Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-09-04
OF DEATH.
BUT BEFRlENDED ny ROMAN.
TIC sENTiMENT.

49, up&N y -
TIC sENTiMENT.
The Cswardly slayer - Chrlsese wa-
asa-A Tragedy whlsh nserinss New
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Wss Ainy's Only
Mouv His CTias AlasmanGay Ere
qaent.
Revenge Of . Coward.
Tho staid old State Of New Hamp-
shire has added = chapter TO the records
of crime In this country which hardy
can be surpassed for the grim background
OF the murder itself and the extraor-
binary details which have followed ito
commission. The crime OF which Frank
c. Almy 10 guilty was marked by the
most revolving cruelty and barbarfty as
well - by rank cowardice. Six weeks
ago the wretch, angered because his
sweetheart, Christie Warden, rejected
his advances. sprang from his place OF
conceAlment on . lonely road, dragged her
away from her mother and sister into
the woods and not only shot her down In
cold blood but even mutilated her after
death. He escaped. b0asting TO her ter
rified companions that now he had had
revenge. The horror Of the crime
RgVuSGN TIC tIlttIO COnutys N A6IkO lO~
wards, Aggregattng $1,000, were offered.
and hundreds OF people Is we'll as police
and detectives from various cities hunted
shire hills but Thu oughout New England.
Other parts Of the country were ram
sacked, bit to no purpose, and at last
gone to Europe, and all hope OF his cap
turc was lost.
1t now appears, however, that he
never left the farm OF the Warden fami-
~. With that fascination which some
times seizes upon criminals to remain
upon the scene OF their crimes he con-
cealed himself in the barn. From his
hiding place he saw the funeral Of his
victim. In dark nights he stole up to
the house and watched what was going
on within. he saw detectives and re-
porters within o few feet Of him and
heard them discuss plans and probabili-
ties for his capture He even took food
from the house in the night and Wis ted
Christie's grave In the cemetery rear by.
All these weeks it never occurred to the
nstute detectives to search the War
den premises, and had 1t not
been for the accidental discovery Of
some cans taken from the house. which
raised . u spicion In the mothers mind
that he was somewhere on the premises,
he might still have been at liberty. She
mentioned her suspicious to the Sheriff,
and that functtonary with a companion
kept q nightly vigil about the barn. At
last they were rewarded by q sight of
the lean and haggard murderer emery
ing from his hiding place to obtain food.
He was entirely unprepared for resi- t..
ance, but for SOM mysterious reason
the two armed men made no atten pt to
arrest him. Instead of that they raised
. hue and cry and the next day the barn
was besie2ed by 10 less than l, 500 peop,e,
who procee, cd to lombard their victim.
When he had been wounded two or three
times and II became apparent to him
that further attempt was useless he
agreed to surrender and even dictated
terms so far as personal security was
concerned. When the terms were &C.
cepted he added crime to crime by shoot
ing one of his captOrA That he was not
killed Oh the spot speaks we'll OF the
New England sense Of justice. The
Sheriff who had been so reluctant to per-
form his duty promptly and energetically
saved him from y uching by appealing to
the crowd to let the law take its coarse.
They decided to do 80 and the brutal
wretch was removed to jail. II the
courts are as fearless and the law Is as
perfect "a the Sheriff boosted 1t will not
be long before Almy will expiate his hor-
rible crime on the gallows.
1t is not SO certain, however, that this
wretch will meet the fate he deserves
Already there is . certain halo of r0-
nance gathering about him. His visits
to his victims grave. his preservation Of
letters and souvenirs she had given him,
bis declaration that he loved her all the
time, and that he shot her by accident
and then shot her over and Y % again
because he could not bear to see her
suffer, have had . certain effect upon
the maudlin and morbid classes OF soci-
ETY. who are ready to declare that he was
insane with love. People OF this kind
are making . Hon OF him, and there Is
danger that they may bring sufficiently
strong pressure to bear to ave him from
hanging. With al its conservatism and
love for justicA s~entimentslity Is .
strong element in the New England
composition. IS has been shown even in
tho Jesse Pomifoy case aud In many
another equally brutal and revolving.
The prosecuting officials, therefore, will
have . hard task before them, though
every circumstance OF the murder can
be easily established. Should any con
tingency, however, saw this monster
from the gallows II will be . public
calamity. The practice Of girl killing
has become alarmingly common, and It
Is time that the courts should adopt
heroic measures to suppress 1t There
10 no better case to begin with than that
Of Almy. II al reports are true this 10
not the first girl he has killed. There is
NO romance about his crime. There
was no love In his feelings toward
Christie Warden. His act was dictated
by revenge, either because Christie
Warden had wounded his pride by her
rejection Of his suit or because Of lower
and moro revolving motives In either
case he richly deserves death, and has
barred himself from the sympathy Of
any right-minded person. Crimes like
his are becoming alarmingiy frequent,
and il 10 time that the law should step
in and protect helpless women from be-
Ing slaughtered merely becAuae they ex-
ercise the right If rejecting the adj
vances Of men who may have conceived
. sudden and revolving passion for tn
Three Irvinxs on shs sage.
1t has been known for some time past
that MI. lrving's cider son, Henry, 10
about to go upon the stage. A similar
resolution has now been taken By his