Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-21
CRIMEATHIGH TIDE
Strange superstisions That In
fluence Criminals.
CHASTITY IMPLEMENTS USED
rnS,n Heisnous Bcsaness-rhs Dead
nak's Had snd the
Corpse csnd,&


Opc Of ths mcsk curious ana strange
phAs<s Of Superstition - that which re-
lares - the criminal elAssss- he
nxystic oote which regulates the hyes
OF ti--sc sneulies Of society u IN many
s.1es . survival II f-tiehis1a 81 the old
CT xind Believing tenscionsiy In the
drsad eEicnsy ~ certain ghsstly sharins
ard inn1nraEion.. The mAlefsctor bold
u entsrz GA his euterp<iso OCCASIONALLY
carrying with hi1a - dead man
land'-taAen from ore who had died
q vins-ut death sush charm being
ruppos<.f - overpowrr with sleep those
Who co1ne under Ia influence. II : nat
urslsy al Invaluable adjunct 10 the I'M
plasneuts employed By thieves. says the
IAli Nal Budget
some pears s,ro an attempted robbery
was nsafe by burglars an estate II.
a.. rsnty Meath. and. - quote con-
tempsrary account Of the affair. -ther
entered The house armed with dead
x-.a's hand. with lighted candle N it.
telieVing that a candle - placed VIII
not be seen ~ any bat those By whom
u 1. rso,i. an1 also that II = candle IA !.
deea rnans hnnt &c introduced Ia q
house h VII prevent those who may b.
aslcsp trogn awakening. The inmates
howe ses. were alarmed; the robbers
led. leaving tie dead mans hand be-
hind thern-r
Macy similar stories are told of the
use Il the dead haad by thieves. one
communicated By Rev. ). Barring Gould
l-.inx ~orshy OF notice. Two men. has-
ing come 10 lodge Ia public house
with view % roobing IL asked per-
1nis@5on 81 pas the NIGHT 6y the firs.
and obtained t. When the house was
sluiet. the servant girl. suspecting mis-
chief. crept downstairs and looked
through the i<syhole. when she saw tho
men open Sack and take out q dry.
-sithsred hand They a7oinsed the
fsnccrs with some ungraent. and lighted
them Each Anger famed except the
sssuusb. which lntkased shat one Of TIC
horssel.oid wzs DSs asleep.
Crose gives full account Of this
cha-ln "a used bJ French houscbrea<srs.
nnd vnristi0n ~ ths same belief pre-
v.ilo.s la Belgium. Not far from Bau.
lsul. Ia Wasf FlAflfcrs. a chief was cap
ax>.d on whom was f,unG the foot OF .
man who bad been hanged, which b,
u@cd- wh~p engaged la his robbcries. fos
prukfns psr~oDs - slerp- Similar In
stances are Quossd from Spain and Ger
many. and IL h noteworthy that Mex.
fcan thieves have been known 10 carry
with khasa The Left hand and arm OF a
woman WIZ dfed ~ thu birth OF her
first cf1ild
Then there n tho corpse-c.ndle. a
weird implement Of the robbers trade,
which. although common throughout
Earope. seems u have been more gtn-
crai Ia Germany than any other couE-
~. zoe - long ago. IL may be remem-
tcred. four peasants in the south Rus
sian government 81 kur<sk murdered a
Girl Ia order u make candles OF her
holy. the notion being that such q
hideous ilght not only renders the per.
fstrators II robbcries invisible. bot
nrensuy throws the victim or victims
into a state - Sounolencc- In the Ger
man criminal CODES q tho scTsnteenth
AMI eighteenth centariss we end cx
press ulsnti1D made q penalties against
a crime M motive Of which was the
fn1 candles" This superstition has n
ursd tn many triai. and seems 10 be,
even 81 The present day. implicitly
teiievcd N ~ the criminal classes. Ia.
derd it was suggested that Tie White
chapel marsisr~ were instiga.ed ~ This
ielea--a theory s-hsch the celebrated Or.
lsfo-b. a member Of the Austrian res'hs'
rafh. va Induced % support A la
s-encs * this piece u criminal iors
occorrs-i during The trisl II the German
thief. rt.>ciorc Unxcr. who Wa exc
sated a. Magirburz in 1910, when 4
v<aa tr,oSh. 90. Ia evidence that 9
r,litiar .ra1s- existed for the supply a
ts-~e Tr-,vs,une implements % the bur
STARS trade Bu- Instead ~ making
Has erirainal ivv<ihic. this grim l.ghi
hss more tsan once done the reverse
snd csa.ed -in 70 ~ htouxhs - Iastirs