The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-11-19
MRS. wALKCP,, uEHAyIoR.


The following is taken from the edit
oral columns OF the Kansas City Times,
OF Nov ION, which will be read with
interest by Emporia people:
There is being manifested IN various
quarters an amont of newspaper regard
tor Mrs Minnie Wall1up wifich is en-
tifely unwarraBted by the facts in the
case and by the actions OF. the lady her
self during and since the trial. Accept
ing as final the jury's verdict OF mot
guilty." We may charitably assume that
It was not based upon a REASONABLE
doubt" but upon firm belief in defend
ants innocence. Vet, such was her con-
duct during the trial and such her dis.
play since II ended ihatany one would
be justified in belisTiag one OF both Of
two things, namely: ihat sac is entirely
deficient III moral perception and VIC
| manly deiIcacy, or that she is guilty as
charged in her indictment.
Nell Kennedy, dull country lass who
shocked ali Scotland By poisuning years
ago old Tom Stoddard sad his entire
| family with arsenic, was no less regard
ful OF her crime and her changed rela-
ton to society than MrR Walk
up has been. The scquittai OF Neil was
| due TO the advocacy ut Lord Jeffrey, the
| famous Scotch Sdvocate whose success
dated froul this extraordinary achieve
ment. The skill ana eloqusnce OF Lord
| jeffrey cheated tue galIoWs by clearing
Nek, but the aequiusl was followed by
euch howl OF public rage that The stolid
and Infamous defendant had to fee for
| her llie. The sturdy and Uuimp ressIble
| Scotch dId not raise the seaseless cry
| that woman was beng persecuted.
| They wasted no sentiment and mani
Tested no sfckiR regard for the criminal
| because she vas a woman. In their eyes
| crime was crime. whether the result of q
wcman's or mans act II should be so
TO day.
There may be no great similarity be.
tween Nell Kennedy's crime and the
| crime alleged against Mrs. lValkup, al
though money was at the bottom OF the
the former. Tbs point we wish to make
| clear is, .that II is dangerous TO society
| to pslliate and excuse crime when COM
| tnitted by woman, whether intelligent
pand beautiful or Otherwise. The lion
/ izlng OF Mrs. Welkup IS not the express
SION OF healthy public sentiment. If not
| guilty Of the crime Of numbering her
| hasband, her general conduct has for
| isiled every ciaIm she might have had
on pubic sym psthy and esteem. At no
| lime during the trial vas she forgeIful
OF hes personal beauty. The self con-
sciuus use of her charms. her
| Tor the memory OF the dead and
her obsrusiye vanity were at all times
| painfully noticeable and evidenced a
heartlessness and shail1wuess of nature
which might well cause the uHimpas-
siJnably spectator to doubt the existence
| of the innocence aud sweetness univers-
ally attributed TO youthful womanhood.
The uaseemly ri 3ieings which followed
the receipt Of the verdict we're not tenn
pered by the delicate ana embarrassing
position otthe liberated accused and no
memory of the dead acted as check on
| the conspicuous hilarity which marked
the receptions and public displays at
EN- poria. Nor did. Mrs Walkup forget
while IA Kansas city 10 ignore the dis
tressing causes which led her to noTtor-
iety. She openly dined in the. large
dining room of the Union depot hotel and
seemed toeniDy the eommoiion caused
by the surging Of cufious crowds TO
tue window. To a Times, reporter che
stated that she did not think she would
live al EmpoTIa. but. rather bossifliiy,
Il could if bad to-" She also expressed
desire to get her part of her husbands
estate without any trouble and declared
l.fat she had almost forgotten the trial.
people had made 1t so pleasant for
her" AM she did rot hesitate TO show
herself 10 tie Kansas City public. for al
Ter riding on the cable ears aud visiting
the various stores she left on an evening
trsin for New OrleaHs seated at an open
window in plain view of The gsping
crowd which surged around.
A modest sensitive woman would have
recolled from all of this az from pois-
onoua adder. A deep. pure, noble ns-
tuFe subjected to what Mrs. WaIkup
went through, would have been so over
wheimed with a natural shame and sor-
row as 20 instineiively shrink from the
pain aud distress Of the least publicity
But Mrs Walkup disregaEded even the
claims Of deeency and proprieiy. She
was pleased with her unenSlable motor
ity, Rod IL she did Dot express in words
the Joy she felt over Mr WaIkup's death
she acted il. Guilty Of murder or not
she has forfeited all claim 10 popular re-
spect. and those people who extaI her
and compliment her ard make much of
her are guilty Of the exceedingly danger
Gus things of excusiBg and even encour-
Reing 81 the eppearancescf crime, If not /
the crime itself.