Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1901 — THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY [ARTICLE]

THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY

BY RODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI.

Author of “An Artist In Crime,” “A Conflict of Evidence »• “A C Modern Wisard,” “Pinal Proof," Eto. C '~ mr ~ * c Copvrtoh u law. by O.P. Putnam V Son*. AU right* r> nerved. I __________ r

IOONTINUBD.] “You nre a strange combination of good and evil, Preacher Jim.” “That is true of all men. He who is considered wholly good Is merely one in whom the good greatly preponderates. The converse is also tine, and the worst men have some good in tlielr natures. That might be tlielr salvattoft were this truth recognized and acted upon, but it Is not. The whole world, save perhaps a very few who are regarded as fanatical dreamers, look upon the criminal’s case as hopeless, -reformation impossible. He Is merely a thing to be despised, to be hounded, to be imprisoned If lie steals wliat be cannot earn, to be slain If at length he turn upon those who have driven him to despair. This Is the crime of civilization. It Is the crimo of the century.” “Do you hear that, Mr. Barnes—the crime of the century? Preacher Jim defines it for you. You thought it was the killing of Matthew Mora, but I told you' that It was not the crime of any one man. Now you learn what it is. ft is the blind bigotry with which boasted civilization tortures the degenerate products of its own vices, making hard laws for tlielr punishment and measuring their acts by the standards of sound and normal manhood. That, Mr. Barnes, is the crime of the century, a crime which must be eradicated in the next century, or else within another hundred years it will have wrought ruin upon the race.”

“You are right, Mr Mltchel. My own case Is a bitter example of the truth of the doctrine which you advocate. I am what you aptly called a degenerate product of vice in another. I say this not as a plea for myself, but merely as an assertion of the truth. But let me continue. As I have said, I have always loved Liliau Vale, despite my recognition of the fact that she never could be mine. But soon a man named, or, rather, calling himself, Morton came upon the scene. He was wealthy as well as handsome, just the sort of man to turn a young girl’s head. lie won her heart. At first, when I saw him making love to her, I won.l have strangled him hut for the constant effort which I always made to overcome my homicidal tendencies. Later, when I discovered that Lilian had learned to love the man, I would not have harmed him for all the world. And so he found the opportunity to win from her all that a girl should hold most sacred. I went away for a time, hoping that absence would give me strength to bear my loss, without yielding to the criminal proclivities which merely smoldered within my bosom. When I returned, I found Lilian had become a mother. Again it was with the greatest difficulty that I refrained from murder, but the motive for such an act was merely jealousy. It was the fear of becoming the father of a child of hers, of seeing In the beloved darling of my wife a reproduction of my own degenerate self, which had lost me my Lilian. And now to see her fondling the offspring of another was hard indeed to bear. But I did not then know of the degradation Into which he had plunged her. I thought they were Indeed wedded, as they pretended to be. If I had known the truth, I would have killed him," “Poor fellow! IJow you have suffered!” “The weeks and the months rolled by. Slippery Sam, one of my trusted friends, from time to time occupied a room in the same house in which Lilian lived. He did this at my request to bring me reliable news of all that occurred. I had a sort of presentiment that some day she would need my aid. The time came at length. One night I was with Slippery Sam In his room when I heard a noise below. I listened and felt sure that some one was moving about In Lilian’s room. I went back and brought out a candle. By Its dim light I saw a man hurrying down stairs, carrying a bundle. I hastily followed. He walked swiftly through the dark streets, but I kept him In view. Finally he reached an old graveyard and with difficulty climbed over the fence. Then I discovered his purpose. He had stolen Lilian’s child. I saw him strip off the single garment In which It was clad, and I saw him deposit the Infant In the high grass. “I was leaning against the wall, under the protecting shadow of a doorway next to the rail fence, when he leaped back into the street and hurried 1 up town. I imagined that this was the husband, who thus took the first step toward abandoning poor Lilian. I was convulsed with rage and sneaked along behind him, hesitating whether or not to strike him dead. As these thoughts were surging in my brain the man hhead of me stepped Into the light of an electric lamp\at Chatham square, and an instant later I saw his face and recognized it—l say recognized it, for I knew him. It was Matthew Mora/tbe elder.” , * “So the old man liad stolen the son’s child in repayment of the bloDe which he had received.” J “Perhaps. I knew nothing of that at the time. I was overcome by the Intensity of the emotions that surged up about my heart. My brain seemed on fire. Mv evea became blind, so that

