Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1850-04-11
whole community Of the United States will
ask, and which will be asked all over the
world. II is question also which must
be answered.

CouNlCtlou VI " 'UstcI
is directly in violation of the rules Of law, |
and a monstrous outrage Of Justice. AS to |
whether he is guilty OF the oGtntc charged /
upon hun, we know not, neither is tie Sc
cret entrusted in human heart save his
own, and Liltlefeld's, probably, if the for
mer 10 guilty. This fearful secret is in
the possession Of the great Judge Of the
world. Professor Webster has been lle-
galy convicted. and, if he should be cxecu-
ted, we envy no, the Jury their fu,nre re.
feciions, aud their harrassing thoughts
they invoked Gods holy presence a. wit
ness that they would uy the cause accord
ing 10 ia,e and the cridcncc given ;hcm.-
Have they sacredly performed this duty
No. And why have they no, The only
reason which we can conceive of is that
they dare no, oppose What they conceive
TO be an exasperated public opinion, aud,
!, therefore, they have basely cringed TO ,ha,
foul demon of human infrml,y--rubic
opinion. The only proof as TO the identity
of the remains was that OF the Dentist,
whose testimony was preposterous IN The
extreme il is the extent of absurdiiy for
any man to pretend TO swear TO his work,
after it had been in a hot fire for length
of time, ard The testimony OF DR.. Morton
fully sustains us in this position, which is
plain, common sense one. What other
proof is there of Identity! None, under
heaven. Not the first particle can be found
throughout, the whole trial, from among the
sixty Witnesses. All the other testimony
is vague and indefinite, some OF which has
an apparent bearing on the case, and much
of is altogether too vague aud indefinite
10 place any reliance upon, when It's con-
alteration is 10 effect the life OF human
being. Now we ask any one TO SIT down
the whole mass Of testimony" darker AMI
darker in lis characler," as it was said, and
poip, us TO the first Ink that bears against
the prisoner. 1t cannot be found 1T 'cdS
not or ,duced by the Government. How
then stands the case Why at least six
unimpeachcd and unmpoac able Witnesses
swear in the most positive AMI direct trrms
that they saw DR. Parkman, on the day oi
his disap; earance, at different sections oi
the city, and at different hours, varying
from O'Clock 10 haf past o'clock, /.
Nj. Now the Governmen, charged thai DE-.
Parkman entered the Medical College on
that day, the 23d .! November, at from 10
to Is minutes before | O'Clock, noon, ana
that he never came out again hcic are
six credible wiines es swearing to lhe con-
,rsrv. and showing that if DIR. Parhman
won, into the College at the time stated,
he mos, certainly was not murdered i'll Wd'
interview, because he was seen as late as
between two and three hours after" ards
Is il contended tha, he went to the College
afterwards No. The appearance OF Dr.
Parknan was SO peculiar that it would be
almost morally impossible for any one t"
be mistaken in regard to seeing HI n, par
ticularly when he bowed to one Of the Wit
nesses and sho returned il, AMI others pass
cd near TO him. We say, then, that THIS
Jury arc guilty of great wrong; that they
have condemned a II an TO an lgnomlnlons
dea,h, w,hou, legal proof, against legal
proof, and in direct violation OF the laws
which govern criminal trials.
A thousand guilty men, aye, even though
.hcy were crimsoned vi h blood, had bet
ter escape Just punishment, than one inno-
cen, man should die on the gailo"s.
DIR. Parkman was a nan of many eccen-
,rci,ies,-hc has previously "andered
from home, and he may have done the
same thing a, this time. Now, If Professor
Webster should be executed, what would
BE- the feelings of those in whom the attn
bu,e of Mercy, as it is termed, is stored, II,
in the course of a few months, DIR. Park
man should again make his appearance or
his remains should be found No justice,
no a,onemen, could rel air the enormous
wrong inflicted upon Proie'osr WeS''e' S
distracted family No arm could draw
him from the grave, and restore him to
life AGAIN. The swift witness LittIeheld
m;oh, shed more of his convenient tears,
but no act of his, this side The grave cou'd
atone for hs.enormity, or make repara'lon
for the fearful wrong whrh his oiiicious-
ness had helped to effect,
Il is for these considerations that we say
Professor Webster has been Illegally con-
ycted, and if his sentence IS carried Ia'o
execution, it will be the foulest instance OF
deliberate judicial murder iha. has ever dis
oraced this earth. II Massachusetts per
mi,s this sentence to be enforced, it will be
the blackes tand mos, inde!lble stain which
has ever rested upon her character, and nd
futare act on her part can ever obh'era'c IL
We have no sicky sympathy for crlmi
nals-we have no mawkish abhorrence o
the palows-we never wrote line or ~
tered a word against capital punishment
bu, we speak now from sense OF duty
and in support of law and justice ou
blood curdle- a, the thought that man
Lt '.od srnu, Gfe because an CNas