The morning call., 1894-01-14
FROM AN ARTISTIC STANDPOINT.

Murder as Fine Art" Reynolds showed
him self to be true artist. Many robbers
have held up their man and gone through
him while bis fingers pointed to the heav
ems above. But 1t has been given 10 few
to hold up six men at once and to march
them In line like an awkward squad
across street. For breadth of conception
the performance is unequsled. 1t is
ahead of the feat of the Irish soldier who
made prisoner two of the enemy by sur
rounding them. If one of his six captives
ha1 shown fight melee would have en-
sued, aud though the rObber might have
made holes in his assailants his own life
would probably have been forfeited.
Reynolds evidently knew his men and filled
in the lines of his canvas with an artists
eye.
Comparing his W ork with the perform
aDces of such artists of the past as Dick
Turpin and Jonathan Wild. little exulta-
ton over the progress achieved in a Gen.
tury may be forgiven. Those ancient
operators rode out to meet their man on
II ounslow Heath and bade him stand and
deliver at the point Of horse-pistol. Or
they poked the pistol into the window of
a coach full of shrieking women and called
Tor purses and yaluables. This was the
primitive stage of the art. 1t was only
one step in advance of the Kindergarten
school which used the bludgeOn from be-
hind-a method which no connoisseur can
commend. From the narrow standpoint of
The moralist robbery is robbery however
1t is perpetrated. but to the artistic
mind there are degrees in the felonious art
which vary according to the expenditure
OF potential energy by the. robber, and to
the limitation of his deed to the object
sought. 1t is impossible TO deny to Black
Bart, or the lone highwayman, some rank
in art. Still they were dependent on the
aid of cOnfederates. As TO highwaymen
who cannot empty their victim without
killing him, theirs is very low art. indeed.
They are burglars and cannot really be
classed among artistic "cutpurses of the
empire and the rule"
In highway robbery, as in everything
else, French art has attained eminence.
Fin de steele operators have reviewed the
old methods of the garrotP, with modern
improvements. The victim is approached
from behind, and silk handkerchief is
deftly thrown round his neck so tightly as
10 prevent articulation, and TO cripple his
muscles without producing strangulation.
A confederate in front rapidly emptes his
pockets and the victim is released almost
before he knows that he has been on the
operating liable. A well-cOnstltuted mind
could hardly feel Tesen tment at such treat
ment. No one could be robbed with more
delicacy. In an artistic point of view the
method is defective inasmuch as it re-
quires two operators. II the garroter had
third hand so as to leave his right hand
free to explore his victims pockets, the
plan would be perfect. Some ingenious
mechanical engineer will probably supply
the deficiency.
But the masterpiece of this year in this
noble branch of art saw the light in China.
Shortly after New Year the young En-
DerOr with his suite undertook one of those
professions 10 The Winner Palace which
are a signal for foreigners at Peking to
close doors and shutters and not on any
account to look through their windows.
AS the ku-jin moved with professional
dignity through The dirty streets of his
capital band Of highway robbers emerged
from houses and attacked the cavalcade.
Our accounts thus far are merely tells
graphic. but they state that the bandits
secured "a quantity of Yaluables" and like
wise the persons Of several imperial Off
GERS who are held for ransom. This must
be considered very high art indeed. both in
view of the object attained and the diff
culties which must have been overcome
The Emperor never moves without an
armed escort. 1t must either have been
defeated or have run away. He who
planned and executed this operation must
possess the mind and the eye of a general.
He deserves to be classed with Alaric and
other famous artists who converted whole
sale robbery into a fixed science.
At first blush, the robbery by road
agents of railroad trains seems TO be a
step in advance Of the operations of that
class OF artists in the last century. But
when studied in the clear light of true
art, these railroad holdups cannot be
classed as first rate work. In the first
place they are defective in the attainment
of their purpose. Few railroad robbers
capture much booty, and sooner or later
they get into the penitentiary unless they
are so fortunate as to live among sympa-
thiZers. The loss of life which attends
their operations reveals buDglng
N ethod. Men who kill generally die in
their boots. In Sicily. the Abruzzi and
Greece, compeers of our road agents
fiourished for years; but the main branch
of their business was the capture of indi-
viduals who were held for ransom.
Hadii Starvos and the chiefs Of the Malta
only stole property for pocket money. As
it was Gbey were hunted down at last. If
our highway artists should extend their
sphere from still life to study OF the figure,
their prospects might perhaps brighten.
II they caught Governor or a Senator
or Bishop. and sent in his right ear to
his friends, with a message his left ear
would follow If given number of thou
sands of dollars were not deposited in a
cleft of the Sierras, who shall say that the
ransom would not be forthcoming And
1t would be impossible to deny that the
work would be high art.
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