Year: 1873

MASSACHUSETTS presents the extraor-
dinary spectacle of a child of only ten
years in prison and charged with malic-
ious murder. The whole affair is infan-
tile to a degree, for the victim was only
about three years old. The scene of the
tragedy was West Acton, Mass. George
Edward Curtain, the older Lad, went with
Morris A. Lane into the woods for straw
berries. Curtains story is that little Lane
offended him by trampliDg upon, the
berries, and that he licked him becatse
he continued the offense, and "because
he broke his (Curtain's) toys so that he
was about tired of it." The nature of this
punishment may be inferred from the
wounds inflicted upon the child. There
was wound across the bridge of the
nose which had cut to the bone; another
on the side OF the forehead two inches
long, which peeled the flesh to the skull ;
and wound on the back part of the skull
about three inches long which reached the
bone, and which probably caused death.
Both arms were black and blue and there
was bruise over the eye. We beg par
don for receunting these frightful partic-
ulars, but it is necessary to do SO in order
to show what intense passions must have
urged boy of ten to infict such cruelties
Il uPOh q uClC pdDCs <AlbCi uOiIk vi eau
full work, Curtain left the bruised and
bleeding child in the wood to die. He
Joined in the search which followed appa-
rently with great reluctance. When Lane
was asked who had hurt him he answered
Eddie" Apart from his own confess
sion, this is the only evidence against the
prisoner of a direct character, and this
not being in the nature of a dying decla-
ration, can hardly be used in court. In
deed, the whole case is of peculiar and
unprecedented character.


A boy of ten who could do deed like
this is psychological curiosity, and
we read with interest the slight details
which are given of his character At
school he had the credit of being "the
best scholar in his class" He is most
unnaturally cool and not in the least
alarmed by the predicament in which he
finds himself. During his examination,
which he appeared TO find somewhat
wearisome, he held paper in his hand,
and occasionally solaced himself by read
ing it. He also read other newspapers,
and now and then cut slips from them re-
lating to his case, one of which he handed
to person near him to read. There Is
something fascinating in the spectacle of
such a small assassin. We figure him like
short fiend in fairy tale. We are not
surprised to be informed that "his face is
covered with large freckles." But on the
other hand, we are told that he was not
only the best scholar in his class" but
that "he seemed to think deal of the
baby" as his victim is called by all the
witnesses.


Considered calmly and apart from the
emotions which such a case naturally ex-
cites, the murder seems to have been mere
ly the result of q childish rage venting
itself with the strength Of ten years
opposed to the weakness and helpless
ness of three. Legally, of course, there
can be no homicide in the affair,
the older boy not having attained the age
of discretion, and being clearly irrespon-
sible for such an act. To be sure, his un-
usual precocitv somewhat modifies such
view of the case, but even this does not
imply reflection, the least power Of self
control, or fair appreciation of the con-
sequences of violence. The extraOrdi-
nary point is the diabolical passion, hot
and strong enough for giant, which took
kind of pugilistic force to the blows Of a
mere boy. We are simply tempted to
ask how he came by this gusty and virile
age. For what sins of his grandfsthers
were his little teeth so set on edge? To
what long buried ancestor, quiet and
peaceful enough for five generations, must
the shame of the killing of the baby in Ac-
ton woods on that pleasant summer day
be assigned? Who knows? We fondle
our beloved children as yet all innocent
and pure, and can never tell what fearful
legacy of bad heart or feeble con-
science or an uncomfortable appetite they
may have received from some grandfath-
er five or six times great, whose very
name perhaps is unknown to us. Such is
the entail human infirmity, docked and
dormant sometimes for longer or short
er period, to be revived long after its
origin is buried in oblivion.-N =. Tri-
bure.