The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-09
THE rHIRSr FOR NoroRrErr.

The order of Secretary Root, forbid
ding access to Czolgosz by newspaper
reporters and the public generally, is of
the greatest Importance. AS a general
rule, assassins draw their inspiration
for their dastardly deeds from the an
ticiDation of the notoriety which they
will receive. They may be anarchists,
they may have a private grievance to
adjust, or they may deem themselves
the avengers of party wrongs. vet the
sustaining consideration, at last, is the
worldwide comment which their act
will excite. To be regarded as a hero
10y even 4 small class and a monster
by the balance of the world is, in the
minds of such, to have lived and not
in vain
To prevent the publication of sensa-
tional stories about the personal attrt-
butes of the wretch; to keep his name
as much as possible from the lips of
t-AN Nt'AACN'S, " AOQuCe TIE importance
of the act to the low level of the COM
monplace is to rob the act of the set
tings which so strongly appeal to these
morbid natures.
This principle was recognized by the
Italian government when it concluded
to imprison the assassin of King Hum
bert for life, rather than to allow him
to pose as a martyr on the scaffold.
This was a stroke of policy justified by
a keen knowledge of human nature.
John Wilkes Booth surrounded the
murder OF Lincoln with all the dramatic
settings of the stage. He not only chose
Ford's theater in which to do the deed,
but all the accessories were in keeping
with the desire of the man for dramatic
effect. The leap from the box where
the deed was done, to the stage; the
flourish Of the bloody knife with which
he had stabbed MAJOR Rathbone as he
exclaimed to the audience in his most
tragic tones: "Sic Semper tyrannis,'
showed clearly that although Booth was
originally inspired by hatred of the cause
OF which Lincoln was the great exponent,
he was sustained by the fact that the
opportunity was pregnant with great
dramatic possibilities.
Previous to the assassination, in con-
versation with a friend regarding the pos
sible assassination of the president, ow-
ing to the then infamed Southern senti-
ment Booth remarked that 1.-The aspir-
ing youth who fired the Ephesian dome,
OUtlived in fame the pious fool who rails
ed it." Booth knew that his name would
go down in history coupled everlasting
ly with the greatest name of the age.
He cared not whether his act brought
fame or infamy-he would become i'm
mortal
How much of that sentiment entered
into the consideration of Guiteau and
Czolgosz does not so clearly appear, but
it no doubt served to sustain their cour-
age and nerve their arms The public
trial of such men is an unfortunate ne
cessity in our civilization. 1t gives them
the opportunity they desire Swift pun
lshment at the stake should be their
portion. 1t is here where mob law should
be supreme. Civil justice should not
be called upon to reward a crime; for a
public trial in such cases becomes a re-
ward. Physical torture under the most
ignomnious circumstances should be
certain. Nothing else will reach such
degenerates and stay their murderous
arm This may sound brutal, but 1t is
not. It is the only human means of
reaching such cases.
The reports show that Czolgosz is a
physical and moral coward. 1t is the
wrath of the mob he fears; not a public
trial and a public execution. To con-
Wet him in open court, sentence, and
hang him would be like placing wreath
upon his brow and registering his name
among the immortals