New-York tribune., 1906-12-03
THE captain VoN KOEPENTOK."

The Captain Won Koepenick'' is a victim of
the inelasticity Of society. Laws are like ready
made clothes; they are designed with reference
to the average man. If you in your person vio
late the average you may have your clothes
made TO measure, but there are no tailor-made
laws to fit irrepressible Individuality though. of
course, jurles may be counted upon to do
little altering to make laws fit "as If they
were made for YOU" Clearly no "hand-me
down" from statute books or judicial precedents
could fit the exceptional case of the Captain
Won Koepenick" Geniuses If they came to this
world often, would be the most difficult prob
lem Of organized society. Statutes do not give
them elbow room. Public opinion, the consen-
sus OF the average, is Liliputian to them. If
they frequented this earth-if one in a thousand
of humanity were genius-they would present
question beside which the trusts would be of
as little Importance as the fifteen puzzle
The Captain Won Koepenick" was q genius in
crime. He had imagination and originality.
Long as mankind has been breaking its own
laws great as has been the thought given TO
the invention of new and improved methods of
wrongdoing he hit upon something astoundngly
fresh In using the German army TO rob the
burgomaster he was as far above the average
'hold-up' man as Shakespeare is above stenog-
rapher. His crime If We must use the harsh
word Of unappreciatve law, was a fash of
genius 1t is as perfect as the "Iliad" or Han
let In the worlds rOgues' gallery he is the
Shakespeare, the AIichelangelo. the Wagner the
greatest creative artist of the rascally kind
Some evildoers have imposed themselves upon
the imagination by the very magnitude of their
crimes. Robin Hood is one of the oldest Grim
inal heroes but he seems to have been ONLY
gallant and successful "hold-up' man. There is
no tradition of his genius in love and fnlladry
The James brothers were such local heroes that
for years after their exploits had been perforce
ended It was impossible To convict train rob
Der in Western Missouri. Here again it was
magnitude that won applause. not originality
The Cuban gentleman who set out recently with
million TO sail the unchartcd seas struck us at
that good taste and fancy which form the hest
OF earthly substitutes for inspiration. But he
fell short of great originality. His deed be-
spoke culture, not genius. III the case of the
captain Won KOepenick' we care not for mag
ntude. We Indifferent to, we have even
forgotten, whether his "swag" was n mark or a
million. We are impressed only with the origi-
nallty of his act and its humor But the law
is dullard and cares for neither. While Ger
many laughed and wished the hero of the ex-
plot free the law took its course ITO have
caused the world the greatest laugh it has en-
joyed in generation 10 have shaken the
German midriff On its well buttressed founda-
tions, was no adequate defence. Here was 1us-
tice untempered with humor.
Humor is a gift horse into whose mouth we
are always privileged to look Was the cap
talnS' conscious or unconscious? While he de-
serves the highest tribute for his genius obvi-
ously If his intent was not humorous he might
not plead humor In extenuation Intentionally
or unintentionally, however, he struck the string
OF laughter truly. Ten thousand persons from
all parts of the world wanted TO sit in court
ana see the little shoemaker tried for imper-
sonatlnG the German army. 1t tlckled the Ger
mans, for they, while justly proud Of their
army have their private critical misgivings re-
sardng the divine right of uniforms And here
was Il little shoemaker and ex-iailbird logging
hiInseii cut with all the trappings of an army
captain ana by that simple process investing
himself with all that majesty whose "beledi-
gung is so easy for the unwary with that con-
tempt for The mere civilian and that naienabie
right to mend the latters looks If not liked with
a sword. The lofty Indifference TO civil author
ity was eXempllfied in the arrest of the good
burgomaster Of koepenick- ali the while
this lofty martial lord that did it wns the little
shfmaker aud ex-Jailbird, granked out with the