New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-23

such conduct was reprehensibe, II not posiuVe''
w-opy even in n nobeman who aspired 10 the
hard ~ a Queen The fashion in the matter Oh
,,urder was about 20 change For snort u'he
the proper way TO have an enemy done 70 uea'"
WAS IN accuse him Of heresy or witchcrai'' '"e"
came day, when the political spy ana ih'o'"'e'
uera busy persons But assassination went V"
NJ about the same rate whatever the particular
svstern that might be for the moment IN vogue
possirnists say that the world is still az Dau as II
over was Nevertheless. border ruiiian OF h'sh
blood like Rothyell would be hard 10 ma IN
Western Europe It might be easier to MT on
tho counterpart Of the achemst. Sir EDWARD
Kelley There appear to be those VINO SUI De-
love in the reality Of the philosophers stone IN
m. possibility Of transmitting base substances
into gold. in the visions Of eyes strained over 'he
polished surface Of crystal ball, ana THESE were
the things on which Kelley depended Tor MS
living In an age when the chances OF swindiih9
by false pretenccs were somewhat more hoeraily
provided than they now, at least among
crowned heads. Kelley could hardly taKe III an
Emperor Of Austria at the present Day ou' he
could find satisfactory number OF victims soihe-
what lower in tho social scale. Besides there ~
no telling when the fashion may come arouhu
again OF believing In alchemy and sortilege ana
necyla and all the impurities OF tho age OF WHICH,
craft Until the fashion does change IN this way
IT Is vain to hope for the recurrence OF ahother
Matthew Hopkins. lie had exemplars IN me-
diaeval worthless like Sprenger. but ne has haa no
successor His case is also that OF man DORM
in al age unpropit0us 70 his genius. IL" CEN
turtles earlier he might have slain thousands ana
have been reckoned a defender OF the fa,th anu
order Of Christendom. whereas he only pursued
to their death a few score and then died IN such
obscuriy that the manner OF his taking OF Is the
theme Of untrustworthy legend. J. O. Jones the
author OF Hopkinss biography In this volume
dlsproves the story that the wtchnnder was
bI-use,f nurIshod as a wizard Hopkins probably
died safely In his bed without recovering from the
baIlucination that the murders he committed
were for the good Of society
For another character like Titus Oates. whose
entire mental organization was concentrated In
the gin NJ lying. the world will have to walt for
a time Of universal religious terror and hatred.
When n few dozen Jesuit fathers could put the
whole realm or Great Britain In a panic. such
creature as Oates was could obtain credit and
influence. But these intervals Of national iAsani-
~ are rare In like manner only the unlimited
craze for dueling can bring out a person Ike
George Robert Fitzgerald that demoniac MKT
ure Of courage and cowardce Of rolcking hu-
NOR and bloody malice. Of dandyism and ruiiian-
ism Yet II must be remembered that II flz-
gerald had lived in the twelfth century he might
have been respectable knight-errant He was
born when the times were out Of joint for him
and he had to accept the fate grotesque Tor
one OF his breed. OF being done to death by the
common hangman. OF him we'll az some
others in this precious list Of bad men it is
fnar ,h.,
dominance Of a fixed idea. In the case OF the
literary posoner Wainwright. this view Of the
criminals career Is unavoidable. II this Is not
shown by the murders for which he escaped
due punishment by transportation on the charge
Of forgery, It is certainly revealed by his conduct
in Tasmania. He became a slave to opium and
twice attempted - murder persons who sat 10
him for their portraits A frghtful story. the
substance Of which. however has been told ~
other men, is that he once whispered IN the ear
o, a dying fellow-convict You are "A dead man.
In four-and-twenty hours your soul will be in he'll
and shall be dlssectlng your body" But one
would like 10 completely reverse the query Of
Barry Cornwall. who would hav, supposed that
from n man who was absolutely fop. hnkn In
dress. With mncine steps and tremulous words.
with his hair curled and full Of unguents. and his
checks painted Ike those u n frivolous demlrcp.
would fame out ultimately the depravity Of
polsoner and A murderer on the contrary.
these early pecuarIiies seem 10 fix the character
Of man whom necessity might drive TO the most
fancl,u excesses In crime
The b!ogra ph.es In this volume have evidently
been prepared with unusual care They are ac
companed in an appendix by notes giving an ac-
count Of all the books pamphlets and manu-
scripts from which Information obtained.
The illustrations from contemporary prints
and portraits which form valuable addition 10
the narratives. But one must stick at the num-
Der twelve Why was not the thirteenth scoun-
drcl written up Just FOR luck?'