Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-13
CONFESSION.


confession.
The confession and sentence this week
IN Kansas OF the self-confessed murder
or OF his two sisters and brother-in-
law Is one OF the latest Illustrations ~
the fact that the penalty FOR grave
crimes is often as swift as it Is certain.
Sooner or later the consequences
come. Sometimes the laws delay and
the postponement OF the natural con-
sequences make the inevitable retribu-
ton appear TO be uncertain OF actual
or. at Least. OF complete fulhllment,
and many there are VINO seem 20 oe
misled by the fact that men do not al
ways fare as they deserve.
But this is only an appearance The
same causes produce the same results
however much the latter may be OBJ
secured or postponed from other condi-
tiOns that surround the event Men
reap what they SOW Justice is not de-
frauded by being postponed. The debt
must be paid and the interest must be
added
The Apostle Paul was ono OF tho
first writer's 10 state clearly the spirit
ual law OF reward or retribntion. BE
not deceived God is not Knocked; for
whatsoever a man sOWeth, that shall
| he also reap"
| Il was this truth which Emerson
paraphrased in his famous remarks
that II we are only content 20 await
the issue. we shall see that in every
battle. each one is prospered accord
ing to his right.
IN the case Of the recent Kansas
crime, no one but the murdered knew
who had committed the deed. There
was no witness 20 the terrible tragedy,
no clue 70 connect Mcmahon with Il.
IL was like the case accurately de-
scrlbed century ago by British poet.
NO eye beheld when Edward plunged
| Young Edmund Ia the stream,
| No human ear but Edwards heard
Young Edmund's dying scream.
Yet the result was the same week
ago IN Kansas as a century since in
Britain, or as thousands Of years ago
at the death Of Abel
Such secret cannot be kept except
al the price Of continuous and un-
speakable mental torture, And in ac-
cordance with that strange propensity
OF the soul 10 share with others It's
deepest troubles. tho murderer soon
I Ht4Ha "
confidence and finally dlvulged tho
whole Of his guilt as II 10 free himself
from carrying longer IT'S intolerable
burden
Tho dispatches state that the slayer
OF his two sisters. Rosa Mcmahon and
Margaret Van Royen. and his brother
in-law. Alonzo Van Royen, began serv-
ing lie sentence in the Kansas State
Peuitentlary az lansing "a few days
ago. lie Is now known as No. 1850
lie pleaded guilty Friday afternoon 10
murder on all three charges and tech
nically is under three life sentences
Il would probably serve no good pur-
pose 10 indicate here the manner Of
the confession but IL may be- we'll 10
recau "a classic exposition of the psy-
choloey ~ the mental breakdown Of
the criminals mind This one was
given hy Webster In his famous speech
during the trial OF the knapp brothers
FOR the murder. Goo 1880, of Joseph Whit,
OF salem, Massachusetts
White was retired merchant 81
bed Tho murderer was rufhan
Richard Crowniushicld, who had beer
hired by Joseph ana Francis KNAPP
to commit the crime Joseph KNAPP
had married q niece Of Mr White am,
tho former desired 30 oct her share o
the unclCs estate. ono of the con-
spirators conndod 90 friend and th'
Identity of the murderers thus hecam'
known Crowninshield committed
suicide and the knapps ugre hanged
In "a we'll known passage of the address
90 the jury Webster said The guilty
soul cannot keep ts Own secret Il b
false 20 itself or rather IL feels AN ir
rosisuhle Impulse fo boz true to itself
10 labois under its guilty. possession
aud knows not what 10 do with II. Th'
human heart WAS not made fnr suci
am inhabitant u hnds itself proyoi
nn hy a torment which b. dares mol
ackno,y ledge 90 God or man The secre
which the murderer possesfes over
comes him He thinks the whole world
sees Il boz hls face. reads IL in his eyer
and almost hears if working in th'
very silence of his thoughts. n has be
come his master II hetrays hts ais
cretion n breaks down HE carriage
q conquers his prudence when Gus.
pioions from without begin 20 embar
raas him ana the net circumstance q
ontangle him, the fatal secret strug
giles with ftill greater violence 10 hurs
forth. Il must be confessed. Il win b.
} confessed there "a no refuge from con