Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1850-05-01
Written for the Sentinel.
The Professor Webster Trial.

~ L uNOu " tVO III
The Professor Webster Trial.
This trial, which has made so much noise
Throughout the whole extent of our country,
and created 80 much and so wide spread ex-
element, now that it has been concluded, and
the excited passions of those that participated
in it have Ind time to cool, seems no less like
" to create excitement in the minds of the
bench aud bar of our country, which, for the
sake Of humanity it is to be hoped, will be
somewhat more durable and permanent than
the ~fanatical excitement Of a Boston commu~
nifty.
l propose slightly reviewing this trial. Of
the evidence l shall say nothing; except to ask
whether, from the whole euidence, the finger of
suspicion does not point to another as the mur-
derer of DR.. P'arkman, than Professor Webster!
Who found the pelvis, and arm, and leg? 1t is
now ascertained that this pelvis could not be
forced down the hole of the privy, where it
was found! Who found it and opened the
wall, secretly and alone! Who put the pearl
button into the crucible, where the teeth and
law bone were found? Who directed the Off
GERS to search in the crucible? The pearl butr
ton was uninjured by the HEATH Who got the
$4,000 reward! Who suspected DR.. w. as
early as Saturday? Bnt let all men draw their
own differences, and form their own judgments.
Verify, in all future time, a Boston commu-
nifty is to be dreaded, for they seem to hunger
and THIRST after innocent blood more than after
righteousness, and to them the excitement Of a
criminal prosecution in sthigh life" seems to be
mental aliment for months. Verify, such peu-
rient taste, such abandon, exists to such extent
in no other part Of our country. And this
community, where money seems to be the God
this community, SO full Of crime and venali-
ty-holds up its hands, and with its eyes turn
ed New O~rleanswards, exclaims, aOh, we thank
our God that we are not as other men are, even
IS these poor miserable Orieanois" Hyperion
to Satyr. New Orleans is a wholesome CON-
munity compared to this sam city of Boston.
New Orleans never has, and we trust never
will produce q Littleield; nor has Louisiana
ever yet, and I trust she never may produce, a
chief justice who will so far prostitute the trial
by jury, and destroy the rights Of 2 prisoner, as
to permit 2 juFy in q criminal prosecution, and
that too for a capital offence, to retire without
informing them of this plain axiom in criminal
law: aIn all prosecutions for crime, where the
evidence is circumstantial Or other against the
prisoner, and there be any doubts in your minds
Of his guilt, any doubt ho~erer slight, if it
amounts to a doubt, your duty, your oath re-
quires, and you are bound to give to the priso-
ner the benefit of the doubt, and to acquit
himm HAD Chief Justice Shaw done this in
his charge to the Jury that tried Webster, and
before God it was his duty to have done it, a
perhaps innocent man would have escaped, and
in the course Of time 4 gully man, whoever he
may be, would have been brought to condign
punishment, and the bench and bar of the
country would have been saved the humiliation
of knowing that such a trial so conducted was
ever bad, and that spch a conviction 50 obtain
ed was ever made. The rights of the accused
were forgotten or trampled under foot. His
counsel seem to have wickedly abandoned him,
and drove him to a false position, compelling
him to make in person, IN address to the jury,
which it was their solemn duty to have made.
His counsel occupy no enyiable position before
the world, andI will venture to predict that the
names Of Sohier and Merrick will not be soon
forgotten.
This trial never should be reported in the
books-the quicker it is forgotten the better
let it sink into obliyion-let it never be raised
as precedent, orif raised, let the finger Of scorn
point TO the counsel who raises it. Let all who
participated in this trial endeavor for their own
sakes to conceal the fact; for they will be,
when passion has had time to cool, held up to
the world with loathing and contempt.
/ have examined this trial with great care; l
have read . half dozen different reports of it;
and it is my delibsasss conviction, that if Web
ster is hanged, it viii but be a judicial murder!
A murder for which a fanatical Boston commu'
nifty, f~apatical counsel (on either side) and an
infamous Jury, will be alone responsible.
/ trust for the honor of the land Of the pill
prims. where 80 little Of the original pilgrim
spirit seems to remain, that Gpbernatorial in
terposition may be had, and this judicial MUIR
der stayed, ere it is consummated, by a Cover
nor's pardon,
U. OF BERvILLE.
EE~--LIl
Oh. WHssTER.-The Boston correspondent
Of the Commercial Bulletin says:
Alasge majority of those who attended the
trial, from the start to the termination, express
snrnrisa at the result. and the members Of the