The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-03-23

his thigh Did he inlct these blows himself, or
were they inflicted by some other hand Did he
rob himself of his watch and his money, and go
and secrete them himself? There can be no doubt
that murder and robbery have been committed.
If one of the jury should go home and find his wife
dead-robbed-with wounds on the head sufficient
to produce death, would he not, as reasonable
man. act on the superstition that she had been muir
dered. Considering the position of the body-the
blows on the head-the watch and money taken
and hid-the hat not broken, indicating that the
blows were inflicted when it off-the jury can
not doubt that the deceased was murdered. If
these letters of blood were written the body of
Edward Mathews, by whose hand were they writ
ten?
This is the next inquiry Who committed the
murder To aid in this inquiry, he would ask
where the murder was committed Independent
of the testimony of Flint the facts tend to show
that the murder was committed in that building -
The body is found on the wood near the door. one
foot out of the door. There were two half doors,
one of them partly open. The fact that the boots
were clean, does not prove from what part of the
adjoining places the body was taken there But it
shows that he could not have been struck down in
the street, in struggle. If it had been SO, the
boots would have been muddy. So would the
clothes have been. Mr.. B. could see no answer to
this position.
Ii is testified that the door was open from IL to
is inches, and Mr. Hasty says he could not get the
the left hand rested on the d"or. When did this
body become rigid, before it was placed there, or
afterwards! Did the dead body raise up its arm so
as to rest its hand the door Not only Mr. Bron-
son. but Hasty and Shorey testify the to the
position Of the body and arms. This is conclusive
as to where the body became rigid If rigid when
placed there, it could not have been put in at the
doc any easier than it could be taken out yet the
wood had to be moved and the space enlarged in
order to get the body out. Nor would it be eGsy
to get the body through the door without leaving
blood on the edges.
Did aay stranger commit the murder If so,
why did they not leave the body in the Highway
when they knocked him Gown? Would they have
left the money or the watch behind Did any cit
izen of Waterve commit the murder, other than
those who live in that building? How could they
do it. and leave the body in that cellar If it was
committed in Main street, the body must be taken
round by Williams, great thoroughfare. So is
the other end of the area. The is at the back
of great number of stores, ALI pble to have spec
ulators in them of the deed, whether committed in
the area, or in Main Street, and the body carried
there afterwards. The danger of detection is in
proportion to time the perpetrators remains with the
body, especially IN so public place Mr.. b. argued
than that the body was deposited there from within.
The tracks SO far all point inward. BY and by, we
will enter the den to what we discover
there.
Passing frem this view of the case, Mr. r. said
he must proceed to inquire if there was poison in
the body of Edward Mathews when found on the
morning of the LIST eff October The body was
toand on Friday morning, and in the afternoon the
wounds on the head were examined, and he con-
tents of the stomach taken out. The examination
Is made mostly by the prisoner and his student
Flint The contents Of the stomach were taken
ont, put in bowl. and soon afterwards taken by
Mr.. Williams, and placed behind hogshead back
of the housa-Mr. W. SAYS no one knew where he
nuf thop auIo ounb tbo hon b,,. H.
seen by any who knew it was there, and went
and looked over the basket and kettle it would
not be seen by any one who passed by and did not
know the bowl wss there. No one in the hall
knew it was preserved-the prisoner said, throw it
away; twill produce an unpleasant smell. Drs
Ihayer and Plaisted assented to its being thrown
away. All supposed it was thrown away.
But il is said some one may have put poison in
there whilst it stood exposed What inducement
could any one have to do it! To throw suspicion
on the prisoner! Why at that time the prison.
more than upon any other person. Can it he
believed TINT any one would put poison there to
throw suspicion on some unknown person Can
any one be depraved and have such general
malice 1t is not to be believed. The bowl was
was taken from that place of deposit early in the
morning, to the ce-housc-a dry, safe place, under
lock and key. 1t is afterwards taken from the ice
house, and given to Prof. Loomiis. scientific man.
and by him put in Il dry clean bottle and carried
gveu 10 him, as to the nature of the poison to be
sought for.
He applies some preliminary tests to give direc-
ton as to what poison to be sought for. Mr.
B. said he knew nothing of chemical tests-perhaps
the jury did not but they must take the testimony
of scientific men. If Prof. Cleaveland had been
called, he wond have used the same tests--all
chemists use the same, The preliminary test indi-
Gated prussic acid. The iron and the copper tests
proved thatit was thery. The silver test was ap-
piled, and failed because there was not enough of
the fluid to fill the retort Afterwards we tried it
again, in smaller retort, with more of the fluid
obtained by distillation and the result was perfect
the indication of prussic acid complete Mr.. B.
illustrated the chemical tests by glass of water
if brandy is put in, the discoloration is seen at
once the odor indicates the presence. of brandy
and If swallowed down its effects may be still more
convincing as to its character If we do not know
anything about chemical tests, shall we therefore
dsbelieve them! Shall we reject history because