Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-09-19
MUCH ADO over CRIMINALS.
THE MORE REVOLVING THE
DEED THE GREATER THE FA-
V0RS SHOWN THEM.
A Murderer is Lion and Excites
More Interest Than the Most
Profound Philosopher.

Society, or that portion of it which
is given TO running after sensations,
has gotten into certain most unhealthy
and morbid conditions, says the New
FORK Ledger
With taste for Which no rational
mind can satisfactorily account, many
of these persons seem possessed with
desire to make heroes out of those
criminals who have been guilty of the
/ grayest oflenseS against humanity and
the State. Let them commit an ag-'
grayated assault, murder more or
less revolving in its details or some
unusually outrageous act which puts
them behind the bars of prison, and
straightway the corridors of the Jail
are thronged with curious oilers, and
delicacie3, flowers, knicknacks and
often sums of money are sent and
brought in, and there is practically ne
end to the luxuries and benefits con-
ferred upon them, and for no other
reason than that they have raised their
hands in the grossest violation of all
laws human and divine
That this practice of making such a
fuss over these people is not only an
injury to society at large, but to the
criminal classes themselves goes with
out saying. 1t fosters morbid curl
osity, makes criminal prominent
| figure in the community in which he
lives and suggests crime as possible
means of creating the sensation and
attracting The attention which are bet
ter than meat and drink to many
weak minded and conceited persons.
This class of individuals, who dislike
nothing SO much as obscurity and
upon whom no greater punishment
could be inflicted than to remain un-
seen and unknown, is at once filled with
the idea that here is an opportunity
for it to improve. These individ-
uals straightway set about the con-
temptation of the subject of crimes,
petty, perhaps, at first; then realizing
that the greater the crime the greater
the glory, they relax all restraint, and
60 out with the idea Of doing some
thing criminal. The chance comes,
the blow falls, and as matter of
course, there is great hue and cry
about emotional insanity and extern
uatiGg circumstances; and other inn
moral, obscure cranks read it and are
consumed with desire to be looked
at and talked about and made much
over and fed and decorated with flow
ers and deluged with gifts and tears
and sympathy and prayers if need be-
No one ever took such notice of them,
and they feel aggrieved until by some
happy chance they can find some ex-
cuse for such acts as will put them in
the same enviable position No mat
ter how much abuse, shame, disgrace
or insult is heaped upon them, any
thing and all pander to their diseased
fancy. The more they are abused and
the greater the horror at their con-
duct, the more gratifed they are. They
have at last achieved something to be
proud of, and as their conceit long
ago smothered and distorted their
moral sense, they have nothing to re-
greet until perchance they ascend the
scaGold when they may, while feeling
some natural shrinking at the last act,
yet come up to the grand finale with
feeling that this is certainly the great
est triumph ofwhich genuine "tough"
is capable, to have 1t said Of him that
che didn't weaken, and was clear grit
to the LAST
Instead of preventing or discourage
ing crime, such course is direct in
centive to IL, and the trials and execu-
ton Of criminals are bats TO the weak
and vain. There should be some
plan devised whereby the sensational
literature Of the criminal court and
the disgusting exploiting Of criminals
and crimes could be avoided. As it
now is, the murderer is lion and ex-
cites more interest than the most pro-
found philosopher of the age.
DALTON CAPTURE.