The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-24
A PSYCHOLOGISTS sPECULATtONs.
He Seems to Be Much at Sea About q
Case as Everybody Else.

He Seems to Be Much at Sea About the
Case as Everybody Else.
DR.. w. B. Clarke. who has given much
study to criminology, insanity and psychol-
oQy In general. 30 far in particular as they
Affect the practice OF medicine. conversed
about the Brightwood horror yesterday
and succeeded In exhausting great many
theories as to the nature of the criminal,
who yet has escaped apprehensioI.
IL said to my wife this morning" he was
saying. that about the first person
rested would be the butchered mans wife.
So very much goes by suggestion.
The recent Borden case would di-
rect suspicion that way. Before she
could be SUSPECTED sanely, however.
the fact would have to he established that
she had been a close reader of the Borden
tragedy. There Is little doubt but that she
has read nothing of the case and has been
very little interested In It. The wife of a
mechanic, with three children and poor
health, has little time for newspaper SEN
sations. l could not think she. had been
infected by snch literature"
us IL not q fact that people are often af-
fected by an initiative craze, and do just
such horrible deedss
"Yes. Children often initiate hangings
and shootings they have heard about, and
tue luIeCtlOu Ollcu FouCuco tuUec ol mHtuTe
years. L believe there was more than one
Jack the Ripper for instance"
do you think of any scientific solution
of this crimeT
ANY kind of scientific solution is largely
conjecture. So far as the wife Is concerned
no blood seems TO have been found on her,
either smeared or sprnkled. Had she done
the killing blood certainly would have
spurted or spiasbed upon her. and
had she tried TO lift her husband
bat
smeared upon her. The Journal says she
10 an invalid. There are some diseases OF
women which transform their sentiments,
and what was love Is turned TO hate. Had
the wife been affected she might have
performed such deed, but would most
likely have confessed it before this time
and have talked great deal about her
actuations without remorse.
Then there are certain Influences born
of extreme sensuslities that may be at the
bottom of terrible crime. The Memphis
Mitchell case illustrates this phase of in
sanity. where girl jumped out of q buggy
and cut another girls throat. and although
she seemed rational ana w AS without re-
morse she WAS adjudged insane. The imi-
tative idea is barely possible. think, in
this case. bus lot at all prooa ble."
do you not think thcze is evidence of
vengeance and hatred in the fact that Mr.
Kline struck six timesf"
mo, | think not. because he was dealt
what was int tended as the death blow While
asleep. Were vengeance the motive, the
assassin would have wanted him to know
who w as doing the deed"
What about the sneak thief theory?"
"Well. IL would be more like a sneak
thief walk bolGiy away and thereby ex-
cite no suspicion, while it Is not the conr-
age or daring of q sneak thief TO either
make an attack or be aggressive in at
tack made upon himself"
do you think it might have been q
burglarR"
"A burglar is more apt, of course. to do
deadly violence If Intercepted He is
armed always for emergencies. and posses
Sos what so few OF our detectives have
the nerve to execute his theories. what
ever they are. Inasmuch tho man seems
to have been struck while asleep. the burg.
lar theory is of little value. / don't believe
the man was burglar who did the work.
think. AS Kline had no deadly enemi es. il
would be we'll for the authorities To
look into the matter ss TO who is most
benefited by his death. for their motive,
yet indeed it seems though II were a
crime for crimes sake and entirely without
q motive. and in such q case the offender is
generally n crank. i regard this as
one of the most mysterious of
any that has happened for some
time. IL simply battles all speculation.
Although Kline said. in moment Of con.