The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

evil of the delay of the allied troops sent from
IrthreanDceardaanendilesE.
ngl
a IIE
Everybody ryt to
their
else
had rendezvouslong,
. i
agon
' recognised it. The thing, in fact, was as plain
as a pikestaff. But lo ! and behold ! this morn-
ing it is suddenly, and for the first time, perceived,
and, of course, immediately thereupon loudly
denounced, by one or two of our contemporaries.
Why, the reality of this deplorable system of
delay has been for a considerable time past noto-
rious. In these columns,, we repeat, we our-
selves have denounced it again and again, until
we have become absolutely tired of the monotony
of the repetition. We have addressed our com-
plaints in the matter to those in office almost in the
form of direct accusation. Yet in this, as unhap-
pily in other instances relating to the war entered
upon by the Earl of ABERDEEN and some among his
colleagues with such obvious reluctance—in per-
tusum ingerimus dicta dolium—the promptings of
ordinary prudence and the suggestions of common
sense would appear to have no influence in guid-
ing the councils of a still hesitating and still (to
a certain extent) timorous Government.
Nothing, however, can alter the fact—the fact
of the evil against which we have so often pro-
tested. The Western Powers have been sadly
Iwanting in promptitude in sending out troops to
the scene of action in the Principalities. They
have been wasting inestimable time in talking
about their intended achievethents. They have
been—there is no Other word for it—dawdling
over their preparations. The extent of
the military aid offered by them to
the Sublime Porte is, up to this moment,
altogether inadequate for the emergency. And
even that, comparatively speaking, insignificant
assistance has been so delayed and delayed, in
dinner-giving and compliments, at Paris and Lon-
don, at Malta and Marseilles, that even now the
foremost of them—those already debarked At Gal-
lipoli—are only on their way to the seat of actual
war, to the scene of action among the belligerents.
England and France expect better things from
their united Governments.

Few cases of late years have excited greater
interest than that of Dr. WILLIAM SNIT'', who
was last week tried before the High Court of
Justiciary in Edinburgh, charged with the wilful
and deliberate murder of a farm-servant named
WILLIAM M‘DONALDi at Kirkton, or St. Fergus,
in Aberdeenshire, during the month of Nevember
last. It was not merely the respectability of the
accused, who occupied a position in society supe-
rior to most common-place murderers—it was not
the strange and mysterious circumstances of the
melancholy transaction that excited such intense
anxiety as to the result of the investigation. The
extraordinary character of the motive ascribed,
the manner in which the valuable principle of
Life Assurance was turned • from its origi-
nal purpose, and made to act the part
of the Lancashire death clubs for the
Purpose of gambling in human life invested
the case with a fearful importance, and rendered
it—if the suspicions entertained should have been
confirmed by evidence--one of the most atrocious
ever brought under the consideration of a crimi-
nal tribunal. It may be observed, too, that the
matter which directed the current of suspicion
against Dr. SMITH was, that he had speculated in
the life of the deceased man, and would have been
entitled to receive a sum of nearly 2,000/. in the 'I
event of his death, one-half of which would be
altogether lost if M`DorraLD had survived another
fortnight. The large interest which the prisoner
held in this life at once made him the object of
doubt ; and, when it was found that he might
have committed the murder, these suspicions
were so greatly strengthened that he was
taken into custody, and exposed to the harras-
sing anxiety of a public trial for mur-
der, when, in the event of a hostile verdict,
he would have expiated the awful crime by an
ignominious death on the scaffold. The jury,
however, gave the prisoner the benefit of the
doubt, and by a majority returned a verdict of
" Not proven"—one allowed by the laws of Scot-
land (although not in the other parts of the United
Kingdom), and which does not discharge the party
from the penal consequences of his crime in the
event of additional evidence being. obtained at
some future time. The minority were desirous
of finding the accused " guilty ;" so that it may
be seen how narrow was the escape, and if the
prisoner was indeed innocent, as we are bound
to believe after the verdict, he has suffered very
severely for his tampering with " gambling
policies," and his peril may serve as a salutary
caution to persons to abstain from any connec-
tion with matters which may expose them to such
grave imputation and serious annoyances.
The trial lasted three entire days. The most
eminent professional talent in North Britain was
engaged in the inquiry. The Solicitor-General
led for the Crown, while the Dean of Faculty was
senior for the defence. Three learned Judges
presided on the bench. Everything, therefore,
calculated to elicit truth was available ; and yet,
we regret to say, that the mists are by no means
dispelled. The doubts have acquired more pain-
ful intensity, and public justice and the character
of Dr. SMITH alike remain without adequate vin-
dication. It not even known with certainty
whether a murder has at all been committed.
And a dark cloud hangs over the fair fame of the
medical practitioner, that must darken all his
future prospects, and which,he will find it difficult,
if not altogether impossible, to dispel ; and this has
all arisen from the circumstance of Dr. SMITH hav-
ing speculated on the life of a person with whom
he was in daily communication, and by whose
early death he would receive large pecuniary ad-
vantages. We say advisedly that was the only
circumstance which warranted the trial, or his
being called on to answer a charge involving his
life and honour.
The evidence was purely circumstantial. It
was shown that the deceased, who was cheerful
and good tempered, not at all subject to depres-
sions, or likely to be guilty of violence against
himself, was engaged to be married, whenever he
could succeed in getting a farm. He was on the
best terms with his intended, and there had not
been any dispute or subject of jealousy between
them. He went out on Saturday evening, the
10th November, at four o'clock p.m., stating
that he was going to the wheelwright's, and that
he had a " tryst" (or appointment) with Dr.

SitiTH about six o'clock. A farmer named SrEw-

ART deposed tohaving been at the wheelwright's and
seen a strange young man supposed to be the deceased,
there before 7 o'clock. He went back a little be-

fore half-past 'T for a few minutes, and the young

man was not there. On going home witness
heard a shot fired when he was about five minutes

walk from the wheelwright's shop.
also heard by Wm. FRASER, bell-manTohfe St. shot was
Fer-
gus, and was probably the one by which the
death of MTIONALD was occasioned. FRASER
proved that he left his own house a little after
half-past 7 o'clock, to go to the church to ring the
8 o'clock bell. When about forty or fifty yards
on the way he heard a shot, and saw a flash in the
direction of Dr.. SmirEt's field. This took place
between 20 and 25 minutes to 8 o'clock. Every
person of any experience in criminal cases knows
the extraordinary difficulty in obtaining accurate
infortuatiun as to time. Since the celebrated ease of
TiwaLi-i.ozi, to the prei.ent day, the most
conticti-ng evidencehas been obtainr4 en such. points
from persaza desires;, of telling the truth.
Here, however, the exact time was
,ascertained
with more than ordinary accuracy. There was
the agreement, in point of time, between the wit-
nesses STEWART and FRASER; the latter, too, from
ringing the bells for particular times,
Ihviass dutynoof
not
easily to be deceived as to the hour.
The time was thus fixed—at about 20 or 26'
minutes to 8 o'clock. Now the prisoner proved
that he had been on a professional visit to the

Manse up to He afterwards was at the house
of a Miss ANDERSOY at 25 minutes before 8, by
her 400k...but that she states it to have b..n

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