New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-05
MAY WILSON UNCONCERNED.
TO BE- A WITNESS BEFORE THE CORONER.

MANY PEOPLE INTERESTED IN Trr cJILD-PYRos
MAvIAr--wILL SHE DE rCSIsERof
sIsuppose you would call it arson and murder:
It's n capital offence anyway but ! don't think
any Jury would convict her, do you p
The speaker was Coroner Nugcnt, benevolent
loolx,np MIN who Lad % troubled look IN his face
as he stood in the front room OF the iingy cor
oner's office yesterday afternoon. lie was talking
about May Wilson, the elovcn-year Old girl who
started the fire in the Hospital for the Ruptured
and Crippled at Lcxington-ave and Forty.sccond'
ST. one of which caused the death OF Mary Con-
ners, the cook.
It's queer case added the Coroner. "Of
course the child did not realize what she was
doing She must have been insane; she had
mania for setting fires, and that's insanity, isn't
it? Well, that is not part OF my business to
find out The Coroner's jury will determine how
Mary Corners came to her death 1t may DO
shown, of course, that the fire originated in some
other way than at the hands OF My Wilson;
but that seems hardly possible there
many fires. Her confession? Well, She may
have been frightened and nervous and have i'm
agined it. Yet that is hardly possible. Have
[ set day for the inquest? Not yet
The Coroner consulted the caleniaf ana theh
ordered the inquest oil Mary CohhcfS 10 w seF
down for L "a. IN. on Wednesday
UNUSUAL INTEREST IN The CASE
Nav Wilson's case is exciting the Interest OF
all sorts of people in this town Doctors VINO
study the brain and the mind for the development
of original pecularties specialists, psychics phil
anthropists those who believe in natural depraVity
and those who do not Darwinists and alIenlsts
have been discussing this interesting child ior
the last two or three days. For May Wilson ~
an interesting child. Her hair is iaxcn, her COM
plexion clear her eyes large and blue and hei
manner vivacious. She is troubled wlth wry-
followed
IVY Sesterdav Nav spent in the hdiIdinl 4 tho
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty TO Children
She was taken there on Friday, and has remained
in charge of Mrs. Jenkins, the matron. Nay
had an affecting arting with her father VINO lelt
her there But she soon frightened up, and lie
was not long before she had cast of formalty
and made the acquaintance oil the haIl dozen
children of about her own age who We're youthful
patrons of the home. Two OF these were eases
of destitution two of cruelty, and two were de-
tanned as witnesses May was as bright as any
of them She went up to the playro0m and gos
all the pleasure out of II, which Il the junction
of a wel-regulated child. There is nothing abnor-
dren, Superintendent Jenkins says. She eats het
three meals day, and good meals they are, at the
headquarters of the society. Soup, hsh, meats
inmates such good living that il is said one oc.
casionally tries to get back there for the sake OF
the food.
NOT ANNOYED BY QUESTIONS.
Nav was not annoyed yesterday with trouble
the hospital and why she did it. From all that
can be learned she does not know herself why
she did it. Whether she the victim OF an
abnormal activity in the cimeritlous matter OF
her brain or whether from a perverted moral
sense she is not aware. The child is equally lg-
norant of the horrible Penal Code wherein Sec
lions 49, 1856 and 4s7 define arson and its va,
rOus degrees and of section 50 which is burdened
with gruesOme definitions of murder IN the nrsD
degree and those definitions are limited 10 no
age on the part of the offender. -.
But other people than May are discussing ms
Arson in the first degree comes from wlfully set
ting fire in the night time to dwelling house
in which there is at the time n human pelne
And murder in the first degree has for one OF us
definitions killing human being where the CRIME
is perpetrated in committing the crime of arson
in the first degree. No officer Of the law, and
nobody else. has any idea that May Wilson VIII
get the benefit of the rigorous Penal Code, our
they are interested in following the course which
this experience may cure her W.,
I" She will be witness in this court on wed
nesday,p said Coroner Nugent II will be
strange sight to see little girl like that in the
witness chair. Will she be instructed like grown
up witnesses that she need not say anything
which will criminate her? Well, hadn't Thoughts
of that Perhaps she will be sent 10 some good
place where She can be watched. don't thnk
the case need be regarded as fncnrable. Perhaps
she has a mere fancy for setting hres ana no"
this experience may cure her" -.
Superintendent Jenkins SAID yesterday thao
Nav had made endeavors To set IRE 10 inc
Society's rooms: at least no trace OF them had
bcen discovered Still precautions had been taken
that no matches should be left lying around loose
where she could get access to them May scem@
to be a well-behaved child, he said.