The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-12-20

cefsner's Enqusat--4he Parlzmap case.
The telegraph informs rs that the Jury Of inquest
held over the supposed remains Of Or. Parkman,
brought in verdict Of murder against Dr.. Webster
We have been previously told thatthe reporters were
excluded from noon of ts coroneF's jury and as
she telegraph say nothing 10 the evidence adau-
eed on te examination, we are led to suppose that
tie verdict has been published, while the testimony
on which it is founded has not heen made public
An example Of the same sort was recently furnihhed
by coroner's jury in New Orleans and the unu.
sual course Of the inquest in regard to the explosion
q The steamboat Louisiana attracted public atten.
non and public apprehension II was hardly neces.
safy tomake any comments on the conduct Of the
Jury "a the case Of the louisiana, inasmueh as the
officers Of the boat were dismissed, after prelimi
nary exaHsizs9inn before the Commissioner Of the
United States. But the Boston case following. 50
cio1e on the heels Of the Louisiana verdict, il be-.
comes duty 70 enter protest against the practice
q ioEestalling popular opinion BY PUBLISHING the
verdict Of a coroneF's jury when the evidence on
which it is rendered is withheld. Especially is
such q publication of the verdict unjust and i'm
proper, when delivered in such specific terms as
were the verdcts in the cases Of the steamboat Lou
isiana and Of DE- Parkman
The practice lately witnessed at the two extrepi
ties Of the Naturalization and New Orleans-can
only result from confusion Of thedutjes of a cero
ner's inquest with those Of a grand jury Both in
the Parkman and Louisiana ease, the eoroners iiry
has assumed the functions Of a grand Jury. and
found true bills before any charges had eeniegally
brought against those declared obe criminal. The
eoroHers jury has, it is true, perfect right to sft
in secret session; it may follow the practice Of
grand juries in this respect. Butthe cofoners itry
transcends its powers when it arraigns persons as
criminals before the bar ofpuBlic opinion let il
Keep within lis Just limits, and declare the manner
u which person found dead has come by his death
Let 1t say whether the death was brought about by
iseases by accident, or BY violence But let it not
usurp the prerogasive Of grand infy, and point out
the oriminal-7at least the supposed. eriminal--as
well as the means and instrhments by which The
deceased eame 10 bis death.
The termination Of the proceedings before, Com
missioner Baldwin, in the case Of e'captain and
engineer Of the Louisiana, shows how repfehensible
| was the conduct Of the jury which declared the
parties guilty Of gross carelessness and negligence
on the faith Of an investigation carried on secret
aud never made public The officers of the Lousi-
ana went before the Commissioner with the pre-
judgment Of a jury against them and vet the
]
lreAsotion and deliberaflon. The publication Of a
verdict by jury, when the case excites much pub
lie attention feeling when tile verdict
is unattended by the testimony never fail to
damage lhe chances fora. fair andimparlal trial
Il The grand jury, even, does-not assume such a
range Of assertion as that which has been taken
by the coroners lres in Massachusetts and LOUISE
ana. A bill Of charges is placed before a grand
Ejury, and they are required 70 say whether the
probability is for or against fhe truth of the Rccusa
! tons There is no such accuracy in the statement
Of propositions before coroners jury as before the
grand jury; and The eoroner's jury, not satisfied
with simple declaration Of probabilities, announce
thar man is or is not guilty Of murder manslaugh
ter, or any other crime they may fancy has been
committed.
In the case Of DR.. Par5nan, the finding of the
coroner jury isabsuFd, and altogelheruniust The
/ jury must have Been acting under the influence of
! popular excitement; for, as far as we have yet
heard there is no proof Sufficient to justify men in
saying positively that the body found in the Boston
Medical Collegeyris the body of the missing DR..
Pafkman. Sun less is it possible to assert, with
any justice, that De- Parkman was Murdered by
Prof Webster; andits an arrant piece of cruelty to
FIX the crnne-if Dr. PaTkInan has really been muir
dered-on any individual, when the circumstances
are as yet so mysterious and obscure. Nor can il
be said that the eoroner's jury has any more evil
dence than is in possession Of the public. With the
excitement which prevails at Boston, it is impossible
for any essential testimony torsmain- secret The
experience Of the last fourdays teaches Us how diff
cult it is fer such mattsfsto be kept from the public,
: even when guarded by the sanetity Of an oath.
Il We cannot bring ourselves to believe that Prof
Webster is guilty Of the-crme Of which the coro.
ners jury have SO oeiousIy and UNNECESSARILY con
e veted him. We cannot belisvesthai humanity has
e been SO outraged-that a man so strongly pledged
l. ftoihe supporter law al Dr. Webster was, could be
tempted into the commission Of so foul crime. We
will not be readily convinced that Science has beer
= degraded by the fall Of so distinguished adscpl
4 as the Profsssorof Chemistry in the Medical, De
8 pa9ment Of Harvard University o.
lie