The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-14
By DIR. ANDREW WILSON.


Students Of criminology, and espe-
field Of subtle poison. will find fund
OF material for special study in the
case of DR.. Edward William Pritch-
ard. whose conviction on the charge
Of murder In the year 1863 brought to
q close one Of the most sensational
criminal trials in the history Of the
Scotch bar. The curious incidents
surrounding the case. the extreme
care taken by the poisoner in the per-
petration of his means Of death deal
ing, the peculiar personality Of the
man, all point to an unusual mental
combination, and showed to what re-
markable lengths the educated crimi-
nal will go for the accomplishment of
his purpose.
It 10 possible that those who lay
their victims out by means OF poison
may not be more daring than murder
ers who choose other forms of Kidding
themselves of their victims, but an
examination Of the criminal records
of the more notorious cases of all
countries undoubtedly demonstrate
that the poisoner is surely the coolest
as we'll as the most dastardly Of the
degenerate type.
Doctors an Honorable Glass.
While no profession or trade can be
exempt from the inclusion among its
members of criminals of greater or
less fame, I do not think it can be
maintained that the medical profess
sion has swollen the ranks of the
criminal population to any great ex-
tent. This ia in its way a somewhat
interesting point, inasmuch as II any
class Of men have placed within their
hands both the power and opportunity
to take life without many of the risks
of detection which laymen are liable
to, it is certainly the members Of the
most honorable profession Of medi-
cine.
Criminal doctors. in the sense of
their having constituted themselves
murderers Oesser crimes do not count
here). are. therefore. remarkable for
the paucity of their numbers.
Be 1t said however that on the prin-
ciple of the greater the sinner the
greater the saint medical men who
have turned from the pathways of a
reasonable life and plunged into the
vortex of criminality illustrate the re-
verse of the saying. Pritchard did so
theoretically; he was full of ere
ligion" to the last.
Lapse Is Terrible.
No men probably. once left to the
dictati0n Of criminal impulse, have
exhibited greater callousness in the
way Of murder than the members Of
the most humane profession in the
world. It Is easy to prove this state
ment and to show how very terrible
is the lapse from a sane and reason
able mode of life into the depths of
criminality in the case of the trusted
medical adviser. In the case of a
trained medical man murder may be
described as having been reduced or
elevated in his hands when he be-
comes criminal, as DcQuincey would
put 1t. to "a fine art"
Glancing at the history of medical
criminals in the past the chief names
that occur to one on superficial re-
view of the facts are those of De La
PommeraiS, Palmer and Lamson.
Pritchard's name necessarily COM
pletes quartet including the most
notorious cases which have come un-
der the notice of the law.
POSSIBLY more tnan In Otnef IN
stances of the exercise Of the MUIR
derer's art the case of Pritchard pre-
sents certain problems which raise
the question of the general evolution
Of the criminal instinct. The question
of motive for the diabolical murders
planned by the four men above noted
is not always extremely apparent.
Lack OF Funds Nay Be Cause
In all four cases lack of funds
aud the necessity for procuring funds
may be alleged as the leading motive
prompting them to the commission of
their crimes. But men of all grades
and Of al professions Oncluding
medical men) may be hard pressed
for money and yet have the courage
calmly to face financial ruin and the
trials of the bankruptcy court rather