The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-05-29
From the prisoners Friend" for April.
Circumstautial Evidence.

Circumstautial Evidence.
We know not when more singular case has
been presented than the following from an Eng
lish paper. 1t shows how likely judges and jn-
rors are TO be Mistaken and how often the inno-
cent have been convicted:
90 A young gentleman, articled to an attorney
in London, tried on five indictments for diff
ferent acts Of theft A person resembling the
prisoner in size and general appearance had call
ed a, various shops in the metropolis, for the pur-
pose Of looking at jewclry, books, and other ar
tcles, wrh the pretended intention Of making
purchases. but made off with the property pac
ed before him while the shop-keepcrs were en-
gagged in looking out the other articles. I'm each
Of these cases the prisoner positively identi-
fed by several persons, while in majority of
them an aii6i was clearly and positively estab-
lshed, and the young man was proved to be Of
orderly habits and irreproachabe character, and
Mnder no temptation, from want Of money, TO re-
sort 10 acts Of dishonesty. Similar depredations
on other tradesmen had been committed by a per-
son resembling the prisoner, and those persons
proved that, though there was a considerable re-
,semblance TO the prisoner, he was not the person
who had robbed them. The prisoner was con-
.victed on enc Indictment, but acquitted on all the
.others; ami the Judges and jurors who tried the
.ihree last cases expressed their conviction that
the prosecutor had been robbed by another per-
imeaiately procured in respect of that charge on
which the conviction had taken place. ~
:: Not many months before the last mentioned
case, respectable young man was tried for high
way robbery committed In the neighbOrhood ef
Bethnal Green. in which neighborhood both he
and the prosecutor resided. The prosecutor swore
positively that the prisoner was the man who
robbed him of his watch. The counsel for the
prisoner called a gcnteel young woman, TO whom
rba
which proved complete abb. The prosecutor
was then ordered out Of court, and in the inter-
val another young man, of the name Of Green
wood, who awaited his trial on a capital charge
OF felony, was Introduced, and placed by the side
of the prisoner. The prosecutor was again pIac-
cd in the witness box, and addressed thus: ssRe-
member, sir, the life Of this young man depends
upon yorr reply to the question am about TO put
VIII you swear again that the young man at the
bar 10 the person who assaulted you!" The wit
ness turned towards the dock, when, behoiding
two men 50 near alike, he became peirified with
astonisifment, dropped his hat, and was speech
less fore time, but at length declined wearing TO
either The young man was Of course acquitted.
Greenwood was tried for another offence and ex-
ecuted and few hours before his death &C
knOwledged that he had committed the robbery
with which the other was charged. VI
The UPPER MIssIssIPPI-The editor Of
the Sheboygan Democrat, who has been taking
trips through our State and up the Mississippi,
gives his experience up that way as follows
Among the steam craft that navigate the Mis-
sissippi as high as St. Paul, are the Danube, Ex-
celsior, DIR. Franklin No. l, DIR. Franklin No. 2,
Nominee, Yankee and Experiment. With one
or two exceptions, these large, we-furnished
steamers, atfordmg all the accommodations of the
best boats on the Lakes, while they make muci,
better time, as they draw less water. ,,, 49,,
We have lately returned from very pleasan,
trip on the Excelsior, on the Mississippi, Of about
four hundred miles and must say we were much
delighted with the manner in which things were
done up in that region. The commander of lbis
boat, Capt. Ward, is a very worthy gentleman
and is sure 10 have the good will Of bis passen-
gers:
There Il much travel up the river this spring
more, it is said, than at any former period. The
northwestern part Of this State, the Territory oil
Minnesota, and the northern part of Iowa, are
being settled very rapidly. 1870. -
SPoNoE TRADE OF KEY WEsr.-The
sponge trade is creating quite sensation ia ouI
midst. A large number Of our citizens are en-.
gagged IN procuring it, and are reaping handsome
reward for their labor. The sponge is cured and
brought into market and sold to our merchants fo
New York consumption, where they are mann.
factu ing beautiful article of cloth from it, The
the article commands in this market from ter
10 twelve cents per pound, and first rate article
well cured and attended TO will bring even more
There 10 always demand for it, and il woulc
not surprise us TO see it. at no distant day one O
the principal commodities &c our section.-lKe;
West Gazrtte. ~ SIS n IS -
A very Interesting controversy is going on be
tween Greeley and Willis, on the question wheth.
er American ladies' paint and rouge or not
Greeley afhrms that in his opinion, they dc not
Willis thinks that an examination of the Statistic.
Showing the actual sale Of aids to the complcrior
on fhis side Of the ocean, would dispeI any such
illusion. Greeley thinks painting and all attempt.
10 improve the complexion wrong per Sc, ant
calls It's juggiery if woman attempts to appea
otherwise than as God made her. Willis. i, re-.
ply, says if such things are positive dishonesty
there are serious sins committed with cotton
and insinuates his belief that there is no more sir
inpainting, than there is in fascinating with tis
Cfe Dhfch at might hangs orcr the chair sssg =
That will do. We think Willis has him.
[Colnmbus Journal. 1 4es
DEsrRucrIon or THE EeYprrAs PYnA
MxDs AND TEMPLEs-A correspondent Of ths
london Athenaam. says that the northern pyra.
mid Of Dashsnr is now in progress Of being con.
verted into stone quarry, 10 order 10 buiid some
new palace or villa in the neighborhood !; tht
tom5s Of Sakkara are used for the same purp,se
the mounds of Abydus are ransa,ked for buiIdiny
materials; the temple OF Erlnent is going for ,he
same purpose; and two tsInpics have, within The
lat six wears, been knocked Down, and the ma.
tesiale removed from near Sheikh Faai, entirely
without the Knowledge of travellers, to whom.
Indeed, they have remained utterly unknown un-
ii now that they no longer exist.