The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
SIDE. LIG urS ON 4 CRIME.
Peculiar Social Conditions In which Two Cou-
mon Criminals Lived.

Almost as interesting as the main facts Of
the crime said u New Yorker, are some of tho
curious social relations aud habits which tho
murder OF William Gieldsensuppe developed.
The story threw into view some surprising situ-
ations which are 80 foreign to q persons ordi-
nary experience in life that thcy seem scarcely
credible. One OF these features was tho ~aesocia-
ton OF Martin Thorn with the mon In the east
side saloon in which he was In the habit OF play
Ing pinochie. The men knew lin well. know
that he was a barber, were intimate enough
with him to cha6 the man over his appearance
and manner, but had no idea where he lived or
where he worked, nor did n single one Of them
know his name. 1t secins incredible that an 40
ouaintance should have existed SO long without
any one OF those mon having asked Thorn's
name or learned 1t in some other manner. Tho
men had been meeting at least several nights .
week for a year or moro. But not ono OF those
men knew Thorn's name.
Another curious feature Of the case Is tho
isolation OF the woman arrested, Mrs. Mack.
She appears to have been almost entirely with
out women friends, and the two or thrce that
have figured in the case have not been intimate
with her TO any particular extent. She seems to
have lived entirely without female society, and
while she was noe a WOMAN OF openly immoral
NE, she seems 10 have seen nothing of women
of her own class or OF any class. Evidently she
has no relatives here. and her complete isolation
80 " "V .oht VI NLb blTlhlnk ltAIuTCd Vi nCE
participation in tho affair. Another oXtraor-
binary habit that the case revealed was the one
Of using an undcrtakcr's shop az a livery stable.
who would, ever have thought of going to an
undertakers 10 hire u surrey or anything else
but u hearso, yet Mrs. Mack did it rs II ii were
more or less usual among people OF her class.
Tho women's story that her lover had urged
her repeatedly to commence an owed
vicious lie seemed to Indicate in a way The
manner In which women of her class become
actual violators of the law from having been
merely moro or less irregular in their lives.
Neither the woman nor the murdered man was
alssipated. They lived together and both worked
hard. Between them they managed to save
SONG money. Doubtless they were looked upon
bN their nclShbOrS with no particular disfavor,
although II may have been known that the man
and woman were not married. The profits OF
keeping a house OF i'll fame appealed to
the man, and nc tried to persuade tho
woman 70 open such an establishment. After
having had the liberation, nj least Of their
Delgnbors, they became ~outCastS who, even in
the lax society around them. could scarcely
have expected the slightest recognition as de-
cent people. The police, in speaking OF Mrs.
Mack = case, said that the change from semi, or
al least from apparent, rcSpecLabllty to open
crtnliHalIty was most often accomplished in just
tn!s way.
"Anothcr episode in the case which must
have surprised everybody who read OF 1t was
the manner in which the house at Woodside
was rented. II the stories told OF that arc true,
tho house WAS simply handed over when tho
oier was made and no questions apparently
were asked in reference TO tho character OF tho
tenants or the purpose for which 1t was wanted"