The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-05-11

lsonality, who was the prime cause
In these awful tragedies, we see this
Iapology of man, Stanford White,
absolutely unconscious of his divin-
ity. We find that he revelled in his
errors, his gross passions, until they
became the dominating arbitrators of
his life. This thing OF horror profess
ed to be lover of the true and the
Ibeautiful!' He was constantly in touch
with art, and yet with these splendid
ideals before him, an with the en-
vironment of beauty and color around
him, he became living example of
a self hypDtized creature, hypo-
crite in the deepest sense OF the word.
To further understand this strange
makeup in human form, one should
have knowledge of hypnotism and its
dangerous effects upon the human
mind. One who has studie the psy-
Geological aspects of this persons life
could easily see that he began early
to go In the wrong direction. First
came corruption of thought, the first
step on the ownward path. Imbued
er Of self control lessened, and slowly
With ideas of self-indulgence his pow
er of self control lessened, and slowly
the weaknesses of his nature made
inroads upon his mentality and ply
siuue and his unwholesome ideas be-
came unwholesome acts--and these he
licensed to the destruction of the in
nocent. His acts we're something more
than impulse; he had staged himself
in his immoral private dramas on
we'll defined plans; undetected and
successful in his immoralties became
disease, which grew and grew in his
nature until he became monomaniac
terrible menace to human life.
Let the curtain drop on his life for
time. and, le. us turn to young
iThaw, who under an impulse of hor-
ror. in an uncomfortable moment
struck down Stanford White. To do
Justice to Thaw we must know his
lstate of mind on that particular mo-
ment; we must remember that In
spite OF all efforts with the Gerry So
ciety and with Comstock to stay the
hands of the slayer of the innocent,
he knew that White was still free to
do his wicked will. While we disap-
prove taking human life, yet we are
reheved--yes relieved.
To further sustain my position In
defending young Thaw an holding him
"a M a. io1 ont
called murder, the testimony Of his
wife bears out the fact that he not
only carried daily the thoughts of the
awful wrong done his own and others
but at night he would awaken in a
frenzy. dwelling in fear upon the aw-
fulness of 1t all and the danger that
Threatened other innocent lives. He
had become monomaniac for a
time and when he met Stanford
white face to face the intensity Of
Ibis feeling eliminated in temporary
Insanity. hold him, before the High
sufferings have purified him. All his
er Law as bameless. And now his
mistakes even his idiosycrasies, II he
had any. have disappeared and he
stands revealed as a man of heroic
courage. as lover of right action, as
la defender of the innocent. To fur
ther carry my conclusions. Thaw's
act was an impulse not a defined
plan. In his protest and denunciation
against White he had sought every
means known to him to bring the cul-
prit to justice; even the renowned So
ciety In New York City called the
Society for the Prevention of Cru
elty to Children" (surely a misnomer)
formerlJ presided over by Mr.. Ger
Try, utterly failed him in spite of all
II Thaw had been degenerate the
efforts to seek their assistance.
horrors OF the wrong done the In.
nocent in connection with his life
would have had no place In his mind;
liz he had been degenerate he could
not have let his heart out to Other
victims of White and provided fol
them substantially in his will; II he
had been a degenerate he would moi
have pointed out to Evelyn Nesbit the
immortality OF Whites acts. If ThaN
had been degenerate Evelyn Nesbi
might have been in his life a play
thing and a toy to be cast aside later
rather than his wife.
We are willing to admit on th'
Testimony that we have that ThaN
had not lived an unselfish life; 1t II
probably that he walked in the way
that many young men OF his kind arr
now walking; that he was careless o
the strictest path of right action tina
The loved ease and comfort and excite
ment. But we have no record that N
sacrificed the innocent. In spite OF al
these drawbacks In his life he nigh
have been free and happy man |
Stanford White had not crossed hi
path. III 1t is true he applied to tn
yellow press for assistance as wei
as to the Gerry Society and receives
no encouragement we can justly sa,
that of these two factors, by thei
acts c. omission, helped in the cul
mination of the tragedy. One of tn
most deplorable and sickening pict
. lures that we have in the trial sten