The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-04-19
TRIAL OF A FRATRICIDE.

nero HuS just DCCII Coi'"'uuSu W.
fore the Criminal Court Of this county,
his Honor, Judge Turner, presiding, a
trial for fratricide. the incidents at.
tending the committal of which ex-
coed in horrible and unnatural barbar'
ity almost any thing with which we
have been made acquainted in the
annals Of crime. Briefly stated. the
circumstances are these:
A dispute having occurred relative
to property in some chairs between
Green McLendcn, the criminal, and
his brother George L. McLenden, the
former went to the house of the latter
on the 10Th of May last. and found
him ploughng in the field near by.
Telling the deceased he came for his
things, the latter told him to go to the
house and get them. Green, however,
told the wife Of the former that "hc
came for fuss and would have one,"
and she then called on her husband TO
come to the house. He did not do it
however, but met his brother Eat the
fence" near by, when the attack com.
mcnced on the part of the criminal,
WHO struck the deceased with stick,
and then stabbed him in three places.
He fell, and when the wife ran to his
assistance, and told the monster that
he had killed her husband, he answer.
ed with horrible oath. that if she
crossed the fence "hc would kill her.
also. She doing so, he attacked her.
knocked her down with the club and
beat her severely. 1t was further
given in evidence that when spoken to
on the subject, he said that he "haa
done yhut he meant 10 do'-and when
urged afterwards to look upon his
dead brother, he manifested the most
brutal rage at the proposition. 1t is
altogether one Of the most revolving
cases that ever came before a court
OF Justice, and the probabilities are that
it will 90 hard with the criminal. lie
is apparently forty.two or orty'fve
wears of age, with a careless and
harsh expression of countenancc. yet
hardly in keeping with the fearful
deed of which he stands accused. il
is seldom in ones life that the opportu.
nity is afforded of looking upon the
actor in tragedy so fearful. Even
the terrible Parkman case, which has
made the people of the wide Union
stand aghast, bears no comparison to
the really unnatural horrors OF this
case. here in our very midst. Branded
with the crime Of the "lirst murderer"
il is hard to realise the fact as he sits
by, apparently with hardened indiIlcr
cncc, barely scanning the purposes OF
the court. Ii might he supposed.
rather, that he would welcome the
sentence which would release him
from the scorpion stings of remorsc
for imbrung hands in a brothers blood.
S.-Since the above was in type.
the verdict OF the jury has been rem
dcred, which consigns McLendcn to
the Penitenliary for life, on the ground
Of there having been mitigating cir,
cumstances y
a thousand pities that such wretch
escapes the just punishment OF the
halter, and any thing but omlnous OF
good is such an immunity from the
proper punishment as the law thus
holds out for the blacklist criminallty.
In the able plea of the Attorney Cen
eral, that officer stated the appalling
and significant fact-that in the time
he had acted as such, [some two years
and hali) fifteen cases of homicide
had occurred in his circuit, without a
capital conviction; a fearful evidence
that mistaken mercy to the criminal
must be productive of frightful injus-
tice to society. Life is worth little,
as is thus evidenced, when such
crimes cannot meet adequate punish.
ment.-NashriNc Banner.
NApoLEoN's VETERANs.-A cor
respondent of the Boston Atlas. writ
ing from Paris, describes the follow.
ing scene:
"A strange and ghos,ly spectacle
came athwart our gay and busy
streets, on the anniversary of the
death OF the Emperor Napoleon. The
few remaining relics of that great
or,,y Sonni and whole enough to