Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-22
Public Opinion Will Change.

Public opinion will change in regard to
the criminal insane, who cause serious in
jury without knowing or wishing it. and
who are often-far too often-misjudged by
the bench. Each class of those demented
people has its specific criminality The
idiot is compelled by fits of anger to kill or
lnJEre bis neighbor, and he becomes an in
cendlary simply for the pleasure of con-
ter:plating the flames. The hypochrondriac
Is driven by the repression of a great sor-
row or by halluCination to have recourse to
indirect suicide he commits murder in
order to be condemned to death. Epileptfcs
and inebriates abandon themselves to crime
like wild beasts in fury. They act with
cruelty and lack of conscience explained by
their absence of sensibilty TO pain and by
the profound feeling of anguish which domi-
mates them, of which they think to free
themselves by means of violent deeds
Paralytics frequently steal everything they
ind within their reach; they imagine that
everything they steal belongs to them: thew
have lost the conception of the properly of
others. The prosecuted" attack politicians
Law yers and magistrates The madness of
the adolesoent is shown everywhere in a
tendency to incendiarism
The fact that all these unfortunates are
not criminal, but unhealthy. springs from
the principle that their crimes are preceded
by eptgastric and cephalic symptoms Fur
ther, the majority Of them have character
istic words. and a no less characteristic
handwriting. All led a very different exist
ence before becoming insane. and the
change produced in their conduct dates
from the time of a wound or from mater
nifty. Finally, they have no accomplices
and they take no precautions to conceal
their crime. On the contrary, they speak of
1t without embarrassment, and even with
pleasure; they even believe they have done
meritOriOus deed, and accordingly we see
cases where they give themselves up as
prisoners when unsought for.
Nucleus of Army of Crime.
The nnClpns of the aP 60,
sttuted by the terrible class of individuals,
few in number, born criminal They are
the subjects described in asylums as the
morally insane or "larval epieptics
The born criminal has many Characters
tics of physognomy and mind of the in
ferior misrepresentation, deep and prema-
ture wrinkles like wounds extraordinarily
heavy jaws, retreating forehead impulsive-
ness, cruelty and tatooing. And all that is
| Joined with the specific signs of epilepsy,
such as asymmetry and intermittence.
Many criminals of opportunity far from
repenting after their first misdeed-which Is
sufficient almost to prove tie morbidness
| OF their villatny-relapse, and frequently,
| and for causes more and more slight We
| owe this development most of all to the
| penitentlary regime. Prisons are the true
| breeding places of crime. Criminals of OPP
| portunity thus become professional, hard
| ened and incurable criminals, distinguish
| able from the born criminal only by a less
| deplorable physiognomy and history.
Heredity is incontestable cause ST.
| chart has calculated that of every LOCO
| epileptics, lunatics, criminals or drunkards
| who have normal children, 232 have Off
| spring of one OF the same classes as them
selves. The proportion is 236 for ncen-
diaries, 22S for thieves and $50 for swim
dlers. 1t is increased twofold if we bring
into account grandparents and collaterals
| There is an elective affinity that throws
criminals into one anothers arms and the
| heredity of villainy thus becomes ever more
and more virulent Families result when
the tendency to crime is handed down for
centuries-the Taures and the Lemaires-
terrible tribes. which play in society the
role OF veritabie placentas of brigandage.
Numerous Sources of Crime.
But there are numerous sources of crime
that an energetic people can ultimately
eradicate from its bosom. Here comes the
question of economic causes. Where you
have riches capable of quickly attaining
vast proportions, you have an Indictment
to swindling and peculation, to offenses
against morality, to aduteration of goods,
and that is the product of the intense life
! of the great modern capitals where the no
| tons of power and honor OF so many people
| are COMPOUNDED.
Then, in its turn. misery also leads to
| peculation and swlndling, and then to bur-
| glary, incendiarism and bandlttage, which
| can often be looked upon merely as per-
| verted variety of the claim for economic
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