Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-07-05

and justice with her feet of lead, but hands Of
iron, closed gradually upon her quarry. Alfred
Bourbon was arraigned before jury of his coun-
trymen, to answsr finally to the accusation of
willful murder preferred against him.
The evidence, as given before the committing
magistrate, and coroner's inquisition was repeat
ed with some addition of passionate expressions
used by the prisoner, indicative of desire to be
avenged on the deceased. The cross-examina-
ton by The counsel for the defence was able, but
failed to shake the case for the prosecution His
own admission, that no one but himself had ac-
cess to the recess where the poison was found,
told fatally against him. When called upon to
address the jury, he delivered himself a speech
rather than defence of an oratoricOl effnsion
rather than vigorous, and, if possible, damaging
commentary, upon the evidence arrayed against
him. 1t was labored, and in part eloquent ex-
position of the necessary fallibility of human
Judgment, illustrated by numerous examples of
erroneous verdicts His peroration l jotted
down at the time:-
"Thus, my lord and gentlemen of the jury, is
it abundantly manifest, not only by these exam
pies, but by the testimony which every man car
ries in his own breast, that God could not have
wiled, could not have commanded, his creatures
to perform pretended duty, which he vouchsaf-
ed them no power to perform righteously. Oh,
be sure that if he had intended, if he had COM
manded you to pronounce reversible DEGREES
upon your fellow man, quenching that life which
is his highest gift, he would have endowed you
with gifts to perform that duty rightly! Has he
done so? Ask rot alone the pages dripping
with innocent blood which / have quoted, but
your own hearts. Are you, according to the
promise of the serpent-tempter, gods, knowing
good from evil {? of such clear omnisciencc, that
you can hurl an unprepared soul before the tri.
bunal of its Maker, in the full assurance that
you have rightly loosed the silver cord which he
had measured, have justly broken the golden
bowl which he had fashioned Oh, my lore, he
concluded, his dark eyes flashing with excite
ment is it possible that the first announcement
of my innocence of the crime, to which you will
give credence, may be proclaimed from the aw-
full tribunal of him who alone cannot err! How
if he, whose eye is even now upon US, should
, then proclaim, ], too, sat in judgment on the
J day when you presumed to doom your fellow
: worm; and saw that the murderer was not in
, the dock but on the bench' Oh, my lord, think
well of what you do--pause ere you incur sucl
fearful hazard for be assured, that for all thest
!, things, God will also bring you to Judgment"
"A Vesasss HOGS -4rs l.s,is -.-s..4-a.aa4 HI
= farvid declamhti6n produced considerable in
: preston on his auditory, but it soon disappear
: ed before the calm impressive charge of thu
judge who renssured the startled jury, by re
mindng them that their duty was to honestly ex
y ecute the law, not to dispute about its Justice
For himself he said, sustained by pure con-
science, he was quite willing to incur the haz
ard limited at by the prisoner, After a careful
and luminous summing up the jury, with very
slight deliberaton, returned verdict of " gull
ty."
AS the words passed the lips of the foreman
of the jury, piercing shrek rang through the
court 1t proceeded from tall figure in black
who, with closely drawn veil, had sat motionless
during the trial. just before the dock. 1t was
the prisoners mother. The next instant she
rose, and throwing back her veil, wildly excam
ed, /" He is innocent, tell ye | a
lone"
Smother! mother for the love of heaven be
: silent !" shouted the prisoner with frantic vehe
mence, and stretching himself over the front O.
he dock, as if to grasp and restrain her.
"Innocent, tell you !" continued the woman
. oil alone am the guilty person! 1t was
alone that porpetrated the deed He knew i
not, suspected it not, till it was too late. Here
), she added, drawing sheet of paper from he
bosom" here is my confession, with each cir
cumstance detailed"
n As she waved it over her head, it was snatch
v ed by her son, and, swift as lightning, torn tt
7 shreds. "She is mad Heed her not-heievt
e ner not He III VIC Sdlil0 tlUlC sHOulcu ~ le lO
l. of his powerful voice. " She is distracted-mad
;. now my lord, your sentence Come"
u The tumult and excitement in the court, n
d language which can employ would convey a
to adequate impression Of. As soon as calm wa
partially restored, Mrs. Bourbon was taken int
Ill custody; the prisoner was removed and the coul
rs was adjourned, of course, without passing sen
tence.
| 1t was even as his mother said Subsequer
l. investigation, aided by her confessions, ampl
al proved that the fearful crime was conceived an
y perpetrated by her alone, in the frantic hope
n securing for her idoized son the hand and fo
h tune of Miss Armitage. She had often bee
en- present with him in his labFatory, and had be
come acquainted with the uses to which certai
k. agents could be put. She had purloined tn
is key of the recess, and he TOO late to prevent I'll
Id perpetation of the crime, had by mere accidel
II. discovered the abstraction of the poison. H
ps subsequent declarations had been made for til
n purpose of saving his mothers life by the sacr
C. fee of his own
ur The wretched woman was mol reserved to ia
IL before the justice of her country. The hand
lis God smote her ere the scaifold was prepared f
he her; she was smitton with frenzy, and died IA
ds ing in the Metropolitan Lunatic Asylum. A
ly fred Boudon, after heightened imprisonmel
er was liberated. He called on me, by appoil
III ment, few days previous to leaving this cou
ii, try forevcri and | placed in his hands SIN
fe ocket Bible, on the ly-eaf of which was wr
lat pten one word " Ellen" Ills dim eye lighted
lie with something of its old fire as it glanced at
= characters; he then closed the book, placed
OF in his bosom, and waving me mute farewell