Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1906-12-06
SOME FAMOUS MURDER
TRIALS ARE RECALLED
NEW YORK is COUNTING THE
DAYS TO THE BEGINNING OF
HARRY THAW'S TRIAL.
Special to the Herald.

Special to the Herald.
New York, Dec ct is scarcely an
exaggeration to say that New Workers
are counting the days until the trial
of Harry Kendall Thaw, slayer of Stan
ford White, the noted architect, shall
begin. And the trial about to begin
promises to be one of the most famous
in the criminal history of New York.
The prominence of the Thaw family
socially, the wealth of his parents, the
circumstances surrounding the young
mans marriage to Evelyn Nesbit, and
the spectacular scene in the midst of
which he fired the bullets into the
breast of the man who, he asserted,
had betrayed his wife, all add interest
to the trial.
1t is not always easy to account for
the intense interest that the public
displays in murder cases. Almost ev-
cry day adds to the list of homicides
in Greater New York. But it is only
at intervals. of about every two years
that the great city is aroused by one
of those cases that become famous
and are remembered after all the par
Elephants have passed from the scene.
The records would seem to show that
If love intrigue is involved in the
case it is most apt to attract wide at
tention. Deep mystery, extraordinary
brutality or fiendishness, and the So
cial prominence of the principals often
times serve to attract the public at
tention. Murder accompanied by rob |
berry seldom attracts more than a |
passing notice from the public at
large.
In the case of Edward S. Stokes a |
love intrigue and the wealth and prom
inence of both the slayer and his vic
tim all combined to make it one of the
most famous cases in the criminal his
tory of America. The tragedy oc
Cured in 1871, but is still wildly re-
membered by all old New Workers.
Stokes was man of considerable
wealth, a very energetic and promising
business man, who, nevertheless, had
not fortified himself against the temp
tations of fashionably disposed life
in New York He shot and killed
Jim" Fisk, one of the notorious char
acters of his day, long the partner of
Jay Gould. Added interest was given
tho crir,a ,I,t- 4ba ,ra,,aro1 l,aI;af 4I,o4 |
it was actuated by jealousy between
tlee two men over the notorious Josie"
Mansfield. edbse auasf la, ei,1,,y,annts
tended to show that the real cause
was that Stokes believed that Fisk
was trying to ruin him in his business.
Stokes was tried several times. The
first trial resulted in a verdict of
guilty and sentence of death. The
end of it was that he served several I
years in States prison, and upon his !
release returned to New York a bro q
ken down man.
Another famous case of quarter i
of century ago was that of John c. a
Colt, convicted of the murder of a cred C
ltor. The unusual means taken to dis e
pose of the victims body was one of /
the features that attracted attention a
TO this case. Colt was a business man Z
Of good standing in the community. t
Infatuated by persistent creditor he 4
attacked and killed the man, put the b
body in box and shipped it to New +
Orleans. All of the wealth of Mr.. o
Colts brother, who was the inventor S
IF the revolver, was placed at the dis v
)osal of the counsel retained for Mr.. e
Colts defense. But Colt was convict d
I'd and was presumed to have COM V
nitted suicide an hour or two before P
execution. At the hour set for execu- Ii
ion fire broke out in the upper part Ii
If the Tombs, and in the confusion C
Colt was for a few minutes forgotten. Fl
What was said to be his dead body Il
vas found in his cell. Yet tradition
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