The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-02
Libel. OF THE DEAD.

Now that "a search lasting through several
Ays should have discovered in the reservoir The
bedr of the evidently demented woman whose
Mt was found floating on the water some time
liter she had disappeared from her home, II
nay be enlightening TO briefly review what, in
IRE name OF newspaper enterprise haa been
1arcely less than libel on the dead.
There is, OF course, real technical
Handler of the dead possible Damages are based
ii the hurt which falsehood does the individual
Ii the estimation OF the living Legally, one
kho is dead has no. reputation to he measured
b libel the motives and assail the fame OF one
Eho has run upon the ultimate human mystery.
fet, humanity, such SANDER or libel is the
post cruel form 81 inhuman Indifference to
human feeling. The world IS SO constituted
hat there lives none so humble. that some one
pOes not hold him dear The very helpIessness
Ind dignity OF death should guard the memory
these who cannot defend themselves against
1nsalt Yet no Weapons IS so effective to wound
- living as that which strikes beating heart
DtiIled, In the light of the Islander and in.
Ad0 OF the dead there is suggested an apt
Dphrase of the lines of the tragic Oscar
He
For each man Kills the thing he loves
Let this by all be beard
The brave man does IT with a sword
THE coward with a word
The woman seIf-drowned in the reservoir came
&m an humble home she lived unknown ex.
1pt In her very small circle in a large city
~ little tragedies. real and desperate as they
Nre 70 her, were matters OF Indifference In the
u Cf the community. When 10 the sordid In.
nst OF the day her disappearance, the mute
n16ence Of her floating hat. contributed their
ltful mite, she took on fictitious public char,
eeeT. All the reportorial ghouls ran around
cfrcles to exceed each other In finding new
ents. A partial search having failed TO find
W. body, there was dragged 10 the front the
- Of an old love affair. The humble woman
4$ng with her husband ever store was paint
ii ~ easy conjecture as a hawd manufacturing
~ evidences OF her death for the sake of good
1Ft In an elopement. The water that hid her
Dg body could not run OFF fast enough for the
nafs OF sensation. On the afternoon OF the
m her body was found n Richmond paper de
nd. all but positively that instead Of being
aufcide, Jeanette Brown was merely wo
~ clever in the deception of her husband. In
~ 1ame Issue In which the story OF the hndine
&Ae body is carried on the front sage, q morn
x newspaper takes occasion II cay that thu
9edy recalls another case~-that of Lillian
11son, murdered By Cluverius. whose bod,
thrown by him into the reservoir In othei
rds since II appears by the infaible testi
~ OF her dead body. thas Mrs Brown died
eead Of clipping, the opportunity is seized
H. revamped story Of murder twenty-five years
70 shift the burden of guilt from the
nlders OF the despairing wife to those of the
r. more desperate husband
eFhaps II Is necessary that such things be
0cubt It will be a continuing practice to pun
- Into the wounds OF sorrow bv the way OF
1uExestion Perhaps such "A course makes
1efs. IS Islander of any sort always gains an
eested audience. For all that II Is a strit.
cnmmentary on the passion Cor sensation OF
sort that sick woman Of humble station
z not even 20 away humbly to die without
1ng her pitiful tragedy made the subject
1nnuendo even after her dead body had mega
Il conclusively the libellous differences un.
1antably deduced from the Fac. of her dis
1arance