The New York herald., 1845-04-16
Trial OF Nicholas 3. Gordon for the Murder
OF Amasa Spraguc.

OI Amo1a SPIa&ue
MONDAY MoRNIEa, April Ia
Il may well state here that the STAIN said to be
blood stain the sleeve of the shirt found in Gordons
AMBER has been submitted to chemical anays Sis the
result OF which stated Saturday afternoon by the At
crney General TO be not unavorable to the prisoner
On the opening of the Court this morning, Mr.. Curry,
Tor the prisoner resumed and concluded his opening
gument. He dwelt for time the character the
evidence which had been presented by the government
was purely circumstantal and this account would
require greater degree of careful scruny the part
of the jury In making this scrutiny examination the
tnat each circumstance must stand alone and depend
not upon the other circumstances bue the testimony
ce1r.s directly upon ITSELF the second that each cir
renee can be drawn from it, the third that the crcum
stances must not only tend 10 the establishing of fact
charged hut they must positively exclude every other
hypothesis which might be presented
Mr.. then passed to an examination of the evidence
in relation to the guilt of John Gordon. the record of
whose conviction had been offered p,a acia evidence
that he committed the murder He thought he should
be able to show that John Gordon did and could
have committed the murder The Government had not
offered particle of positive evidence to show that John
Gordon was nearer the place of murder when
committed than hundreds OF others residing in the vci
ny He was seen going towards his home at half past
O'Clock he must have been at home at o'clock. Mr.
minutes walk OF the place OF murder John Gordon
again seen at halt past o'clock at neither time did he
swamp. 1t for the jury to Judge whether John Cor
don could have exchanged his clothes after 3o'cock
vent 70 tne place Of murder killed Mr. sprague sscreted
his clothes, and called the Kngston three quarters
OF mile distant at half past O'Clock.
Mr. C. next glanced at the evidence relating to the gun
found in the swamp The chief witness who identified it
having belonged to either of the Gordons Abner
the of John Gordon the Friday before the
murder was committed He met Gordon in the read,
then e.kna and hs wife shs
had seen Gordon's gun the day before: the fsrmer
son and had with the view Of it.
and both CT them swear this is not the gun they
Mr. c. went over the other evidence in relation to the
o. hU Aiypyy ard oloYkU rIxy
Of
given by the negro Francis that he left this gun with
Amy for sale, not suicent-he only identified the
was missing from the lock- and that screw not
properly gun screw now in that place. Mr.. Cur
ry here took the gun and showed to the jury that two
screws. neither Of them gun screws were now in the
lock. Mr. Curry also showed that there was mark
about the gun by which any person who had once exam
and portion much darker coored than the other
J was strange Francis and the other witnesses made
mention Of this The ramrod of the gun only traced
to Nicholas Gordon through the testimony Of Benjamin
Waterman Ben Kit. Mr. William Sprague had testif
cd that he did not think Kit competent Witness and
Gen. Carpenter had sworn that Kit told him he was brib
ed to swear did Mr. c. did believe Mr. Sprague
had 6rbed Kit but the fact followed that Kit had told
slanderous lie to Carpenter The jury could Judge what
reliance in case like this, should be placed upon his
oath.
Mr. CURRY next passed to the coat found in the swamp
One or two witnesses think they the prisoner
has seen tho Gordon have and ~aar seie s
very coat but had been proved that Susan Field had
acknowledged she had sworn to what she knew nothing
aoout and the witness who called to show that she
had described Gordon Clothes before the clothes
taken, admits that she said nothing the color Of
what she termed Nchoas's old coat Besides this, the
two Sones the very nearest neighbors Of the prisoner
and two or three other hbors had that
they never saw him have this coat
The pistol, Mr.. Curry said had not been identified by
eny witness Susan Field had pistol in Gordsn's
store but that any pistol had been
ia Gordon's possess on directly resembling this
The evidence in relation to the foot prints tho
roughly gone over by Mr. Curry, and the conflicting
testimony on this subject completely sed He showed
from the testimony to the point that the tracing
surng OF the footprints the house had been
sworn TO, was imaginary, to say the least OF it, Your
readers, who have read the evidence this point
no help agreeing with Mr.. Curry in this .luson l.
He referred particularly the fact the
OF the width track did not CORRESPOND with
ohm Gordons boot He also dwe upon the fact that
greet many had passed the very ground Of
'hese tracks from Gordon's house Hawkins Hole on
the Monday after the murder They must have inter
them; and the men who traced them the day after, pro-
fessed to have other tracks. Mr.. Curry next
referred to the man seen in the vicinity of Dyers bridges
he was undoubtedly the murderer bat he not John
Gordon; he was larger and taller man, had been
to by four Witnesses and besides this John Cor
of an inch.
Mr. CURRY concluded his argument ut O'Clock M |
OF course the britt sketch have given of will not pass
Tor full outline, Of what occupied four hours
the delivery This afternoon Mr. Rodger also for the
prisoner, will make his closing plea
There is strong probability that Gordon will be &C.
Quilted The worst that is much feared by his friends is
mat the Jury will not agree.
Yours. w.
Trarsr Ar,vr Sr,,ru.py Nc usuaI nr.r,