The record-union., 1897-06-14
COST OF SENSATIONALISM.
Effects Of the Vivid Portrayal Of the
Greater Crimes.
A Thoughtful Article by One Who
Has Followed the Dur
rant Case.

John F. Carrere, Secretary of the
State Lunacy Commission, who has
had an excellent opportunity to become
familiar with the effects upon weak
minded people of reading and ponder
Ing over the daily recitals of crimes, so
vividly portrayed and Illustrated IN
the sensational press, writes as follows
to the Record Union" on the subject
of the direct and indirect cost OF such
crimes and publications:
1t would be very interesting. if 1t
We're possible, for political economists to
ngure out what a sensational case ike
that of Durrant costs the community.
Tie cost of the trial. that is the fees Of
the jury and witnesses and the salaries
of the Judges and other court officials
of course could be figured out approx
mately, but that part of the expense,
which everyone recognizes as the
costs" is only a small part Of the ac-
tual amount that will be expended by
society before the last echoes Of the
case shall have been heard.
The Durrant affair is only mentioned
as an Illustration. Any other promi-
ment criminal case has it's big bill of
expenses, which no one thinks of and
no one reckons; that is, the cost that
arises from the widespread notoriety
given the affair.
For months, and months. and months
the story of this mans crime, with all
its revolving details graphically illus
trated by skilled artists, has been cir
culated from the mouth of the st. Law
renee to Tia Juana. Millions of chill
dpprl and Youths baua raad
line Of it they could get hold of; mill
ions of men and women have discussed
1t, thoughtabout it and invented theories
as to the guilt or innocence of the ac-
cused. The most casual observer of
human nature will recognize the evil
that this has caused.
Already we have a crop of insane
persons as a result of reading the
sickening story. Self-confessed mur-
derers of Blanche Lamont and Minnie
Williams are appearing all over the
country, only to be discovered on in
vestigation to be fit subjects for luna
tic asylums.
1t is a well-known fact that new in
ventions-as, for instance, the electric
light and the telephone-startling
events, the stories of notable persons,
like Napoleon or Queen Victoria-all
have the effect on the minds of persons
leaning toward insanity. Our asylums
are filled with persons who have de-
1usions based on these new inventions
as, for instance, that they are being
continually called over imaginary tel
ephones, or that they are great per-
sons, even the Almighty himself
If the story of Napoleon or of Caesar
affects a man who reads it to-day so as
to unbalance his mind, what is likely to
be the effect on the minds Of many
among the millions who have paused
with devouring interest over the story
OF Durrant?
There are likely, therefore, to be
many items of expense in the insane
asylums for years to come that can be
legitimately charged up to the sensa-
tionalism of the Durrant case and it's
wide publication.
But the cost to the State, through the
increase in the number Of insane, is
only item of the expense it must pay
as the price of sensatiOnalism. There
is the increase in the number of it's
criminal population to be considered.
Everyone knows that crime begets
crime, and that to-day, as centuries
ago, there are men so anxious for no.
toriety that they are willing to burn
even the temple of Diana to achieve it.
Boys read of robbers and burn with
a desire to emulate the achievements
of a Jack Shepard or a Chris Evans,
and only God can tell how many chill
dren have been ruined by reading the
story of Durrant and his crimes. That
reading has sOwn the seed of crime
with them as it has sowed the seeds of
insanity in others, and sooner or later
the harvest will come, and the bills
must be paid by the people.
1 believe it no eXaggeration to say
that thousands of crimes viii result,
and that many have already resulted
from the publicity given the Durrant
case. I know the case Of a boy, who
perhaps might have some day amount
ed TO something, but who, being ar
rested for some petty offense, was
locked up in a Jail with Chris Evans.
He is as proud of that fact as other
people would be of having dined with
General Grant or Queen Victoria, and
he tells with real eloquence and q
wonderfully descriptive power of the
crowds who came to visit the noted
bandit. That boys highest ambition