New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-12
4 "UTLD. H4RULFSS DESIRE

"UIID. HlRUIENS DEN1hF
In the letter written TO Police Magistrate
Walsh by Edward J. Russell, who Is charged
with attempting 10 blackma Almet +. jerks.
that picturesque advcntrrer makes what he calls
~ most painful and humiliating confession.
! the giSt of which is that. having been 50 'un-
| fortunate" as To shoot a man. whose name is
now immarerlal" in ISIS. he was sentenced
upon his plea Of guilty to imprisonment for
eight wears ENFORCED dcnoSs" in prison and
anxiety for the loved ones" he had disgraced,
| he saws caused him 10 he afflicted with a mild.
harmless desire for concOcting schemes of local
and general mischief" In the ingennousncSS
of this confession may be easily discovered the
| influence upon an unbalanced mind of the
| vicious sensational literature with which the
| CHEAP newspapers that make leading features Of
the details of crime and the exploitation Of Grim
| nalS daily gorge the dcpravcd appetites OF their
readers He was not criminal but only 'un-
| fortunate in shooting man. whose name J.
mmarcrial". Of course the victims name Is
immatcrial The only material thing Is that this
person contributed an item of thrilling interest
10 the newspapers He was the hero of tile cpl
Sode: the other fellows name is of no conse-
qucncc And he was unfortunate" enough 10
get arrested and sent To jail.
For what happened afterward he j. not to
blame II j. society-thc Statc-hat kept him
in enforced ldlenoss 50 that he could only dwell
in morbid way upon the loved ones whom he
had dS.raced and be rackcd with anxiety on
their behalf So out Of Tie misfortune Of shoot
ing Il man. "wh0Se name is immatcrial. ana
being sent 10 jail for H. and the subsequent lack
of consideration on the part of the state by
which he was subjected TO enforced idl"ncSs -
without having done anything rcprehcnsiblc
worth speaking Oft came 10 pass that he was
afflicted with mild. harmless desire for con-
cocting schemes of local ana general mischief.
Having had Il somewhat rough eXperi"nc" III
his first effort 10 contribute 10 senSaiionalSm by
shooting somebody he discontinued his en-
dcavOrS i'm that direction and undertook the
more mild and harmless diversion of "Ntoriing
money from his fcow-men by threatening them
with scandalous publications. affecting their IN
trgritv or their morals, in some OF the news
papers that make Il specially OF >urh lhilgs.
Having been again unfortunate in his hrNi
experiment in this new line of local and gen
cral mischief" he dsburdcnS himself Of the
confession referred TO- in which hc diScloScS with
such ingenuOrSncSS the effect upon his riclcy
intellect of current sensational literature.
He seems 10 be aware after Il loose fashion
that hr was c0ncOcting schemes of local and
general mischief" but continuous feeding upon
the grosSnes3 Of social scandals aS spread out
upon the pages of his daily newspapers had 50
! imbruted his consciousness and dradened his
sense of shame that he really looked upon them
as mild and harmless. So. no doubt. the pub
! fishers who furnish II market for purvcyorS OF
unclean gossip consider their part in the local
| and general mischief mild and harmless. They.
! after all, are the worst offenders They cnll-
| yate the taste for grOsSneSs and prlIriency in
| their readers just for the profit there is in il
| and the increased circulation il gives their
| sheets and they pay. no doubt handsomely. for
! the CRISIS Of foulncSs which the mild and harm
| less backmlilcrS and literary gutterSnipes bring
10 their hopperS. II is we'll that Nlr. Russell :
mild harmless desire for connecting schemes
Of local and general mischief has received a
check. If now the same mild. harmless desire
! on the part of The greater offenders could re-
cpivc a similar check. il would be still better