Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-11-15
No. 36.
THREE MURDERERS.

There are three men in this country
at present lying in their cells awaiting
the day when their lives will be taken
on the scaffiold to atone for crimes, the
magnitude of which are appalling
when beheld i'm their actual import.
The three have been tried by juries of
their piers, and have been found guilty
of the most atrociOus murders, and it is
only question of weeks when their
own lives will pay the penalty.
One in the eastern part of the United
States has been decreed guilty of MUIR
dering men for the purpose of filling
his Golfers with money obtained from
insurance companies which was in the
form of policies on the lives of his un-
fortunate victims. Not only this, but
the evidence adduced points with APP
parent certainty to the conclusion that
he murdred others who might, when
brought to tribunal of justice, give
evidence which would throw light upon
his crimes He engaged in this horri-
BILE business of human slaughtering as a
means of acquiring livlihood. 1t
was his business, his trade, and he fol-
lowed it with as much pride as any
other person following any vocation to
sustain themselves. He piled his MUIR
derous trade as cool and calculated as
the butcher follows his. 1t had become
with him science to which he applied
all his resources of mind and skill. To
take human life was only an ordinary
everyday thing. 1t was all for money.
The killing of his victims for the in
surance money was to satisfy his greed
for luXuries, as was also the killing of
those who might testify against him,
for he believed that "dead men tell no
tales
The other monster is nearer us. Hay
ward, after winning all that is pure and
priceless in the innocent naiden, by
robbing her of her virtue, procured life
insurance upon her person, then en-
ployed a weak-minded wretch to take
her life i'm order to secure money. After
winning her confidence and trust he
causes her to be slain by the hand of
the assassin to enrich himself.
On the Pacific coast we find the third
case, wholly different in its character
istics from the other two. Durant slew
two innocent and promising young
girls in the very church and beneath the
shadow of the very altar before which
they and he paid tribute to their God.
They reposed implicit confidence in
him and honored him with their friend
ship and association, as he was what
they supposed trusted superintendent
of their Sunday school. But the fiend
played upon their honesty and conf
dence, outraged their persons, and
murdered them to hide his guilt.
The first two were murders for en-
riching the perpetrators. Human life
was weighed against gold, and to them
the gold was the dearer. They counted
out so many ounces of blood against SO
many ounces of silver. The last case
was the treacherous act of a villainous
scoundrel, who attempted to hide his
deeds of blood behind the cloak of
religion. And when we comprehend
the awfulness of the crimes of these
three men it is enough to cause us to
lose faith in humanity. What evil
spirit dwells in the hearts of men? Be-
hind countenances which depict none
other than true manhood there turks
the damning elements of murder. But
when the lives of these three wretches
have been destroyed and their bodies
dangle at the end of the string the
world will be the better for their having
left it. 1t would have been better had
they died before their lips were taught
to utter speech.