The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-26
POISON BY POST.
noters.

I MIL short time ago the commission OF
| murder by poisoned candy other article OF
- food sent through the mails was almost I'M
known to criminal records. Then came the
Botkin case which developed into one of the sensa-
tons of the time, and since then other cases have
followed another with startling rapidty.
Within time comparatively short we have had
reports of such cases in New York City, in Brooklyn
in ST. Louis and other are reported in this
State. Nor is the crime confined to America. The
London police now engaged in trying TO trace
the author OF similar crime there the victims in that
case being two women who were poisoned by cake
sent to one OF them through the parcels post
The effect of suggestion upon minds already in
clined in the direction which the suggestion tends
we'll known to all students OF psychology In fact
i has been well known ever since man first began to
study his fellow man and consider how he could in
fuence his action 1t is only recently, however we
have begun to note that the criminal mind is more
subject the subtle influences Of suggestion than the
normal mind, and that the commission OF sensa-
tonal murder in any locality is very lead
similar offenseS wherever the story of the original
crime is told and talked Of
1t is not reasonable to hold that in all cases OF
this kind the first crime is the Of those that
follow. Persons who prompted by suggestion
into committing murder would in most instances have
committed it without the suggestion, though not in
that particular way Such crimes as that of poison
by post, however may by reason of the easy way in
which it can be done be the direct of murders
that would not otherwise have occurred. Persons
who would be afraid to try bolder murder might be
tempted to send poisoned food through the mails.
The suggestion appeals to cowardice as we'll as to
maignity.'
Some OF the posonngs which have followed the
Bokn case seem to have been the result of insanity
as much as anything else, and were probably COM
mitted by persons OF weak minds with criminal ten
dencies but without any especial malice toward the
victim. The London crime is instance of that
kind and is whose mystery may never be solved
The poisoned cake in that sent to an
inmate OF an asylum for inbeces. She had been
there for some time and could possibly have made
an enemy in the world. Her parents are poor but
as she was taken care of by the Government and was
not in any way a charge upon them they could have
no reason in the world for desiring to get rid of her
Moreover at the Coroner's inquest it was brought
out that the mother and the other immediate rela-
tves OF the victim could neither read nor write and
none OF them had ever sent her anything for more
than year She was in fact out OF their lives and
iii their hard struggle with poverty they thought lit
tie about her.
Here then, seems to be murder caused wholly by
suggestion Some half insane person of criminal ten
denotes has been led to poison poor imbecle
species OF Jack the Ripper" criminal employing
cunning instead of brutality, and committing murder
through sheer iendishness.