and an uncommon strong one-to the other
reasons for resisting homicidsl impulses.
People who know that il they yield TO
temptation they will certainly be punished
with nll legal severity find in themselves a
power OF resistance which they would lose
il we pardoned every murderer whose
character and circumstances won our SYM
patty. To put the MISTER shortly, Mr..
Watson was probably n man enfeebled aud
embittered by long life OF obscure toll
and OF struggling with boys. No profess
sion Is more SPIT 10 encourage temper and
ecctntriciiy than that OF living among the
irresponsible and provoking race OF boys.
Again, be probably had the high-strung
nerves and keen feasibility OF the scholar
His moodlncss (Which was noticed in him
10y some Of his intimates) would be in
creased by poverty and failure. and 1t APP
pears thst his relations with Mrs. Watson
bad sometimes been very disagreeabe,
though on this point the opinions OF wit
nesses differed. At all events he finally let
himself be gosded into one violent act, and.
II anger be a brief madness, was mad in
deed for 4 moment. Then came tho AZ
tempts TO conceal the act and to escape
from the consequences by death. His own
death that at last has oycrtsken him was
the result not OF great age or disease. but
OF accident; be fell from his hammock and
suffered fatal injuries. II would have been
impossible for jury to bring In any other
verdict than they returned. Our senso OF
pity inclines us 20 veil such deeds With the
name OF madness, but, In very truth, the
criminal Is not more insane than such
murderer as Dickens's Bill Sykes. He only
Yields TO a passion not SO frequently victo-
rious In his rank OF life.
The examination Of medical evidence In
tins case is not rea.suring. Some OF the
witnesses tried to show that the dismissal
from the head nastership might have
caused melancholia. aud person suffering
from melanchOlia would be liable to uncon-
trollable outbursts OF passion. We cannot
pronounce q man mad because he has lost
one appointment and fears he may not get
another. No instances OF deluslon in Mr.
Watson seem to have been observed.
and, without decisions, what Is insanity
Again, II man be "psr'ectly ration
al" as Mr.. Watson was undeniably. we
cannot accuse him OF insanity because he II
every morose." The superintendent OF
the Colney Hatch Asylum found Mr.. Wat
son perfectly sane after his crime. Another
doctor from the same establishment came
TO precisely the opposite conclusion. lie
detected madness in Mr.. Watson's rem,rk'.
Another physician. who heard the same re-
marks made, thought them "perfectly "a
tional," and the prisoner "remsrkioiy
seli-possessed." In short, the experts dli-
ferred as much as experts usually do; per-
haps their evidence is not worth much M
less il is all unhestatingly on the same side.
The conclusion Is that We must mol re-
gard a man who commits n crime Insane
merely because he is the last man we should
have expected to be guilty OF 1t. We can
call no man happy till death, and no man
innocent till be Is beyond all temptation
forever. Any other rule would enable
people with good antecedents to be wicked
for once with comparative impunity.
"kany 8 man passes as saint because ne
has never worked down to the basis OF nls
character" SAYS the Professor at the Breah,
fa,t-Table. When the basis IL reached anu
aypnsah nv sona suddan stroke IL Will not