The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-27
CRIME AND ACCIDENT.

CRIME AND ALUMNI
It's probable that no one gbo has
been for any length o. time connected
with the news department Of a daily
paper has failed 70 noiiee and com.
ment on the fact that crimes and aeci-
dent Of q similar nature usually nap,
pen in groups. so far ~ the time o.
occurrence Is concerned. FEY sys'e-
matte newspaper readers have failed
to note the same fact. An account Of
a pecuIiar crime or accident is alTnost
invariably followed by accounts Of
similar occurrences In other places.
ii rare indeed that isolated cases are
recorded.
For half year or more il may be
unnecessary for Newspaper to pub
fish an account of riot, but when
sucn a disturbance does happen there
are almost invariably similar disturb
ances reported from other parts Of the
world. The same may be said OF muir
ders accompanied by extraordinary
atrocity or peculiar circumstances Of
any kind. Train robberies also can
usually be relied upon 70 come in
groups and heavy defalcations have a
similarly gregarious nature.
1t Is with accidents as with crimes,
and In degree almost equal. An ac-
count OF a large fire is usually fol-
lowed BY accounts Of fires Of some.
what similar nature In other places.
For instance il theater is destroyed
by fire. tho chances are that several
othes theaters viii meet the same fate
within "A short time. Railway and
marine accidents almost always come
in groups. II is not Unusual for q
newspaper to record in single day
accounts Of four or Eve similar aeci-
dents occurring in different parts of
the world, though no like occurrence
has been recorded during the proceed
ing six months.
4 partial explanation OF this fact, 20
far az crimes are concerned, may read
ily he found in the initiative tendency
OF humanity. One crime may suggest
another. One who is criminalIy In
clinad may find in the publ he'd de
tails OF one murder an incentive TO
commit another In a similar manner.
This explanation is inadequate. how
eyer, when tho similar crimes occnr in
places geographically remote from
each other. A murder committed in
Albany can scarcely have any logical
connection with similar murder COM
mitied in Austria, no matter how
fully the American papers may record
the first crime. As the only
logical explanation Is inadequate on
this point, il utterly fails when aeri.
dents are considered. A steamship
collision in Now York harbor
can scarcely be held to have
any connection Of this kind
with the two or three other
collisions in different parts OF the
world which are reasonably certain 10
foilowit
A striking instance OF accidents OF a
similar nature happening almost con-
temperaneously has been afforded
within Tn past few days. On Decem-
Der 18th the PosT-IErrLIIGrEcER con
tanned accounts of the burning Of two
steamboats, accompanied by loss OF
life. One OF these accidents occurred
on Puget Sound; the other on the
Mississippi river. On December 25th
there was published an account of the
burning OF another steamboat this
also occurring on the Mississippi river.
II Is many months since another oc-
currence Of a similar nature has been
recorded, but In two issues OF q daily
paper are accounts OF the hnrning OF
TIRES steamboats, under circum tanres
as similar as the dissimilarity OF time
and place would permit These three
contiagrations occurred within period
OF thirty-six houus, but. in spite Of the
fact that no other conilaeratiou Of the
same nature has occurred for many
months nobody would venture to say
that there is any logical connection he.
tween them.
II there is az explanation OF this
grouping of crimes aud accidents it &.
based upon philosophy of which We
know nothing, II would be absurd
to say that a crime or an accident Il
certain 10 be followed by others Of d
similar nature, but il may reasonably
be said that the chances are that every
occurrence OF this nature is one OF q
group of similar occurrences. o.
course, ii this grouping were notloct
only once, only a dozen or only 4
hundred tin - Ia the course OF lie
time II might be explained ON tn,
theory OF condolences, bat ever,
newspaper worker knows that IL thi'
be the sole explanation the world itscl
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