Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1910-11-11
'erns of Subscription.
THE CRIME OF CRIPPEN.

While these lines are being written
DR.. Crippen is swinging at the end of
rope, or has already eXpiated the
crime of numbering his wife, of which
he was found guilty in an English
court of Justice. Such crime and the
hanging of the criminal stands out in
hooking relief against the back
ground of our boosted, growing civili-
cation. Crippen was crazy. Amy man
who can commit such a crime is a
mental and moral wreck, and should
be treated in some santorium instead
of being hung. The only good growing
out of such executions is to warn peo-
pie not to go crazy about young and
pretty girl. What good is done a man
by killing him? We are against capt.
tai punishment, first and last, and one
of these days, when we see clearly,
capital punishment will be abolished.
1t is against, not only the spirit,
but the letter of the New Testament
teaching. But, we started out to say
something else, namely, that the
young woman, Ethel LeNeve, is about,
if not entirely, as guilty Of the MUIR
der of Belle Elmore as was Crippen.
her unfortunate dupe.
The court said she had no knowledge
of the murder. Ambiguous as this
statement was, it may be partially
true, but many people do not believe
it. Who will believe that, i'm this
twentieth century, a young woman of
her age, bringing up, environment
and all, did not know that the course
she was persuing, and permitting
Crippen TO pursue. was morally and
legally wrong? No excuse, whatsoever,
should be offered for Crippen's brutal
crime, but what excuse for a woman.
who led him To commit il? Crippen' 5
infatuation drove him insane. There
is no proof that she was infatuated
beyond control. With hundreds OF
such cases coming to light, in divorce
courts everywhere, did she not know
that her conduct was criminal. and
would lead to tragedy, sooner OF
later? Will any sane man, or woman
either, believe that this young woman,
ignorant and innocent, who consented
to don mems clothes and attempt such
an escape and escapade, and wear the
jewels of the lawful wife of her com
panion in crime this intelligent.
sophisticated young woman of Lon
don?
No man, or woman either, believes
such thing for a moment. BE il said
to the credit Of Crippen, that so fan
as the record shows he did not at
tempt to charge the girl with the in
splration of his crime, In this regard
he was unlike Adam, who tried to
lay his sin on Eve, but nevertheless
and this is the point we are trying
to make, the LeNeve woman. enter
ed into an unholy alliance with a
married man, with full knowledge
of the wrong and inevitable results of
such an alliance clearly put before
her in the sad experiences of thous-
ands of her sex, and virtually and to
all intents and purposes, is guilty OF
the murder of both-the wrong wife
and her usband-Ooth of them. In
ninety nine 81 ch clses out of a hum
dred, the woman is to blame. No man.
unless he be drunk or crazy, will treat
a lady otherwise than a lady should
be treated, and the young girl, or
~A~AASA, WIN pGilullS Il man TO
act ungentlemanly toward her, vir-
tually invites him to do so. and must
know what the results will be, and
should be, along with her guilty
companion in crime, held responsible.
Men, as rule, are about as mean as
the devil would have them, but not
half so dangerous and demoralizing
as mean, immoral, INSCRIPTIONS
woman.
LATER-Since the above was put
IN type the papers state that DR..
Crippen has been respited to Nov.
23rd, and that his wife is supposed to
be alive somewhere in the middle
west. The report is being investigated.