The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1903-03-28
SOCIAL INFECTION.

|
New York, is, as the reports show
a very horrible affair. To relate yer
briefly the nam points, he had re
tired for the night to this privat
room, alluded to as his "den," sig
nifying that it was especially private
He was called up in the night an,
answered the call in person; subse
quently his dead and mutilated bod,
was discovered on the floor, hi.
brains beaten out, as was stated il
first accounts, with golf club of s
peculiar kind used in this aristocratlC
game, and up to the present writing
no satisfactory clue to the perpetra-
tor of the murder has been obtained.
Every move made by the police has
been made public, and the move
ments of persons suspected to be in
any way implicated discussed in a
manner very opposite to the conven-
tional methods employed by the of
ficials whose duty it is to apprehend
criminals. Suspicion points to some
woman, either as principal or access
Dry. Mr.. Burdlck was "club
man. We have never been able to
account for that designation, or WHY
it has any sinister significance, unless
it might suggest life to some de-
gree apart from usual home sur
soundings. He moved in the HIGH.
est social circles, and, by reason of
his wealth and no doubt genuine So
clal qualities, was considered leader
in society, and his wife was natur-
ally equally as prominent He was
further distinguished as being an ap-
pllcant for divorce, and also as
the later facts indicate, could have
been defendant, only for his untimeIv
taking off. But applicant or defend
mt makes no special difference, and |
only adds one more example to the |
iepravity that exists, one more to the
nterminable list of cases of a similar
'haracter-but generally minus the
fatal results. 1t seems to be spe-
'ihc kind of social degradation incl.
lent to the class who have perfect
elsure and unlimited means to do
lothing. If the plaques Of a phvsi-
'al nature can be traced, as tlev us
tally are, to the filthy surroundings
md habltations of poverty affected
'eople, helpless to remedy their I'M
ortunate condition, so may the So
lai plaques of indecency, infdelity,
isregard of sacred home influence
rrogant indifference to every sense
right or justice and the cardinal
lrtues that are the foundation of
-merlcan social systems be attribut-
ole to the class whose wealth. too
aslly acquired, is relied upon as a
nlwark to resist the waves of honest
dlgnation and hush to silence the
mutt raised against their methods
onest simplicity, that says olive
lthin your means and be decent.
relegated to the back ground to be
placed by the tawdry spirit of
ckless emulation that prompts to
'e anyway, ostensibly decent if YOU
n, but live. Social crimes that in
her days were hardly known, and :
ntemplated with horror unspeak- "
lie, are now condoned or passed :,
ilfferently-by late ratification of '
| II
old story: n
ice is monster of so frightful mien.
As 10, be hated needs but to be seen. n
seen too oft, familiar with his face
we frst endure, then pity, then en- y
brace" >,
The false, alluring lights displayed Of
I'M these conspicuous social ele- 8,
lions have beckoned many an I'M n,
tunate voysger to destruction. h,
And surely the needs of the times f,
loudly for some movement that tb
stop. the work Of social wreckers. DC
death Of some of the parties
lnected with this particular case of
no significance, except that in di
ad OF warning 1t will only be a o.
'gestion. A radical social reyo- 10
on is in order and should orioi. "a
e at the hearthstones of honest -,
mes, be they humble or lofty nv r.