Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-15
PHILOSOPHY OF MURDER.
How it Differs in Motive and Quality From
Other Crimes

Other Crimes.
Some crimes, like forgery. BURGLARY
and the like, are in the nature of nrofas-
sions, says the New Orleans Picayupe.
In order to succeed in them a certain
technical training and a necessary skill
are requisite. They may be classed as
mechanical or useful arts. Murder.
on the other hand, is usually the re-
suit of some profound and power
full motive operating not only on the
passions, but upon the reason and the
imagination, and acting with the force
and energy of an impulse born of inspir
alton. Murder often rises TO the height
of fine art, aud has been so designated
by eminent essayists like De Quincy.
Thus 1t may be that the most red handed
and iGexcusable slayer of his fellow man
IL, 90 far from being physical monster,
often gifted with exceptional good looks.
AS TO the female murderers they are often
extremely beautiful. Any person who
has happened TO have noticed In the
September issue of the Century Maya
zine the portrait of Vera FiCper, one
of the most daring and des-
perate of the Russian Nihilists,
will 1ealize this. Her sweet, earnest, in.
genuous, glrllsh face suggests anything
devoted, tender and pions, but not hint
Of bloodshed. Nevertheless, she organ
ized and managed Ia Odessa, IN 1882, a
revolutionary movement which resulted
IN the assassination of Gen. Strelmkoff.
Take the beautiful Charlotte Corday who
assasslnated the monster Marat. She
was almost angelic in her purity and love-
illness, and neither before nor after her
long contemplated, carefully planned
and bloody crime did she bear the external
impress of aught save extreme beauty.
Murder is not an end, but means.
There are human tigers who delight in
bloodshed, but, apart from these, murder
belongs TO no sex, class or condition of
life. Any one who may become possessed
OF supreme passion, such as Jealousy,
ambition, love or revenge, or even pat
rlot1sm or religious fervor, may suddenly
be betrayed into the commission of this
capital crime. The most delicate physi-
cal constitution, the most refined
mental development and the most
tender, devoted and affectionate dis
position, and the incest sense
of honor, do not exempt the possessor
from temptation to shed blood on occa-
sion. The more delicately organized
mentally, the more spirited morally, are
no more free from murderOus suggestion
than are the most brutal and ignorant.
The greatest safeguard against murder
is strong development of the reasoning
powers along with proper moral train
ing. Those refined and sensitive people
who are actuated by impulse rather than
reason make the small-featured and hand
some murderers. Men with great noses,
small chins and broad foreheads
often make great soldiers, delighting in
battle, and Strengthening their foes With
out pity In order to accomplish great
public object; but they are seldom muir
derers. They have too much good sense
and directness of purpose, even where
moral qualities are lacking, to DE guilty
of manslaughter. The habltuelly crimi-
nal classes, depraved by association,
weakened by evil heredity and brutalized
by drink, are left out of this discussion
for obvious reasons.