Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1846-04-09
From the Boston Transcript.
ARGUMENT OF RUFUS CHoATE,
On the trial of A. J. Tirreu.

| OtS dSe " ttes ~ "a ~ Il TTcGs.
Mr.. Choate's argument for the defence
was agreed by all to be masterpiece of
pleadiDg-such as has been shown on
few criminal trials, especially in case
combining guilty connection with mar
ried woman with the alledged crimes of
murder and arson. Ingenious in, its ar
guments, cautious in its points, and elo-
quent in all its bearings, his defence pre-
sented rare case of special pleading
startling in its possibilities, profound in it's
ihoughtfulness, patheti: in its appeals,
and remarkable Units logic. The pris.
oner listened 10 it with the most imper-
turbable GOODNESS = bat the Precipitation
stood in big drops on the brow of the
matchless orator, and his form shook to
very nervousness Vt it'll the intensity of his
4 emotion. Those who heard Mr.. Choate
on this occasion, will not soon forget the
almost painful earnestness OF his manner,
or the powerful bearing of his words.
He ssemecd as if he was pleading for his
own life, and tie whole scene possessed
an awful interest. We give below sy-
nopsis of his defence, which occupied
5l.2 hours in the delivery. Mr.. Choate
commenced by reminding the jury of their
solemn obligations to weigh, the circum-
stances of the defence in a Christian spirit
and he adverted to the danger of mistake
in giving sentence. the uncertainty of
human proof, and the dreadful consquen.
ces of arriving at fatal but erroneous
conclusion. He quoted the circumstan-
ces related by O'ConneH Of three of his
clients who, though innocent, were con-
victed and executed. Mr.. Choate said
there was not chance of pardon from
the Governor F-%aE
In defending the prisoner, he said, it
was impossible that the theory Of the
government could be true; that the de-
PENDANT, who loved the deceased devoted
! ly. fondly, idolatrously, should have gone
asleep in her arms, and awake to murder
her. There was no possible motive for
the fact. To believe it, the jury must be-
lieve stupenduous moral miracle.
Whatever took place that night, or
whenever the prisoner left the house, the
prisoner could give his counsel ito ex-
PLANTATION Of it, for he was in state of
perfect Inconsistencies in the morn ing
Such was the proof as to his condition.
Four hours after he had lain down nv her
side, under the same passionate enchant-
ment which had governed and misled
him for q year, he was found in state
of Inconsistencies, and she soon after is
found dead. He goes, in his still continu.
ing sleep, to two houses, places where he
is well known, and at the latter is awoke
He asked not for horse or vehicle to
20 off with, but asks for a man 10 drive
him home. The time, place, and mode of
death possessed not one feature of pre-.
meditated killing. s..
l. Affair osclonk ha r;eoc opj .,,;tLo,,t tl,o
Occurrence o. single circumstance. he
Icoolly cut the throat Of his victim from
ear to ear, and then sets fire to the house,
and fees Gould he have done this and
be so blind asto suppose that he would
not be traced AT the moment he was
engaged in the act the mighty heart of the
city was just arousing itself into NOR
ming life. In every direction he could
meet his fellow men OH their way TO The
duties of the day; and ready, on the first
Indication of fire TO hasten OF the spot
and extinguish it befote it had been in
progress for the space Of minute. The
time in this view was of vast importance
! had planned his prompt detection he
could not have planned more effectual
course. lie could not in his senses have
hoped to escape suspicion. He must
| have known that he was thelast man with
the deceased. Every body in the house
| knew it.. Before committing q murder
at tina. hour, hewould have thought of all
this. ,a.. ..(8,
Then came In the enquiry whether the
deed was done by the waking man, or
the haunted dreamer. Here came in the
grand inaprobability Of an act of wilful
i .vn. Akx,< 1ayhs Ia.
there was no violent improbability, al
least no impossibility. that the deed might
have been done in his sleep. The last
of wiful murder. II was not to be en-.
tertained, until llo;her solutions of the
death had been exhausted.
Mr.. C,argued from the medical and
other testimony, that she might have
committed suicide and that such was the
most reasonable supposiiion.. He con.
tended that the room, when examined by
Mr.. Pratt, might have been very differ
ent from its condition at five o'clock in
the morning. There were many hypo-
rcconcilable with the prisoners inno-
cence. There was mystery hanging
/ about that chamber OF death, which
4 COuIu HOl Dc SOIVcuS uuu ulHdPpuy tnC
4 prisoner could afford no assistance TO OK.
plain il, Lawrence might himself have
dragged the body from the bed, and his
cowardice, caused by his mode of life,
might have prompted him to conceal it.
The earring might have been snatched
from the ear of the corpse for the purpose
of plumber. Why did Lawrence endeav-
or to prevent Bowker from going upstairs
when his upper story was in flames.
What was his motive for conceaiment!
About to be abandoned, by necessity, by
her youthful lover, and having arrived
at the crisis of the natural destiny of her
class. was it strange that Mrs. Bickford
should have thought Of destroying her,
SELF and at the same time all evidence
Of her mode Of leaving world which
she had made SO hateful to herself! II
the suicide was propable, there being no
evidence in relation to II, suicide it mus
be taken to be. Suppose she rises. sets
the house on fire, and returns to the bed
and commits suicide; the gush Of blood
| So - al nlaapar m, 40 nP horror he