New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-31
A STUDY OF MURDER
NJUUISN IN ACTION,

This strange book Is really stnuy III mor""
psychology. II is tho history OF crime from INC
criminals point OF view vonng student has no.
fooged his mind With specuations about Destiny
ana worId-leaders and ConquerOrs. From the re-
Election that such men make no account OF the
booasbed necsssary 20 the accomplishment Of their
nurnoses he deduces tho inference that what is
called conventonally crime IA not really sinful
that those who feel in themselves tho vocation to
high positlons are even absolved from the obiga-
tim 10 obserye the rules instituted by socey that
everything is permissible &c the elect. Having so
perruaded himse he resolves to begin what IL 70
be great career by murder me ]ust'hcation
for il 10 that he needs money, for he is mlseraby
poor; and as the victim he SELECTS Is an ou
mserly woman who lives by usnry. he hnds 1t not
difficult tn strengthen his determination Dy saving
20 himself that it will be almost public benefac-
ton to put such an old WRETCH out OF the world.
His plan is arranged with the utmost deliberation
The crime is even rehearsed in preliminary
visit TO the old woman OH the pretenoe oil obtaining
a loan on a pledge. Accident seems to play into
the han is of the intending murderer de over
hears the old woman's sister, who alone lives with
her. make an appointment to be out on a certain
evening He knows that this Is the intimation
that the coast will DO clear Accident too seems
to helm him in getting possession oil tho hatchet
wltb'whicb the deed is to DO done He goes to the
apartment house in which tho Old woman occupies
n fat Again accident befriends him. for there is
no one either ut tho street door or on the stairs
and ne reaches his destination unseen by anyone
At the last moment. when he has lifted the
batchet over the victims head monentary weak
ness nearly illustrates his intention. nut the hrst
blow though weak. stuns the woman and then
his strength returns. and he hnishes the WORK
He proceeds to rob tho body and then the rooms
While ran.ackina the deal woman's trnn ks he
hears a footstep in the adjoining room. The sister
has returned unexpectedly. He finds her staring
panic-stric ken at the corpse lie drives her intD
corner and kills her too
This second and unprecedented crime confuses
him. While he il hesltatins what to DO he hears
footsteps on the stairs. They mount toward tho
fourth story, wi ere the murdered woman's rooms
are He ba, only time to bolt the door when t~ o
men reach it aud ring ani knock. lie stanhs
brsathIess hatchet in hand. behind the door. 1t
seems that the old woman had made an appoint
ment WITH one OF these Visitors This he learns
from their talk Presently one of them notices that
the door is boted pside and they at once see that
ana mr. hotb of the women must be Within. and
from the fact of their silence proceed To infer that
something is wrong Thev agree that one snail O.
down TO The porters lodge while the other remains
at the door. After waiting some time the latter
becomes impatient and follows his comoTnioh
downstairs. Tnis Is the assassin's opportunity. He
| sIirs ont hears n marty coming up the stairs when
he is half wav down. bat avoids them by conceal
ing himself in an empty room where painters have
been at work. He reaches the street unposervei'
and gets to his lodgings. where he throws himself
balf-uEconscious upon his bell. having depositeu
the plumber in hole in the wall.
The rest of the story is wonderful piece OF phsyl-
| ical analysis and of a kind which almost dehes
criticism. For the question being. how does a
man feel after committing a MURDER" he hr't
obiection to he met is that no two can be sup
posed to think alike even supposing their inteil'-
gence equal. while the graiations of mental de-
velopment are numerous that almost any con
ceiyable theory of morbid psycho Ogy may be tru,
as regards some men. Charles Dickens has
treated this subject so often as I'd justify the con
| clusion that it had fascination for him. Ions
| procession of murderers passes through his WORKS
| Bill Sykes type Of sheer brutality, John Ridge.
crude portraiture owing little to analysis later the
really strong creation OF Jonas Chn8zlowit'
| crime. then the whitehot malignity OF Bradley
ueadstone and last the complex careful study Of
Jaspcr in Edwin Drood," doubtless the rpest fru
Of the noyelist's observation. had 1t been com
nIated Tina Frenchwoman who kills Tulkinghorr
and the Frenchmau Rigaud in Little Dorrlt,' ar,
| distinguished more by national characteristics
than psychololic profundIty and perhaps of the
other instances the most thoroughly harmonious III
effect is that of Jonas Chuzzlewt None OF these
however suggest or bear the best resemblance tC
Dostoyevsky's case, and that this should be so Il
reallva proof Of the art employed by both tho
writer's mentioned. Bulwer in his Eugene Aram
preceded the Russian in taking murderer fot
his hero. bnt there is an imneasurable distance
het ween the two books. The EnslIsnman has pui
sentiment before mental analysis His murderer is
great scholar who when not engaged in asslssina
ton is spoutng the most beautiful things and
turnlp9 everyones head with his lofty IDEAS III
ia in fact a wholly impossible murderer. Blu
Dostoyevsky works in different way. We may
object t. his deductions. We may question thu
validity of his promises We may refuse to bc
lieve that anyone could argue himself into so firm
a belief that murder was crime as to derive
from the conviction nerve TO actually COMM
murder Bot once admit the possibility of such
character as the student Raskolnikof, and all tn
rest follows naturally aud almost inevitably
The dissection of this young mans mind is indeed
a remarkable piece Of work. The confusion, tn
crudity of his thoughts, together with the inhu
ence upon all his mental processes OF physical weak
mes. due to insufficient nutrition and probable
septicoema. is clearly brought out In tho be
ginning The introduction to the tragedy is a
prosaic as possible. as indlferently realistic as
Photographic picture. yet it possesses the sig
ni6cance aud the thrilling effect of the chorus IL
the Pboedrea or the Antigone. 1t is an intimation
a keynote. We are to be made acquainted. ye
not too clearly with the kind of men whose deed
and agonies are to concern us through the story
Nothing can DO drearer more squalit and mean
than the setting of the scene. Nearly all the per
sonaQes are poor to Indulgence. Their quarters ar,
sordid or filthy. Low lodClng-houses low drink
lng-shops. vulgar ard base and unlovely people
crowd these pages. Through such scenes and witt
such company the herO-assassin fits as in night
mare desp eratey struggling to think out the
ton. desperately endeavoring to avert suspicion
and by his unconquorabe nervousness giving elev
after clew to the watchful ewes of the police. Il
reading this strange morbid experience one almos
comes to partake Raskolnikohs semi ieIlrium; t
| -a.au tho hideons dreans of murder % e