The herald., 1895-07-08
A CHARACTER
DELINEATOR
What an Expert Thinks
of the Kennett
Case
WHY DID HE DO IT.?
He Was Not Man of Murderous IncIin.
alton and of Good Mental
Make.Up and Well
Balanced
BY Leslie r. Mutch

Believing that the great puolic are in
terested in knowing in what respect tho
natural disposition and mental balance OF
the man who does murdcrous act have
inclined MIN to thus do, write concisely
of my studies of the slayer OF Mr.. Lawson
as follows:
The life record of Mr.. Kennett shows
him to be endowed with more mental and
purpose powers than the average man.
His deed is surprise, in view of the fact
that no well-balanced man is to be pre-
sumed to let a mere monetary difference,
even though aggravated into dispute or
bitter quarrel, so blind his judgment
as to cause him to lose sight Of the value
of human life and consequently to i'm
peril his own.
All civilized people and especially those
who have known him and the man
ready to weigh his character; to consider
an accurate picturing of his personality.
A careful study OF the man and the va
rious character indications he bears. for
those tv read who can, shows him to
possess healthy body, vigorous and
free from such conditions as induce NOR
bid or biased srates of brain, and hence
VI luluus Ilc ldo &c VI diiis Va hAshCi
than the average quality. He is not from
coarseness inclined to be brutal. His
crime is not result of lack of clearness
of mind, nor deficiency of sense of right.
He was not led to this act by reason of
any failure to plainly see the conse.
quences OF his so doing. He is too well
endowed with clearness of reason, keen
ness of observation. economic tact or
shrewedness, and tender sympathy, for
those to whom he may be in duty bound to
give such, to have it ever said that or
dinary criminal impulses we're the actual.
ing factors.
it has been said that crime. as is be-
lieved of drunkenness, is disease, ver-
dict that do not allow in this instance.
If chs man is in any way deranged, then
ara all who commit crimes, SO; and that
to the degree that makes them irIespon-
sIble-an item tha6 it would be madness
to concede. Mr.. Kennett has many of the
traits that are so admired in the charac-
ter Of Colonel Robert IDgersoll, such as
charity, dsierenoe. love for the pet, the
child, the flowers, indeed all of nature or
humanity that appeals for help, sympa-
thy or protection. 1t is said in national
proverb that he who loves these can not
be bad at heart. Here is a man whose
sense OF right is manifest, whose reason
is clear, who is well endowed with intui-
tion, good judge of human nature, yet
Wltudl AdFluk tcly ocuSlGlNC ulopOoA-
ton, and therefore very easily touched by
anything discordant. He has that pecu-
liar sense of honor tnat lets reflection up
on it serve to infuriate. Unfairness, as
he saw it, would cause his blood to boil,
arousing extremely the hidden fires OF an
intense nature. His secretive disposition
would hide within his thoughts. real or
tancied wrong, and continually re-pictur-
ing it, only ada to his anger. He would
not relieve himself OF grudge by frankly
discussing it, and so give opportunity for
a reconciliation. To an enemy he would
seem candid, while the inner fires. SIM
ply smothered for the present, would have
new fuel added by further differences.
He would never forget an injury.
One of the cardinal premises Of human
selfishness (psychologically considered)
is that parties whose personal rights op.
pose can never see a common or mutual
basis of Justice. Such are interested (;
therefore prejudiced hence unfair. The
leading traits of the character of Mr..
Kennett that have induced the present
status are, IN addition to the foregoing,
an extreme inclination to be vindictive
''at the last ditch. for he is as unfor-
giving as an Indian SO long as he believes
he has grievance (this is not in conflict
with the previous statement as to ten
derness and charity. for these exist where
pathy can call them out). He has
the brain faculty. Oh ue5ITuCIlVeneSS eX-
tremely large. fully more SO than that uf
conscience. His love of property. money
or any other acquisition is very much
greater than his patriotic and humani-
tartan traits. He is therefore paradoxical
being kind and generous to some (the
needy, and severe. unforgiving, unhu.
manitaridn to others. While be has a
good degree of the faculty friendship, he
has still more conjugality; hence he is
more devoted to nearer companion than
to all Others and therefore would employ
the severity, the vengeance, that arise
from smaller humanitarianism and larger
conscience and destruction. In such a
place he would be unduly vindictive il
what he believed to be- unfair caused the
one nearest him to suffer. He never
makes friendship SO closely as to have
the tie endure in the event Of difference
that awakened his resentment.
In the physiognomy OF Mr.. Kenneth il
seen sign that would be very apt to pro
woke an honest and determined opponent
to vigorous and even aggressive action
II has an over supply of the invective.
He would cut to the quick, to point be-
yond endurance any one for whom be
had been saving piece OF his mind
Supposing the ci.cums stance of the lnnel
office, and that Mr.. Kennett had gone to
the place determined to reach an under
standing of some kind, and also that ht
had nursed grievance until its pent-uT
fires must be let out or burst, and that he