American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-01-14
geSgaeClCata &ssHpGG11lGrAn,
AND BALTIMORE CLIPPER.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JAN. IA, 1876

A card in another column has been handed
10 US for publication; and. as it assigns the rea-
CONS which governed nine of the Jurors in the
case of Sterling, we cannot see any impropre-
ty in permitting it to appear in our paper
The crime with which Sterling and four other
youths stand charged, is of most heinous
character, and of a nature not to be proved by
more than the one witness, Margaretta Ehe
mann; and it seems that, from the contradic-
tory testimony given by her, whilst on oath,
before the magistrate and in Court, the jurors
above mentioned entirely discredited her. 1t
is not surprising that they should have come
20 this determination, seeing that she at one
time swore that she was the sister Of Syler-
al another that she was no relation--now that
she had been on the Resterstown road, and
again that she had not been near it--aud so in
several other Instances. 1t was natural for u-
rors TO conclude that she who would swear
falsely on one, two or three points, deserved
not to be credited on any. Had it been in
matter wherein she might have been mistaken,
tsuch, for instance, as the Identification Of the
young men, the discrepancies in her testimony
might have been attributed TO error-but she
could not have committed the mistake Of sup
posing herself to be the sister of Sylor, or that
she had been at certain place when she was
not near it. The jury may be readily excused
for dsbelieving her evidence altogether, for it
is a sound principle not to credit a witness on
one point where he OF she has testified falsely
on Others.
In the case young Roberts, the jury found
him guilty only of all aftcap! to commit that
which Margaretta Ehemann swore positively
he had commtted--thus showing conclusvcly
that the jury discredted her, at least in part
Now, if she were competent to prove the al
tempt, she was also a good witness to prove the
actj but the jury thought otherwise; or it is
possible that their verdict was not founded up
on her testimony at all, but upon that of Sy-
Ter, who thought he recognized Roberts as the
individual who was said to have seized Marna-
retia and drawn the knie but it will be seen
that the jurors who have signed the card, also
disbeleve Syler on account OF his evasiye and
contradictory evidence.
We make these remarks as matter Of sheer
justice. Whilst we would, at all hazards, pro-
tect the female sex from the assaults of licen-
tious men, we cannot but remember that the
law enables licentiOus woman to leopard the
lives or liberties of innocent men. In the
cases of the young men charged by Margaletta
Ehemann, it is not for US to pronounce upon
their innocence or guilt, Four of them are
yet to be tried, and we have no doubt will re-
ceiVe justice at the hands Of impartial juries
But we must say that the testimony elected in
ne two examinations which have taken place,
thas very much changed the aspect of the
whole affair. We felt deeply for the female
at the time the occurrence was said to have
taken place; and we united in the demand
that the violators of innocence should be held
to strict account, and the law be fully vindi-
Gated. Such was the general feeling and sentl-
ment at the time, and if these have been
changed, it is Attributable entirely to the causes
stated in the above card, viz: the evasiyc, con
Trajectory and untrue testimony of Margarctta
Ehemann, her pretended brother, sc.