Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-11-25
WAUSAU AND MERRILL.
The Houston Murder Trial and
Its Remarkable Develop
mentS.

Wausau Wis, Nov. 21-[Special1 /
The absorbing center of interest at Wau-
Sau this week is the Houston murder
trial Aside from its features which
appear from day to day in the telegraph
reports there is much in this case to
interest one who cares to spend the time
to view it from its sociological side-to
look at it both anthropolOgically and
gsychologicaliy-fo it is full of meat in
both these lines. Here is 4 case involv-
ing people who for the most part cannot
read, and so far as they can who do not.
That the entire outfit is fearfully de-
fcient in moral perception is beyond
question.
The court is confronted at the outset
with the man Jacobs. who confesses not
only to participation in the murder, but
30 having sustained immoral relations
with his own daughter from the time she
WaS II years of age until long after her
marriage. at the age of seventeen. The
man Jacobs is densely ignorant-sO ig-
norant that it even serves to pdlliate to
some extent the unspeakable vileness of
bis personality.
On the other hand. the daughter. whose
boy-husband was the victim of the muir
der, presents distinctly anomalous feat
ure of the case. In the first place she
has neither the physical marks of the
degenerate nor the general bearing of the
moral deficient, and yet she has been
brought I'D in an atmosphere of what
the world deems vice, and crime has been
her normal surrounding. She is now 20
years of age, has been twice a wife and
Il widow through murder, and four times
she has been compelled under oath to
rehearse a story of her own shame,
wi Oh, had she the slightest shadow of
heart to its very roots. Yet she is of
modest, frank, demeanor, womanly in
carriage and appearance, honest of coun-
tenance and speaks with grammatical ac-
<.UTacy, seldom met on the witness stand
In spite of the moral cesspOol from which
she comes into the view of the world,
the woman bears the earmarks of good
breeding. And where they could have
come from it would be hard to determine,
even in the realm of speculation.
Society in Wausau and Merrill has
been rather quiet during the week,
though. as they say in the commercial
selUfnn, future activity is promised.
cially- Monday Miss Thielman enter
tanned in honor of her birthday Mr.
and Mrs. Young, were subjected to
very pleasant surprise party Monday
night, in which, by a clever ruse Mrs.
Young was made an ostensible partici-
pant in another surprise, party. which
never came. For when the party called
for Mr. and Mrs. Young they staid
"Wednesday evening an old-time sleigh
ing party was organized which went out
into the country for a dance which was
nc2e the less merry because slightly IN
conventional. "Wednesday afternoon
AIRS. J. 2. Weiss entertained the Ladies'
Whist club. Merrill will haze a charity
bail Thanksgiving evening, preceded by
q promenade concert.
In Wausau considerable social activity
is projected, but the past week has been
quiet. The Ladies' Musical society will
give a musical December 8 at the resi-
dence of Mrs. Walter Alexander which
will serve to give financial aid to the Re
lief and Aid society
The Y. NJ. G.. A will have a poster ex-
Aihit Monday night, the first which has
ever been given in the Wisconsin valley.
\ collection of about 400 posters owned
81 Wausau will be exhibited. Saturday
nigat the society young men give an in
formal hop at Elks hall. meant to be in
Il measure complimentary to the ladies
Syho gave the leap-year party last week.