caught, probably held him back. But when at last he was taken back to Poland and into the presence of the Deputy Sheriff; when his clothes had been removed and he thought his story would get into the papers and he would become notorious; then he began to talk. In spite of all the warnings and declarations that he would suffer for it, he talked. At this point it is important to remember that he is talking now to be heard; he is not confessing in order to escape punishment, he is talking because he is proud of what he has done; he wants to boast, wants to be talked about and written up, wants to be notorious, a great criminal, as is evidenced in the course of the trial. Remembering this, we cannot believe all that he says in his confession.

As already stated, in so far as it relates to the basal facts of the crime, it is undoubtedly true; but when it comes to the finer details of what he did, how he prepared, and what he claimed was his motive, we greatly err if we accept everything he said. It is not in the sworn confession, but it was in evidence that he said he sharpened the knife for the purpose; the fact that he said he sharpened the knife for the purpose should have no weight. It is precisely the kind of thing that he would put in for effect. In fact all that he said after the deed as to arrangements or plans or details must ever be questioned unless his statements can in some way be corroborated, for this tendency to elaborate is so strong that there is no possibility of putting any trust in his words.

It is worthy of note that whereas the defense introduced many witnesses who testified to Jean’s sayings and actions that showed silliness and indicated childish intelligence, the prosecution neither rebutted this nor produced witnesses testifying to anything in his previous conduct that gave evidence of good judgment or intelligence appropriate to his years, or that he had any moral development that would be normal for his age.[1]

The evidences of his pride in the deed are scattered throughout the testimony. For example, at one time he said, referring to the deed, “You would not think anybody could do a deed like that so quick, would you?” When asked how he could get Miss Beecher to go so far up the hill in the dark with him, he replied with a good deal of pride: “That’s easy! I told her my father was building a house up on the hill and we went up there.”

This leads us to another precaution which must be borne in mind in considering this case. If Jean is an imbecile, then all our previous conceptions must be changed, since the conclusions that we naturally draw are based on the assumption that these facts relate to a normal man. To illustrate: if Jean were a normal boy of sixteen, the fact that he inquired as to the time of Lida Beecher’s being at the Post Office, that he talked with her the day before about her promise to go with him to see his father, the fact that he went off with her that night, that when he reached his father’s house, he lied and said his father lived up over the hill and led her up there, and then, as he said, struck her with the monkey wrench, and so on, would all indicate premeditation and planning and forethought; but the instant we conclude that Jean is an imbecile, then these facts indicate nothing of the kind. It is not denied that such may have been the case, or that it is impossible for an imbecile to carry out such a plan. But it is claimed that there is no strong presumption that such was the fact, because the result can be accounted for in another way. Jean being an imbecile, it is entirely possible that he had no premeditation of murder at all, that he not only did not grind that knife for the purpose, but that he did not have the monkey wrench in his pocket for the purpose. On the contrary, it is possible that as he walked up the hill with Lida Beecher he had no more thought of killing her than of committing suicide. Indeed, it is much more plausible from all we know of imbeciles, and of boys of his physical development, that there was an entirely different purpose. That purpose was probably sexual. The writer is not alone in this thought. Hardly any of the persons with whom he has talked of this crime has failed to ask the question, “Was there any sexual offense in the matter?” The absence of any evidence of assault of this character has been a surprise to many persons; but it again is no surprise when we remember that Jean is an imbecile; we know also that he is a masturbator.

While the writer has no theory to put forth in regard to this crime, yet, for the sake of clearness and as an illustration of the imbecile type, let us assume a plausible hypothesis; that is to say, an hypothesis which may fit the case and is entirely plausible from the standpoint of imbecility.

Jean was sixteen years old, an age when sexual passion is strong. It is the middle of the great adolescent period. The new physiological function of sex is established, great psychic changes have occurred. The boy is dreaming dreams, the imagination is active. In the normal boy this means the evolution of ideals, ambitions, moral and religious ideas, attention to dress and appearance, interest in the opposite sex. In the case of the morally well-endowed boy, the sex impulses which have strengthened with the development of the physical potency find their outlet in a kind of vicarious functioning in the shape of polite and friendly association with his girl friends, in chivalric attentions and devotions, with more or less definite plans for future marriage and parenthood. In those with little or no moral principle we see the impulse leaping over the social conventions and attaining complete sexual gratification illegally.

With the imbecile the case is different. The fires of sexual passion may burn as vigorously as in the better endowed, but he lacks both the power of control and the courage and ingenuity to overcome the social barriers. He masturbates. This banks the fires somewhat and requires no courage. If stimulated by association with girls, he makes crude and imbecilic plans for conquest. Lacking moral development and ignorant of the more subtle means of accomplishing his purpose, he may resort to violence in some one of the many possible ways. Often he is not conscious of what it is that is driving him and hence does not know where satisfaction lies. Under these conditions his violence may show no outward signs of being sexual. It may show every degree from rough horseplay with girls, such as pushing, pulling, grabbing hat, cloak, or other articles of dress, bantering, teasing, and other forms of personal contact, up to physical injury, torture, and even murder.

Volumes could be written—indeed volumes have been written—showing the tremendous force of this sex impulse at this age, and the multifarious ways in which it expresses itself—many of them not showing any of the signs that are usually considered as indicating a sexual disturbance. That is to say, such acts are, by the uninitiated, not considered sex acts at all. One incident of this kind is in evidence. “At one time Jean took two little girls to a piece of woods and started to take their clothes off, and when asked why he did it, said he was going to play Indian and that Indians were naked.” Dismissing the possibility that his explanation was invented to conceal a definitely conscious sexual impulse, let us admit that he gave his real reason for the act. Still it is clear to all who are familiar with sex psychology that the subconscious reason for