Show ill Short Story of b Day I u PIONEER IN MURDER The general characteristics of or murders murders mur mur- ders and murderers today are arc much the he same sami as thc they were In the days of or our fathers We e cannot pride ourselves I on our fathers We e cann cannot t pride ourselves ourselves our our- selves on our murders or on our pursuit pursuit pur pur- suit and punishment of oC those who I commit them thorn In olden times If It a man was vas guilty of oC murder murdel find and the police he was as speedily tried and I if f convicted very little time pas passed cd before be he- fore ore he went to the gallows A murderer murderer mur mur- derer at that time lime had the c consolation of knowing that capture meant death So he lie fought fouCht against capture jn Instead of trusting himself elf to the scruples and line fine distinctions of Jurymen the eloquent eloquent elo elo- quent fluent dramatic talent of oC his attorney he tho right of or appeal or his utility to the vard ward boss lie Ile feared leared the ordinary policeman po- po then as he fears rears him now and the he great brainwork k of Poes Poe's Dupin Old Sleuth Nick Carter Lecoq Lecog and Sherlock Holmes Holme gave avo him no trouble Many Ian of or the murderers c escaped then as they do now Many any of them were never discovered Those rhose who were discovered discovered dis dJa- covered enjoyed but a fame tame Though hough they might strive thou though h they I I threw all ull their ability and genius for or hard lard work Into their culling calling thou though h thc they lived the lives JIves of oC haunted de tie- men the gaping crowd soon forgot for for- got ot them as the they forgot the victims There were wele a few days dus of loud acclaim and then a a. steadily le lessening leening reputation lon tion tion and then endless oblivion excepting except except- ing ng where their name mana managed ed to hang a a. lit little tic longer longel on the shaky peg of oC a a. book Jook Sometimes these books tell strange and weird tales o of the men of oC former genela generations lions Many Ian years cars ago In 1837 the copyright notice says lays a certain George Thomp son Issued a book whose title page Is as thrilling as Its contents It Is a babbling epic of or crime an nn attempt to prove plo that America crude and new though she might be be had produced I some men who were as cold-blooded cold as the coldest blooded o of other countries The Life and Adventures o of JOHN WASHBURN ASHBURN The Great Western n Robber Who Vho was concerned In upward up up- ward of thirty murders and executed d at Cincinnati on the of January 1837 That is Js the chapter heading and It concerns a criminal who was prolific daring resourceful merciless and pie pic I I I I I JC Jesse James and Tracy have many admirers but they were Infants compared with this man lie He was an artist In crime and he spent eleven cleye years wand wandering up and down the thelIs Mississippi Mis lIs valley seeking whom he might murder or rob Ho Is the most modern of or all criminals and und what IB Is said Bald of or him by the compiler of r the book would be applicable today to some of oC our most respected criminals They sailed for fOl Matamoras where they met with great reat success and finally finally final final- ly were made Con Constables tables Thc They stayed at this place six months and still held their situations as Constables and committed robberies too numerous to mention and fourteen At Al New Orleans the they opened a a. cot cof fee house two t danco houses a n. roulette and faro taro bank and they all aU entered deeply Into gambling Finally Washburn was implicated In the murder of or an old man named Beaver Beaver Beaver Bea Bea- ver and for this he was hanged His speech from rota the scaffold Is In no Advanced Advanced Advanced Ad Ad- Reader fleader or Collection o of Choice Elocutionary Gems and so that pos pos- may not wholly forget It H we give It entire My 1 Friends I I I am ama about to dl die to expiate a catalogue o of the blackest crimes ever committed b by mortal man I deserve death I have spent my brief brier existence in perpetrating damning outrages outrages outrages out out- rages on my roy fellow men I J commenced my mr career in the days of oC my youth and continued It until at last the hand of Justice has overtaken me rae and anti why should I not submit to so just jURt a n. fate rate Suffer a dying man on this awful occasion to warn the youths who iho are arc present to witness this execution to beware beware be be- ware iare of or the manifold 1 allurements which are arc calculated to le lead leati d them to the tho same sarno Ignominious end to which I Iam Iam Iam am brought blought The first step toward this Is Intemperance e This m my friends has this day led me mc to the scaffold I was turned out upon the world when I was but a bo boy my first offense orrem e was wag that of Intemperance and from that to robber rob rob- ber bery hery and from Crom robbery to murder in I every ery degree I was as led on from one of of- tense to lo another r until my skill In murder mur mur- OC-I OC der became my rny boast M My friends I friends I meet m ray my fate willing willing- ly I deserve thus to die on the scat scat- fold and I could at this moment point out ut In the multitude before me six or eight who have been my companions In crime and who also deserve the same fate I now am im m done clone Let my l last st words be a warning to boys boy young men anti and all others to beware of or Intemperance intemperance intern intern- perance Incontinence Sabbath breakIng breaking break- break Ing log and bad company compan being the predominating predominating pre pre- dominating principles which led me to tom tomy tomy m my unhappy fate Cate Farewell Fare ell Ne New e York Press |