El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-23
A COPIED CRIME.
The Terrible Influence of Evil Litera-
tUre on Youthful Minds.


Some time ago two boys, the Oldest
under II years of age, arrived in this
country from Paris. They came in "a
spirit of adventure to seek their for
tunes in the west, but they soon drifted
down to Louisiana and settled among
penple who spoke Their native tongue.
There they became popular, ard every
one lent them books to read. 1t was
soon noticed that they preferred tories
Of piracy, lawless love and Vicious adj
ventures.
One day-it was in 1S96-the little
village was startled by the news that a
man mad been horribly murdered. In
vestigation showed that he had been
surprised in his house, tortured TO make
him reveal the hiding places of his
treasure, and then killed. He was the
richest man in the country roundabout,
and living alone, with the habits of a
miser, he was known to have large
sums of money concealed in his pre-
| misses.
The brutal crime reused the whole
| neigh borhood. Large rewards were
offered for the capture of the murder
| ers. BlOodhOunds aud detectives were
set at work. A poor tramp was ar
re sted, and was barely able to prove
an alib to escape being lynched. But
all efforts to trace the assassins fail
ed.
A few weeks after the crime the two
French boys showed their employer a
letter from New Orleans Offering them
work at higher wages. Their employ
er congratulated them and advised
them to go, and they went. But the
Sherif fl had some suspicion. He found
out at the post Office that the boys had
received no such letter. He went to
New Orleans, and the boys were not to
ba be n hau ha eriu
He tried to trace them, but they had
d SappeaTed completely.
Some months after this two very rag
ged youths presented themselves at a
plantation near the scene of the crime
and asked for work. They shove d
signs of great suffering and poverty.
They were emaciated and raven0uS.
They were recognized as the same two
brothers who had left the neighbor-
hood to go to New Orleans. The sher-
if soon heard of the + return, and ar
rested them on the charge of murder.
Overcome with terror, they broke
down and confe- sed the deed. 1t was a
miserabl story of two guilty and
haunt souls.
THE face of the dead man followed
us everywhere, they said,- I'VE
couldn't get away from it.
The sheriff questioned them, and
| ouh Ill oiiC VI eiiO oiiiiC INV
els which they were in the habit of
reading murderOus plot had captured
their 0epraved fancy and enticed them
to a career of crime. This book told
how an old miser was robbed, and
finally killed, and how the rutfians
escaped to enjoy their booty. They
determined to. reproduce the bloody
description in real life, and spent some
weeks in planning the fatal work.
They Travelled in luxury on the pro
ceeds OF their murderouS theft. They
tried every amusement, every excite
ment; but they could not be happy.
In vain they endeavOred to Danish the
agonized cOuntenauce of their victim.
1t was as if some chain bound them to
the scene of their atrOclty, and the
farther away they went the more
ineXorably this strange power pulled
them back. Tortured by remorse,
miserable and sta wing, these poor
dupes of wicked book drifted to their
doom as surely as u boat caught in the
edGieS of the maelstrOm.
Both brothers were sentenced to
death. Perhaps they will have suffer-
ed the extreme penalty of the law
before this story reaches our readers
Fascinate boy with book, and he
will do what he reads. They who
throw criminal fction-or the details
of real crime-in the way of the youth
are enemies Of mankind, sowing the
seeds of sorrow and death.--Youth S