The morning times., 1895-09-22

This is nothing remarkable in itself, but
the policy was payable to the nephew OF the
dead man, and is out of all proportions to
his earnings. and the deceased did not pay
the premiums, while the beneficiary did.
Inc word the man stood between anothers
and what was to that other a comfortable
succession, and he was bill OF expense as
long as he lived. Is IL too much TO suspect
that a man who was willing to speculate
on the death of another to begin with would
cogg the dice TO his advantage when he
found himself able 10 do so withoutthe least
danger OF detection?
The third case is just repetition of the
second. except that the death certificate
reads "Pyemia-" The meaning of the two
things is the same. In this case the man
who had au interest in the death was a Phil
adelphia sporting man, who, by the decease
of the nearer heirs, was the residuary lega-
tee of man who had the use OF an estate
for life.
This case presented the same impossible
questions for solution as the last. How it
could happen that two such cases as these
could occur in the space OF three months
without the least apparent connection vAh
any other cases IN a city where the records
are made with any sort of care, il is hard
to see, and when the two suspicious cases
the only ones that happen in n whole year
that cannot be accounted for it is worse
than blindness TO deny the inference that
such cases need LOOKING after
While no distinct charge has been made,
there is no doubt in the minds OF the few
men who know all the circumstances, that
some one in this city is prepared TO sell,
for his price, the means OF death to any one
to whom lie thinks it safe to sell.
The idea might be advanced that the
cost Of the plant would make it difficult for
any one who did not have very large trade
to afford to go into the business OF making
poisons OF this class, but against this may
be urged an equally obvious fact that the
whole outfit of the manufacture would not
cost 800, and that the cost of running
the same is nil. A much more serious diff
Guilty would be the getting possession of the
first cultures, but this could be done n this
city by entering any of the Laboratories de-
voted to this class of work as a student aud
then starting the cultures in the tubes pre-
pared for bis own use by this devoted stu.
dent of science. p
THE SALE OF. DISEASES.
the man selling TO any one the cultures of
disease germs should protect himself by pro-
viding proper statement for his intending
customer, and lawyer has expressed an
opinion that any one did his whole duty in
the premises If he required his customer to
sign receipt, such, for instance, as the fol-
lowing:
New York, July 81, '95.-Received of
A. b. one test tube said to contain a Gull
ture of the bacillus of anthrax The said
purchased for purposes of scientific re-
search. (Signedl.' If this is the case and
the man in question is a lawyer of fame
in this city, there is less risk in selling,
4 dozen OF this class of pUisons than in.
selling one dose OF ludanum; in one word it
Is free trade in murder. 1t would be sim
ply impossible to reach the seller until the
buyer is caught, and If the sale is made q
,rine. then the condition of the middle
ages is reproduced exactly, and at that
lime the most severe punishments were
unable to restrain the sale OF poisons.
so it will be now Just as soon as the
inclined see how much easier
is to DO murder according To the laws.
II scientific crime than against them.
they will no longer have recourse to such
-ulgar poisons as the rough on rats and
he like, but they will purchase any one
Il the seventeen Invariably fatal diseases
hat they can produce in the human SUBJ
ect at will.
There are two ways In which this new
orm of crime can be met. at least there are
wo that are obvious One is to register
very culture oven owner in the city and
hen publish every one that is not so regis.
srcd, If he is discovered. and make it a
to have an oven that is not
cgistered. Owing to the fact that Elmer
Amend, in New York city. sell much more
han half of all the supplies in the United
tates, it would be easy to obtain the
ales to private parties, if it We're required
v law. To stop the transfer of the cul-
ures between those that are interested in
uch things, W ould not in any way aid. be-
ause the more men that are able TO make
he cultures, the more there will be on the
Ookout for this sort of crime.
The other, and the better way, is to treat
very case that is proved to be one of the
o-called sporadic cases." of contagious
isease as murder and investigate 1t as
Ich. The fact is well known that these
ases can all be proved to be murders, or
esult of the contempt of law.
.