The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-16
MURDER WILL OUT
 A FALSE. PROVERB


 Murder will out'' is just another old proverb that contains more fiction. than truth. Statistics show that mur- derers find their quickest and lsuresti retribution in Great Britain, and that France, Germany, and, in fact, all Eu- Topean countries, lead the United States in the detection, and punishment of those guilty of capital crimes. Can- ada once an asylum for criminals from the States, now catches and con- vfcts a. far larger proportion of it's criminals than does the United States. New York City, now in the throes of a police investigation following char ges of official complicityy in gambling operations and the murder of the man who "sQuealed," punishes only a small percentage of its assassins despite ficiency of it's finest Tn the entire United States the percentage of con victions is less that 1-2 per cent compared with about fifty per cent. in England and ninety-five per cent. in Germany. The number of murders annually in the United States has va ried in recent years between $500 and. 1o,50O. as compared. with an annual average for England of 350 Germany 500 and France $50. Italy has the highest homicide rate of any European country, about 5000 per year, but more egthan two-thfrds of the assassins are brought to justice, which in Italy means solitary ys;confinement in a. dun geon,s bread-and-w diet,. and, in most cases, madness and death.
 That Murder will outs is a fallacy might be proved by thousands of car ses. One instance is afforded by the staying of Major William c. Wilson in Philadelphia fifteen years ago to- night. Major Wilson, a civil war vet eran, was the owner and librarian of circulating library in Walnut street, Philadelphia Benevolent and kiId- hearted, he had no enemies so far as known, and his chief friends were the books among which he lived. On the night of Aug. 16, 1897, his body was found in his library, a terribly beaten corpse, with his skull battered in and his features horribly disfgured by hammer. His murderer has never been apprehended.
 Another murder mystery in which the assassin escaped unWhipped of justice was that involving the disap- pearance of Eugene c. Woodmansee at Noblesville, Ind, forty-f1ve years ago to-day. The victim was a young man of Danville, H., who arrived in the Hoosier city on Aug. Ia, 1867. with the intention of marrying a young wo-1 man of .Noblesville, Miss Sarah Virt. The hour set for the ceremony arriv- ed, and everything was in readiness, but the bridegroom did not appear. He had been seen a few hours before by the minister who was to of1ciate, and was supposed to have left Nobles- vile in a buggy shortly afterward to drive to the farm house where he was to claim his bride. Then he disap peared from earth. Not long ago his remains were found buried in a cellar of house which had been, at the time of his disappearance, roadhouse kept by an old negress who was re- puted to be a witch" The skeleton was identified by a ring on the finger as that of the missing bridegroom. That he was murdered there is no doubt He had $500 on his person and this likely, became known and fur nished$the motive for the crime.
 These two instances, taken from the records of one day. might be followed by thousands of others, and go to show that the Nick Carters and Old Sleuths of the United States are very much inferior to those of other lands.
 To-day is the centennial of the sur- render of Detroit by Gen. Hull to the British. Canadian and Indian troops under Gen. Brook. Vermont will cole brate Bennington Battle Day as le- gal holiday to-day.