Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-30
WONDERFUL. UsfATHoMABLE WON

NV oduC uhoh c'Ci NSACultu W Cidiu
that he understood woman. No sane
man viii ever set UP such claim. It
is all we'll enough TO pronounce this or
that woman fool. But the question is
to fathom the depths of her foolishness
and get at the underlying motive that
actuates her in her charming idiocy.
There are women fools and there
are men fools. 1t is probably
stand-off in this regard between the
sexes. But any one can understand
man fool; he is recognized and
written down almost at a glance,
and no one bothers about him.
A woman fool is different, very differ
ent. You don't recognize her at a
glance. No, nor in two hundred dozen
glances. II takes years, sometimes, for
her to become apparent. And then,
after you are thoroughly convinced that
she is a fool. you can't for the life of
you tell why, or what is the popularity
in the twist of her intellect that makes
her fool. But there she is, a fool, an
awful, superlative fool, a wonderful
fool; she can give plain, shallow man
fool all sorts Of points and beat him
out Of sight every time. But you can't
tell just what ails her, nor from what
motive her foolishness springs.
These remarks are occasioned by the
number of women who have fallen in
love with Murderer Thorn, who send
him flowers in profusion and write him
tender, loving letters. Aye, some of
them are anxious to marry him on the
spot.
WHY?
That is the question. Thorn is not
even half way good locking. He has a
mean, sneaking countenance, ugly,
shifting, deceitful eyes and not re-
deeming feature. There is nothing in
his moral nature to attract. He has
proven himself to be vain and shallow,
as well as treacherous and numerous.
And his effort to throw the murder on
Mrs. Mack, his accOmplice, shows him
to be a most faithless and contemplate
coward
Now. in the name of all that is occult
and wonderful, what is there in the
makeup of this man that attracts and
holds in spell-bound admiration and de-
votion these women fools, some Of
whom are handsome, apparently refin-
ed. and well-to-do. Is it sympathy?
Where is there room for sympathy for
such a despicable wretch? Is it love of
notoriety? Hardly, for their attentions
10 Thorn are largely secret, and the
sheriff is 50 badgered and worried by
their opportunities that he has prevail
ed on the court to exclude women from
the trial. Moreover. if it were notoriety
these women fools were after, there are
many more noted and worthy targets
than Thorn. In fact, their actuating
motive is past finding out. 1t is pc
culiar to the woman fool that she falls
in love with murderer. If he has MUIR
dered his wife and butchered his fam
lily in cold blood, so much deeper does
the inevitable woman fool love him.
The uglier, the more brutal. blood
thirsty and horrid the wretch, the more
ardent his admirers.
But sometimes the woman fool gets
over it. or gets little sense jolted into
her. A case in point is that of Mrs.
Michael Consindine. She, poor crea-
ture, was one of these women fools and
she fell desperately in love with Muir
derer Michael Consindine. She was
wealthy, refined and charming. Her
friends used every persuasion to break
her infatuation, but to no account: not
even their total desertion of her shoot,
her in her mad love. She married him
in the Tombs and spent thousands Of
dollars to free him and succeeded. Now
she tells her own story in a New York
paper with a view Of dissuadlng other
women fools from pursuing her course.
Here is paragraph from her letter:
He told me- he was repeu7ant and he saf5
ne wanted 70 lead a better life. and that he
only needed my help 70 be able TO do 1t.
l believed him, and / worked for months
to save his life.
hired lawyers to defend him and went
all over getting witnesses for him and
sending the witnesses against him away
worked myself sick for him. and
spent thousands of dollars. He was
acquitted. I sent him home 70
Philadelphia for rest and gave him mon
ey to spend while he was there. Two
days after We were married ba
tried to choke me to death because I
would not go to my father and ask for
more money for him to spend That was
fifteen months ago. To-day 1 am penni-
less, helpless and sick, and all my friends
haYe. 6aan me.