the old man disappeared from my view. Everything was red before me, blood color. Blood seemed to flow about me. The s’treets were covered with It, and It ran about In a rapid flood. Now it rose to my knees; now It reached to my waist, to my shoulders, to my neck. I experienced a sense of strangulation. I gasped, I reeled, and then In an instant all became clear again. My senses returned, and I ran forward to seize the fiend who was a little ahead of me. He was rushing up the steps of the elevated railroad. I run after him, mounting three steps at a tinj,e, hut I reached the platform only in time to see him enter a train and to have the gate slammed iu my face as the guard pulled the signal cord. Well, I was powerless for the moment, but the craving for blood was In my heart and would not be appeased. The first reckless impulse of madness, however, had passed and now gave place to cunning. I went hack to the house where Morton lived, and I searched his closet for a. suit of clothing which would serve ns a disguise. I found what you all now know as the plaid suit. My object in wearing that wns to create the suspicion of Morton’s guilt, for I had determined to kill old Mora, and the deed was already accomplished In my mind. He would be shown to have had provocation by the clever detectives who would Investigate the case. It would be discovered that the old man had stolen and abandoned the Infant, and that would suffice as a motive. 80 I wore the suit and hastened to Mora’s house, the location of which was well known to me. “I saw the watchman and did not consider at the time why it was that he made no protest when I deftly unlocked the door with what he probably thought was a key. Of course he Imagined that I was the son. I went in and soon found old Mora’s room. He was In bed. He had the club beside him and sat up as I entered. Instantly he began to abuse me, to taunt me with the loss of the child, which he boasted of having put out of the way. It was then and from the words which he addressed to ine lu the darkness, supposing that I was his sou, that I discovered his relationship to my Lilian's lover. This was a new and terrible shock to me. Again a turbid sea of blood engulfed me. The room seemed illuminated 11s with a glare of red fire. I saw the old man sitting there lu his bed, I saw the club at his side, and I sprang suddenly upon him and seized it. Then a desperate struggle began. He, too, caught hold of the club. I wrestled with him and flnnlly overpowered him. He fell to his knees, and L swung the club upward and swiftly downward. Whether I struck him once or many times 1 will never know, and It is Immaterial. The first blow probably ended all. As soon as he was still I lighted the gas and ransacked his desk. I found the will and immedlately realized that it would be a powerful weapon in certain emergencies. It could be used to blackmail young Mora in case he should escape the suspicion of this crime. This brings me to the plaid suit. I put It on over my own clothing, but after entering the house I slipped it off, lest blood should fall upon It. Before I departed I put it on again, for I knew then why the watchman had permitted me to pass, and I hoped that he would see me again as I left.” “I see. You wished to oast suspicion upon young Mora. That is why, when we were discussing the case, you expressed the opinion that the son had committed the crime?” “No. You are only partially correct. At the time of the murder I thought only of protecting myself. The criminal impulse controlled me, and the little good that Is In me was Inactive for the time. But later I had no wish to see young Mora suffer. I needed not that for my own protection, and his death would have brought suffering to Lilian.” “But you certainly expressed the opinion that Matthew Mora’s son killed him?” % “I did, and It was the truth. Matthew Mora’s son did kill him.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Mr. Mltchel. “I am Matthew Mora’s son,” said Preacher Jim. “You—his son?” “Yes; I am the son of Matthew Mora and Margaret Crane. My mother always called me Matthew. You were wrong when you expressed the opinion that my mother cut out my father’s name from those letters. I found the letters one day and so learned the truth. Later on I cut the names out In order that the secret might not be discovered by any one else.” “This Is Indeed a surprising revelation. You Matthew Mora’s son! It Is like a tale of Action. And how very just is its ending! The man was murdered by the very child whom be had abandoned after bequeathing to him a heritage of crime.” ITO 8B OOHTINUKD.J