The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1886-12-17
A WORD FOR HARRY.
What the People Of Valparaiso think of
Harry Scllenck.

Last Thursday weeks issue OF the Porter
county pidette, published at Valparaiso,
Indiana, the birth. place Of Harold Schenck,
who is now in the Dillon Jail awaiting trial
for the killing Of Mosen, has, under the
heading:"A Word for Harry" and signed
"One Of his thousand Friends here" the fol-
lowing to say of the unfortunate young
man:
That unfortunate and to be amented oc.
currence at Dillon, Montana, in which a
former resident Of this city, Harry Schenck
was the chiet actor, happened to young
gentleman who from baby hood to almost
manhood had grown up in our midst-one
with whom we were all acquainted and
whom all had learned to love and respect
a youth possessed Of the finest and purest in
stinctS and in the taue sense "home boy
a "mothers boy" fond Of out.door sports
and ofinnocent fun, but not one instance can
those name who were with him most when
he exhibited any temper Of an ugly or pug
| ;listic nature or any propensity OF mind to
drift him with caime. His whole character
| was entirely 10 the opposite, rather on the
feminine, and Of the magnanimous, noble,
| heroic. brave. 1t was this underlying lat
ent spring Of his nature that burst forth
| into action wholly beyond control as he be-
held lying upon the cabin floor the pros
trate and bleeding body of a friend, and as
he knclt beside that form his imagination
grew into reality and tempest of frenzy,
excitement and fear swept through his
whole being and rendered him wholly un.
| accountable. fnr what he did"
| with regard to the above, we will say,
if it may assuage the grief OF Schenck's
Valparaiso friends, that there are few, il
any, of this community who do not sym
pathize with Harry, and even those who
had him fearrested, bore him no malice,
but acted simply from sense OF duty to
the public While it may be premature to
speak OF the probable verdict, yet the facts
elected at the preliminary examination
warrant us in saving that the killing OF
Mosen was not preneditated The essen
tial ingredient OF murder in the first degree
is premeditation-an element palpably ab'
sent in the case considered. What constl'
tuteS murder IN the SeCOnu ueSIee' @A"y
good lawyer will tell you: Where there is
no premeditation, but where the conduct
of the accused evinces natural deprav'ty
that the courts have called "a disposition OF
mind regardless of social duty" Surely
the boys past record must have its weight
in discussing such "disposition OF m'nd'
Even in cases where the purpose is t'<ed'
iuries have, in tuzv,em z1tae, found the YER
dict of manslaughter. Though Montana
iuries do not pretend to understand the
technicalities OF law, they are sufhe'en'''
;mbued with its great principles to know
that in an affair of this kind, every evtenu'
ating circumstance, the age OF the accused
his previous record, the threats OF Mosen'
the bows belief that his partner was dy'ns'
all must be fully considered Montana
people have never been accused Of v'na'c-
t;veness, and Harry's Valparaiso trienos
NAV rest assured that where there are eN'
tenuating circumstances, in Dillon as else
where, mercy seasons iustice.-Ed' TRlhl