Crime & punishment > Whinny Park murder

HENDERSON.
Look on this picture, and on this !”
We shall not stop to make any moral reflections on the
difference of the two characters which we delineate;
these may safely be left to the reader himself. Suffice
it to say, that Henderson is a native of Dunfermline : his
fmrents are decent respectable people, and possess some
ittle property there. His father is esteemed as an in¬
dustrious man in his own business ; and was remarkable
for his ingenuity in several optical contrivances, the
grinding of lenses, &c., which hardly seemed to lie within
the reach of persons in his sphere. There are other
children in the family, all of whom are well behaved and
respected.
John, who has inflicted on them so much distress, is
now about 22 years of age; he had tender eyes, and a
somewhat defective sight, from his childhood, and, partly
perhaps on that account, did not, so early as the others
of his family, acquire those habits of industry which are
the most effectual security against vice. The following
extract of a letter from a gentleman who knew his pa¬
rents, will give the best idea of his early character :—
“ He made pretty good progress in reading and writing;
but he could never be got to pay the least attention to
arithmetic. His parents have, for a considerable time
past, considered him defective in judgment; and they
expressed to me their conviction, that were the thou¬
sandth part of his conduct towards them known, he
would not be viewed as of a sane mind. This they did
not wish me to state; for they at the same time declared
that it was not to the extent that would free him from
responsibility. I have learnt also that this was the opi¬
nion of a very intelligent old woman whom I well knew,
who is lately dead, an aunt of Henderson’s, who used to
say, ‘ John is surely not altogether solid; but it may be
some time yet before his parents discover it.’ ”