The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-06

A recent tragedy in Monroe township
Grant county, illustrates the tendency Of
crime to beget crime, and shows also how
lynchings are bred by the failure to punish
crime. The tragedy consisted in the at
tempted murder of young woman by a
young man who wanted to punish her for
not returning his love, and his own subse-
quent attempt at suicide. The young man
was not much hurt, but at last accounts
it was said the young woman had but little
chance of recovery. This form of crime is
too frequent to be a matter of surprise, but
in this case it was remarkable because it
is the third of the same kind that has oc-
Cured in the immediate neighborhood with
in two years, two of them within a few
months. The father of the young man who
did the last shooting lived on the same
farm with the one who shot his affianced
two years ago, and it is said the talk of
that tragedy was listened to and partici-
pated in by the young man who is now in
Jail for a similar crime. 1t is certainly re-
markable that three cases of this morbid
and despicable form of crime should have
occurred within two years in a sparsely set
tied rural community The perpetratOr of
the last one is reported as saying that "he
did not think that the former ones had had
any influence with him., but the probability
is that young man who could be guilty of
so dastardly crime does not know him
self or his own mind well enough to know
what influenced him. Psychologists will
conclude that each occurrence had some
influence III causing the others. In the first
case the young man died from the effects
of his self-inflicted wounds, while the Sec
ond one was sentenced to the penitentiary
for life instead of being hanged as he should
have been. 1t remains to be seen what
punishment the last one will receive. If the
young woman whom he shot dies there is
some danger of a lynching. Local papers
say that the people of Monroe township,
who are represented as intelligent and law
abiding, are both Inundated and indignant
at the repetition of tragedies which bring
unpleasant notoriety on the community,
and, as they think, increase the tendency
to crime. The Marion News says:
There are mutterings of vengeance, and
should the dastardly act be repeated there
made Of the perpetrator of the deed that
would have a tendency to put a stop to
the reckless manner of taking life for such
silly sentimental reasons.
Another paper published in the vicinity
of the place where the crimes were COM
mitted says:
This is the third case of the kind that has
occurred in the neighborhood, and there is
a feeling that something must be done to
check the insane desire of loVeSick youths
for killing their sweethearts.
These extracts do not advise a resort TO
lynch law but they suggest it and probably
reflect local feeling more or less accurately
The perpetrator of the first crime put him
self beyond the reach of human justice but
if the second one had been promptly and
ANONYMOUSLY hanged instead of being sent
to prison, probably to be pardoned in few
years, it is quite likely the third case would
not have occurred. Whatever the outcome
may be it is to be hoped the people of the
afflicted community will find some better
way of furnishing one class of crimes than
by resorting to another.