The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-03-22
BY SPECIAL EXPRESS /!
TRIAL OF DIR. Y. P. COOLIDGE.
For the Murder of
EDWARD MATHEWS.
REPORTED EXCLUSIVELY FOR
ssTHE NORTHERN TRIBUNE.'

Rnt no nnoaooi ,;tnosS ~ S,roar ~ has syorn tbt
he could tell what under all circumstances would
no tbo ,rodcod oft. do,tb in all coces
of natural disease rbev cannot saw that the an
nearance of the stomach liver or hra;n was mech.
liar to deaths nroSpced bvrtbis ACID Deaths from
nnonleyv and other canses nrodnce similar annear-
oncrs One Of tho Government ,y;tness,s ba. sworn
that acid annI;ed of}er do,;h would produce tho
same ,nnoarance II n;nGlas cbem;calv with tho
Hood IA nonot,,tas th, srstern Now this bodv
was cynosedunder an omen sbed aad in the omen
AR for some time
The next mart re,;ed rnor 10 tho. ndor Convict
"a man upon an odor One witness swears that he
,de,octed an odor in tho hro;n hnt Ala not know
svbst II was. sf,erv,rJs from sn,eiling Of the
hr,irs Of yor;ors Jors ond c,ts b Lnayr that tho
sodor be 5;scovered in the hrap of Mathews was
that of nruss;c acid Is tbs testimony tn he relied
,on7 The otbar yvitrosses 40 not arrea no tc the
s,dor ,Tbev have sworn that this odor is volatile
.escanes nnicklv from, a 1eadhnfv and in obouT 90
hours ader deoth II will bo wholly onne II liz
more easily detected immediately after death than
afterwards Vet NO one nretends that when this
bodv was opened anv one discovered the odor of
7Druss,c acid. IF i had been there. il shouM have
been strong enouqh to have been detected by the
most IGNORANT person Vet. 60 bor.s after death
the odor of brandy is changed to that of prussic
acid. 1t is admitted that if the acid had been put
into the bodv at anv fine before the narts were last
examined the results would have been the same.
Mr. NJ arpued that there wns mo certainty herr, and
that if not certain the iury is bound to acuuit
Mr. N. then proceeded to consider the evidence
with regsrd to the prisoner being connected with
the crime Here also the evidence is circumstan-
>tial. And IL any other hypothesis is consistent
with the facts nroyed the nrsoner ropst he acaut
ted What facts do the government prove conoect-
ing the prisoner with the murder9 Mr.. N. con-
tended that they had failed here Here also he ex-
cluded the Testimony of Flint--the law will ex-
.clude it-tbe common sense of the 1ury will ex-
,clude Il.
With regard to the inquiries made by the prison.
Ger of Robinson. any one might have made them
They nrove nothing Resides Robinson made no
asoch statements before the INQUEST The fact even
is in doubt.
As ia the testimony of Gray: supposinp it to be
believed it is strange. incoherent Mr. n. asked if
an innocent man mirht not have made similar re-
marks In;udcious persons NAV make statements
and take means to clear themselves of suspicion
when innocent which should not have much weight.
The same NAV he believed of the conversation with
Gilman. At such a time a man would be as likely
to say one thing as another; declarations made by
susnec rcd nersons after the fact are proved nv his
tory in the hooks not to be relied moon In one
case. an uncle wko brought I'D child was address
sed by the cbild-"Good uncle do not kill me- and
the child afterwards not to be found The
Court directed him to bring the child forward at
the neYt time This he could not do but brouqht
another child like her. but which was shown moi to
ne the same On this fact he was convicted and
executed hut the child WAS afterwards Eound
Mr. N. commented on the fact that Gray him.
self was suspected and had said that he would not
have said what he did but for that fact
Mr.. N, then smoke of the facts with regard to
Mathews that evening. He is proved to have left
the Parker House about 5-went to Dr. C's Office
and was seen at Williams n few minutes after g.
He probably went there after leaving the office.
After that he was again at the Parker House. and
did uot leave till quarter before g. But the young
in the Office heard no one go up stairs after the
hoy came up from below. They did not leave till
after9 Coolidge was seen by John Bowe under
the hall at quarter past y; 1t Mathews LETT the
Parker House quarter before y, now is 1t that he
did not reach tnese III ~ minutes a''er after the
young men ieftY IL was only 10 rods from the
Parker House to the ONCE. Mr. N. said there was