CRIME: Assault on a Senator

Lying gravely wounded in the intensive-care section of Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Mississippi Senator John Stennis signaled for a pad and pencil. Although a respirator mask covered his face, he scribbled a brief note to President Nixon, apologizing for his inability to serve as moderator at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington last week.

It was partly that kind of concern for the social graces, as well as his reputation for integrity and fairness throughout his 25-year career in the Senate, that made so much of Washington so angry over the...