The Washington herald., 1910-08-21
By Ex-ATTACHE.

Much has been printed on the subject
Of assassination Of people in high Office
since the murderous attack upon the
mayor OF New York little over ten days
ago. But there are a few points which
seem TO have escaped attention, and
which are worthy Of consideration.
The first and foremost Of these is the
egregious vanity which has been the
dominant characteristic OF the perpetra-
tor OF well-nigh every atten1 u upon the
lives Of those in authority no matter
whether monarch. presidey " republic.
minister Of state. sover4.t,. or chief
magistrate.
II is a characteristic which, as might
have been expected made itself apparent
from the very first in Mayor Gaynor's
assailant. who Is said TO express bitter
disappointment when a day passes with
out his name figuring in the headlines
o, the newspapers, and whose one plant
in prison is neither as TO the fate in
store for him. nor yet concerning his
more or less imaginary wrongs in the
past. but the loss Of his spectacles. which
prevents him from ascertaining in the
fine print Of the pages Of the press what
is being written about him.
What the great Prince Bismarck was
wont 70 describe as "the lust Of fame"
and what Prof Lombroso diagnosed as
the craze for notoriety," IN the case of
well-nigh every assassin Of personages Of
high rank and Office that came under his
notice. are In ninety-nine cases out OF
hundred the principal motive OF the
crime
The authors thereof are in nearly every
instance men who in no other manner
could ever hope 10 attract the attention
or 10 arouse the interest OF their fellow
citizens, but who as more or less sue
Cessful perpetrators Of an attempt on the
lives Of the great are assured not only
Of worldwide publicity for the time be-
Ing. but also Of a niche in history-of
lasting place II not in the temple OF
fame, az any rate IN that OF infamy.
The names OF the assassins Of King
Humbert OF TIE Empress OF Austria. OF
Sadi-Carnot, President OF the French re-
public; OF Presidents Lincoln. GARFIELD
and Mckinley are certain 10 endure as
long as those OF their victims. and the
knowledge that this Is certain 20 be the
case Is as powerful an incentive 10 a
man in whom vanity has reached the
stage of actual disease as Is the extraor-
binary prominence given by the news
papers TO everything relating 10 the life
the antecedents, the appearance, the
tastes. and the views OF the murderer.
Il is the thirst for notoriety. the de-
light Of being In mems mouths that brings
these cranks-for It IS difficult TO describe
them by any other nsme--to the execu-
ton OF deeds that deserve. II they DO
not always receive, the scanold.
Mayor Gaynors assailant was inter
viewed after his crime. and his remarks
were printed In the newspapers, with
more prominence than would be accorded
the utterances OF a candidate for the
governorship. or even for the Presidency.
ard the same attention was accorded
BY the press 70 Luccheni, the slayer Of
the Empress of Austria. and 20 Sipido,
the vainglorious lad who SPOT at Ed
ward VII at Brussels not Tong before
| his accession 70 the throne OF Great
Britain.
All this publicity constitutes a power
ful incentive to crime Of this nature.
Sipido's attempt upon the life OF Edward
/ VII and the notoriety achieved by the
| young anarchist was followed by the
murder Of King Humbert at Mona. and
there IS harry a criminOlogist OF any i'm
portance in either the Old World or in
the Western Hemisphere who is not per-
fectly convinced that the most etacacious
preventive Of outrages OF this nature
would be to condemn the perpetrators
[ 10 an oblivion. to which the newspapers
should be required TO contribute. for the
sake Of the Commonwealth.
( No special legislation should be needed
/ 10 fetter the press. Until forty years
/ ago capital punishment was provided in
! England for certain offenses other than