River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-11-10
AN INCENTIVE TO CRIME.
society's Interest In the sensational I'm.
courages the Love of Sotoriety.

society's Interest In the Sensational In
courages the Love of Sotoriety.
Society, or that portion of it which is
given to running after sensations, has
gotten into certain most unhealthy and
morbid conditions.
With taste for which no rational
mind can satisfactorily account. many
of these persons seem possessed with a
desire to make heroes out of those Grim
mails who have been guilty of the
gravest offenses against humanity and
the state. Let them commit an ag-
gravated assault. a murder more or less
revolving in its details or some un-
usually outrageous act which puts
them behind the bars of prison. and
straightway the corridors of the Jail are
thronged with curious idlers, and
delicacies, flowers, knickknacks and
often sums of money are sent and
brought in, and there is practically no
end to the luxuries and benefits con-
ferred upon them, and for no other rea-
son than that they have raised their
hands in the grossest violation of all
laws human and divine.
That this practice of making such
jury to society at large, but to the Grim
iual classes themselves. goes without
saying. It fosters a morbid curiosity.
makes criminal a 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 better than
meat and drinl, 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 unseen and unknown,
is at once filled with the idea
that here is an opportunity for il
to improve. These individuals straight
way set about the contemplation 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 go out with the
idea of doing something criminal. The
chance comes, the blow falls. and as
matter of course, there is great hue
and cry about emotional insanity and
eXtenuating circumstances; and other
immoral, obscure cranks read 1t and
are consumed with desire to be looked
at and talked about and made much
over and fed and decorated with flowers
and deluged with gifts and tears and
sympathy and prayers If need be. No
one ever took such notice of them,
and they feel aggrievee until by some
happy chance they can find some
excuse for such acts as win put
them in the same enviable position. No
matter how much abuse, shame. dis
race or insult is heaped upon them,
anything and all pancer to their dis
,ased fancy. The more they are abused
he greater the horror at their ccu
duct. the more gratified they are
They have at last achieved something
TO be proud of, and as their conceit long
20 smothered and distorted their
moral sense. they have nothing to re-
ret until perchance they ascend the
scaffold when they may, while feeling
some natural shrinking at the last act,
| vet come up to the grand finale with a
| feeling that this is certainly the greatest
| triumph of which a genuine tough"
is capable, to have it said of him that
she didn't weaken, and was clear grit
to the last"
Instead Of preventing or discourage
| ing crime. such a course is direct in
centive to it, and the trials and execu-
ton of criminals are bats to the weak
and vain. There should be some plan
devised whereby the sensational litera-
ture of the criminal court and the dis
gushing exploiting of criminals and
erimes could he avoided. As il now is,
the murderer is lion and excites more
interest than the most profound philos-
opher of the age.-N. \. Ledger.