Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-18
The Daily IntelligenCer.
LANCASTER, OCTOBER is, lsss,
The DelIinger Murder.

Public sentiment is not satisfied with
the condition in which the Dellinger case
Is left by the decision releasing the hus-
band. With that decision itself fault
cannot be found, as there was hardly
Sufficient evidence upon which to hold
the accused. He was not shown to be
Innocent; but the evidence of his guilt
was as meagre as that of his innocence.
Hs habitually al used his wife, and she
had left him through fear Of him. On
the evening before the morning on which
she was found dead by the side Of the
CT aek, she had left the house of
friends in the city with the avowed
Intention Of going to her husbands
house. That same evening, up to mid.
night, the husband was found inquiring
for his wife at places where she might
have been expected to be and at six
O'Clock the next morning he Is found
gong from the city towards his home.
When last seen the night before he had
said he was going home to sleep.
This he may have done or he may not.
He may have met his wife by the creek
side In the interval or he might have
slain her there before the hours at which
he was found solicitously inquiriDg for
her in the city. There are possibilities
but there is no evidence that they are
facts. The police have found nothing
but wet clothes at his house, apin be-
longing to him at the scene Of the crime,
and footprints like his in its neighbor-
hood; but witness testifes that he had
on the same clothes on the evening be
fore as on the morning after tht
deed; and it is testified tha
the wife also wore the pin; and tn
footprint evidence was too carelessl
observed TO be effective, though upon !
the justice might possibly have held th
man for trial.
1t seems clear enough that the woman
was murdered she was at least draw
from the creek by some one, and presu
mably that some one had something to d.
with her death. She might have thrown
herself into the water, through fear o
some one and have been dragged out b.
the one who caused the fear. This ide
naturally points to her husband as tn
agent of her death. True she was know
to fear him and to have cause to do &c
upon this suspicion possibly the alderma
would have been justified in holding th
husband.
But we do not complain that he did nc
do so. We believe that every ma
should be treated as innocent until ther
is good cause to hold him guilty. 1t
not light thing to charge man wit
murder and to hold him in jail for tria
and the evidence ought to abundant
justify it.
What we do complain of in this case
the lack of zeal shown by the authoritie
to trace the author of an act which 10 uni
versally believed to have been a murder
Is murder considered SO triling thin
and is life considered so cheap that I'll
utmost effort is not used to detect IL
criminal thatsno reward is offered fl
his apprehension. And no public oflici'
concerns himself in his dleCovery save
constable or two, who undert Ike Il
detective work and naturally do it in poo
fashion
Certainly a crime of this magni,ul
should be earnestly and intelligently il
quired into and no expense should |
saved in the inquiry. n skillful handlir
of the witnesses who testified in the De
linger case will be likely to bear fruit.
is not TO be credited that all has bee
told. The woman disappeared too my
teriously from sight. She should be trace
from her last appearance; she can hard
have reached the banks of the Conestoi
without having been seen on the wa
We urge the district attorney to an acti,
prosecution of the inquiry, and we pre-
upon the county commissioners the pr,
->priety OF offering suitable reward.
is for this perhaps that our detectiN
talent is awaiting; and as it has alway
come to be looked for in case of magn
tude, there seems to be 10 way of avoit
ing the proffer, however true it is thl
the police force should do their du'
without such incentive.