The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-04-02
THE MURDERER. AT LARGE.


escape The punishment justly due to his Infamous
crimes. How they can account TO their country,
('o their consciences they cannot, for they have
none,) Tor this verdict. we cannot see after the
evidence which was given before them the at
tempt to make out that the victim committed sui.
eide, is one of those impudent acts with which
privileged class in this country dare 10 insult the
common of the people
Ilrre is remandrd 10 prison to stand his trial
on the indictment for arson. This is another
humbug. Ii there was proof of his committing
the murder, what proof will there be that he set
IRE tn the dwelling, during the time there were
some five individuals in it, unconsciously wrapned
In sleep? No! if Mrs Bickford was not muir
dered 10y Tirrell then did she commit suicide
ana aI'er having bed awhile, she got up, washed
her hands, went into another room and took
clothes from the bed, piled them up in the entry,
set them on fire, set her own bed ON fire. fred
her cluSet, dashed herself on the ground tore ,be
earrings out of her ears, burned herself severely.
and all this too after she had 80 cut her throat.
mat 1t would be an impossibility for any animate
being 10 move, except turtle a domestic fow
We extract the following review of the case
from the New York Herald, with which we fully
accord -
The TRIAL OF TIRRELL FOR THE MURprn
OF MARIA ANN BIcKFoRD.-The community
were aslunlshed yesterday, on the receipt of the
intelligence that Albert j. Trrell, whose trial fur
the murder of Maria Ann BickforJ, at Boston, oc
cupled their attention for some days back had
been acquitted by The jury. We saw everywhere
little knots OF people talking the matter over and
mere was but one opinion, and that was that il
was most extraordinary verdict. There never
was, IN the history of crime, in the minds of
many, clearer case of cool, premedtatcd and
deliberate murder, perpelrated by an abandoned
and profligae man. The circumstances of The
case are briefly these:
lIrrel and the victim were persons Of ahan-
doned character. One was living apart from his
wife. and the other from her husband. and both
had been co-habiting in adultery for lone time
previous to the murder After continuing in this
auuIteruus connection fnr some time, and travel.
ling over the country, find them in house in
Boston, where Maria Ann Bckford was murdered
lhey had retired for the night; the inmates of
'he mouse had discovered fire in the chamber
and heard the footsteps Of some person escapinu
Alter extlngulshing the fire, they found the body
OF Maria Ann Bickfnrd partially burned and her
throat cut In an awful manner On making fur
ther search, several articles of apparel belonging
to Iirrell were found, and the wash basin showed
evidence of some person, whose hands had been
bloody, having washed in il. Soon after the dis
coVery OF the fire, Iirrell was seen in another
part of the city, endeavoIing 10 hire conveyance
10 take him out oil town as soon possible Sus-
pclon Immediately fastened on Trrell as The muir
derer; officers were in pursuit of him, but he eff
fecied his escape TO New Orleans where he was
arrested and brought back to Boston for trial.
The defendant engaged most eminent counsel.
and pleaded a novel defence. The first plea was
that the victim committed suicide; and secondly
al I'IrTol hill, r
and 1t he really committed the murder, he did il
while he was not in his right mind, or ,oIile he
tcas asleep The trial proceeded. and the Com
monweallh proved in the minds of hundreds, the
fact of IiTre 5 being the murderer, beyond the
possibility of doubt; and yet, the jury, to the
astonlshment OF vast number of the moral people
OF Boston, brought in a verdict of not guilty.
That portion of the defence about somnambulism
is the greatest piece of humbng we have ever
heard of; and the very fact of such defence be-
ing put In, is pretty strong proof that it made
use Of In place OF better. AS TO the idea of the
woman having committed suicide it ia preposter
Gus, and too fimsy TO admit of a moments arpu.
ment. The jury, we believe based their decision
on the ground that it was self. murder; but it
puzzles us to see how they could possibly arrive
at such conclusion. The apparel and cane of
the prisoner were found in the room and that.
with the circumstance of the wash bowl and The
prisoner subsequent flight and escap pc when pur-
sued by the officers of justice, forbds such sup
position. We therefore consider The whole de-
fence, and the verdict as most extraordinary in
every point of view. II will afford a terrible pre-
cedent. II is mockery Of all law and Justice
and is direct inducement for a repetition of the
crime. What security have the citizens of Mas
sachuseiis for their lives and property, when an
abandoned william can enter a house. murder his
victim, and employ counsel whose ingenuity and
skill will work ont his acquitta, by making up
story of somnambusm, or some other humbup
We have, in this, a precedent that will be fol
lowed IN the same manner that the plea of insanity
was, for years to come. Every murderer will,
hereafter, plead somnambulism as an excuse, or
some other equally shallow defence, which the
fertile ingenuity Of counsel may coin, if he be for
iunate enough to be tried in Boston. He may
snap his finger at the law and Judge, and repeat
his crime. All that is necessary, is to get his
mother, or grandmother, TO prove that he got up
and walked in his sleep, when he was young, and
made noise resembling, no matter what, as if he
was half-strangled, and jury will acquit him.
For notwithstanding the rumor that the jury based
their decision altogether on the supposlion that
tho unfortunate woman committed suicide. we
disposed to think that the plea Of somnanbu-
Iism had It's effect upon their minds, and they let
IL influence their iudUmenf