The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-12
wOMAN's PERVERTED LOVE.

WOMAN'S PERVERTED LOVE.
Nothing so puzzles man or arouses
so much indignation in his heart as the
maudlin affection professed by women
for notorious criminals. It is not to
be explained upon any accepted hy-
pothesis Of feminine motive. There is
no mystery about all other promptings
to singular marriages. Leaving out Of
question an affection inspired by the
average man who is good-natured. per
sistent in his attentions and persuasive
in his wooing. there are temptations Of
fered by wealth, the craving for dis
play. the love OF dress and nattery. the
comforts Of a home, the escape from
undesirable family surroundings: piQue.
revenge. pride and mere longing for
q change.
But what IL there in q man who has
committed foul crime to inspire the
tenderest emotion In q woman? SYM
pathy for the unfortunate might in
duce maudlin women to send q con-
demned prisoner flowers and delicacies;
q morbid desire to see and speak to one
who has become notorious, would &C
count for the visits OF hysterical
women to one who Is under the shadow
Of the gallows and whose horrible fate
IL accompanied by q certain mystery.
This is not sufficient to explain why
girls Of good education and pleasant
surroundings should write passionate
letters OF alteration to convicts like
Thorn and Durrant. Even il there
were a doubt as to their guilt there is
an association Of ideas with their names
them objects Of fear and loathing, and
not OF love.
fall In love with women who have at
tracted their acquaintance only by
means and inducements which should
make the idea OF wifehood In connec-
ton with them most revolving In the
former case the infatuation is caused
by the beauty with which the footlights
invest them, the grace OF action or
piquancy OF manner. In the latter case
II Is due TO the merely physical charms
and to the surrender OF self to the
gratified pride OF the man. In either
case the object Is agreeable in person,
daintily a;tired I'm the feminine drap-
cries, however scant. which fascinate
men: and there are attractions OF a
kind in both the ballet girl and Phryne
utterly wanting IN the coarse, brutal
nature and the offensive environments
OF q convict in jail.
II Is seldom that the sequel Of a
woman's perverted love reaches the
newspapers, but Mrs. Considina tells
such q story In New York. She was
widow. Young. pretty and deeply
sympathetic. she became a visitor OF
the Tombs because she felt drawn to-
ward those In suffering. She carried
books and flowers and fruit to the un-
fortunate, as they seemed 10 her. Final
~. she became deeply interested in ore
particular criminal--a murderer. He
wept through the gratings whea she
told him about the love OF Jesus-and
then followed Il with the story OF ner
own love. She was rich. That IS, she
had $50. 900 OF productive property. She
hired lawyers 10 free her murderer. shs
got him out Of jail. She married him
New listen 20 the rest OF the story: AZ
married = murderer. rswned my dia-
monds for him. and I waited on him
and tried every way 20 please him"
Ha spent her i2009a IN titteen months.
lie choked her two days after her mar
rlags ana within week he was in the
habit CT coming home drunk and beat
Ing her, IF oil the women who ara
interested IN criminals" STE writes
''coula see how have suffered. they
would never visit prison again as long
as they Hve- A man who
has oncs committed murder In no at
creature for g decent woman TO be In
ssrestes Ia
This IS 50 logical: II 50 frankly tears
away the veil Q: romance ana exposes
In is naked. shocking. revolving Md
eousneSs the truth. tbs. every seit-re-
spec,!ns WOMAN will s!ckeu q, sss pos-
sibutty, aai tlr1It. but foolish, women
may ftni I'm ~ a wholesome warning.
She who taEues lion ana socIhar,iily
places her head III It's jaws and sx-
poses her fragile limbs 10 its brute