The Ohio Democrat and Dover advertiser. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1839-1840, 1839-12-06

,rea, the bar, the bench, and looked
down from the gallery above. Even
he windows were blocked up by the
pultitude; and without the courl-yafd
was ove,fowing with hundreds, waitipe
TO catch the slightest sound from with
in.
The prisoner entered with firm slepl
and uuJeualed look, aud taking bis seat
in the bar bowed 10 the Judge, ran his
eye a moment proudly round the room,
and dropped 1t to the grOud before the
eager gaze Of thousands Of spectators. |
His swee, wife bad resisted every en- |
haty to be absent, and now sat by his |
side, claspiug his hand, and gazing up
into his face, as the trial proceeded, with
,hafdeep trusting Jock, which seemed
TO say that il all the Wund dsserledhils.d
heutleast ,weuld cling TO him through
woe, and shame, and misery, aye! even
to death itself. The aged judge upon
the bench, who had known both her
and her husband in better days, turned
his head away, aud did not disdain a
tear.
The trial began. The jury was en-
pannelled, the. indictment read, and the
prisoner arraigned. He plead "not
guilty" put himself upon God and his
country, and then the clerk, in the so-
lemn response Of the law, answered,
"God send you a good deliverance!"
There was a thrill Of sympathy rau
through the crowd & hundreds ofhear,S
echoed the pous wish
The opening speech Of the prosecu>
tors attorney now began, and nothing
could have been more artlul and effec-
tive. Not content with staring The ev.
ldence against, my chsut, he dwel!' re-
torically upon the virtues of the eceas>
ed, the history OF the prisoners mar
riage, and the benefits likely to accure
10 him from Mr., Wilson's murder |
saw Duvups eye dash an instant, but
then all was again calm. The attorney
took his seat, and, from the altered
countenance Of the jury, felt that the
tide was turning against the accused.
My heart failed me, for | knew thai
the evidence was terribly strong, and
that we had none or little 10 rebul it,
Though lspent some days in securing
the coast. enquir,ng if Mr.. Wilson hae
been seen prosecuting his journey aitel
the hour OF the supposed murder, haG
been wholly unsuccessful. My col
league shook his head and, with ,
|mournfui look, unfolded bis papers. Th,
curtarni was already shadowing th'
stage. ...
The testimony was the same as Of
the examination, except in identiyin,
The body. All the witnesses al frs
swore postiely to it's beipg that ofMr
Wilson. One of them had done 9th
erwise al the commencement ! whls
pered il to ~ col nAl no who COnduC
ted the cross examination, and his ca
gle eye-kinded as he asked,
"Are you certain Than this was th
body of Wllson-yOu say 1t was dlstig
ured, especially about the face, and il
a state of decomposition, nov ca
, you swear, on your oath, that the fea
lures were those OF the missing mani"
. The witness qua'ed beneath hi'
I glance, and answered that he could nc
say that
WeIl--you jid not recognize tb'
ace-dld you The lorna-the carmen
y ANY thingW
, The witness srammered, hesitatet
looked uneasily around, and contesse
! that he could not swear positively 10 tn
identity of the'body.
; "Did you not" said the hawk eye
counsellor, producing deposition an
4 running his eye over it, "dld you nc
, say before that so far from knowing TIN
. TO be the body of Mr.. Wilson you knew
J it 10 be shorterl On yonr oath-IhIn
noww
T. The man rubbed his hands together
. cast a restless look at the deposition
/, and at last faltered out that he guesse
It no had said something like that, thoug
what 1t was exactly he could not tell.
!. 'You may leave this stand thunder
n ed my colleague hiuging down his pa
z pers.
= After a vain attempt. to cover the
II Witnesses the prosecution gave in evi
d dence, from an examination Of the skul
i that the blow was by blunt iHstrume
d frabturiug that portion Of the fram
t., The fight, as they called it, for the pri
y oner was proved, and various 9th
!, minor facts, all to however strengthen
n. ing the suspicion against him. N
~ heart died within me as they proceede
I'd AT last they were done, and there W
le mutual exchange Of intelligence
an the jury boz, which went like an c
N bolt through my heart.
ly We followed and opened our defenC
Sc Our evidence was slight, and only CT
g. cuIated to established the former hi