The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-02-24
EXHIBITING MTRDERERS
How Morbid Curiosity Is Gratifed
at Cincinnati.
THOUSANDS OF JAIL VISITORS

Jackson and walIing Made to Pass Between
Two Lines of visitors. Most Of whom
Are Women aud Many of Them Bloom
ing Schoolgirls.
CINCINNATG, Feb. 24-When the head.
less body Of Pearl Bryan was discovered
near Fort Thomas ON Feb. 1 the first feel
ing was a chill of horror at the revolving
devlish ingenuity of the crime Four days
later when the confessed partners in it,
Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling. not
to mention the lad William Wood were
arrested, the excitement over the unspeak
able atrocity became passionate, indeed al
most furious
As one by one, day by day, the dumb
witnesses of this crime, matchless for cold
bloodcd cruelty, came to light all other
passions gave way to that of vengeance.
Nor did the fact of the exceptional high
standing Of the families of the victim and
of the inventors and perpetrators of the
| crime tend to relieve the tension of public
indignation. They found the strong walls
of the Jail "A welcome shelter Now, how
ever, the prospect Of speedy punishment
has allayed public impatience
During the past week the public interest
in the accused men, jackson and Walling,
has assumed a new phase. That fascina-
tion which mystery has for the masses has
drawn visitors by thousands every day
Beginning on Monday of last week the
flow to the Jail of curious humanity was
continuous from morning till night. On
last Thursday the number had grown to
1000; on Friday it increased to 1000
Jailcr Lew kushman and his guards were
Ia,
in and out. This became so burdcnsomc
that on and after Saturday all visitors
We're excluded. This excitement was tell
ing ON the nerves Of the two leading pris-
Oners. Not one visitor in a hundred cared
to see the boy, William Wood
limit was placed on the time visitors
were permitted to stay. Every few min
utes the jail was cleared and new install
ment of sightsecrs was admitted. Once
in the corridors of the Jail the visitors
were arranged in two lines, forming lane
through which the two chief prisoners
were led slowly, one at a time, for public
inspection, like horses at an auction before
a group of buyers. Both Jackson and
Walling stood this ordeal while it lasted
with steady nerve and firm step. Weari-
ness and depression came to both at the
close of the day, after this hurrying was
over. William Wood, the boy who is
charged with aiding and abetting these
criminals, was an interested spectator of
these exhibitions From the balcony of
his corridor which is two stories above
Jackson's and Walling's floor he could
command an excellent view of the whole
performance. Visitors usually simply
looked at the prisoners much after the
manner of viewing savage beasts at a
menagerie, without speaking Il word.
AS to the character of these visitors, the
singular fact is that at least two-thirds ot
them were women. OF these the greater
were blooming young girls, with rosy
cheeks and bright eyes. Once in while
Il group of matronly women call, but thi,
is comparatively rare OF course the mos
of the callers have been from Cincinnati
and the neighboring towns. A highly re
spectacle minority are from Indiana anC
more distant states Occasionally mothers
take in their little sons and daughters
Christian people who are Sunday habitue
of the Jail seek to talk to the prisoners OF
religious subjects, and meet hearty re
ception.
William Wood, the mere boy entangleC
in the beginning of this enormous crime
has no such public distinction as that o
the two chief actors in it. An Indiana
visitor betrays the state from which he
comes by inquiring for young Wood, anG
by the peculiar Indignation he shows
against that lad for his share in the outse
of the crime. With the great mass of peo
pie Wood is not taken into consideration
In yesterdays Enquirer Scott jackson
has a card addressed TO the publicin in whicl
he simply reiterates the story he has Otter
told of his connection with this case. H
exonerates himself as a principal just a
he has done before, and gives the leader
ship in guilt to Wslling He does no
throw ray of light on the mystery. H
thinks the press has been unfair to him
and makes this statement over his owl
signature to set the public right