New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-08-19

very full and carefully drawn brief in defence
a specious, but almost wholly unsupported story
Of the prisoners appeared all that could be relied
upon in rebuttal Of the evidence for the crown.
according to Edward Drysdale, he merely sought |
Mr.. Bradshaw upon the evening in question for |
the purpose Of concluding with that gentleman
arrangement for the separation Of himself
from his wife and children, and their doIncila-
ton at Rodney Place. 1t was further averred
that he was received with greater civility than
he expected that the interview was long one,
during which he, Drysdale, had seen nobody but
Mr.. Bradshaw, although he believed the aged
and deaf cook was in the kitchen. That he had
arranged that Mrs Drysdale and his children
should be early on the morrow with her UNCLE
and that he had received the money found on his
person and at his house from the deceased 8 own
hands, in order to pay the debt and costs In the
suit wherein execution was about to be levied ON
his furniture, and that the residue was to be ap-
piled to his, the prisoners, own use That the
expressions leposed to by Anne Moody, and his
own and Mrs. Drysda1e's emotion after his return
home, which had told SO heavily against him in
the examinations before the magistrates, were
perfectly reconcileable with this statement-as,
indeed, they were-and did not, therefore, bear
the frightful meaning that had been attached to
| them. With respect to the change Of hats. that
might easily have happened, because his hat had
been left on entering the hall-passage, and in
HIS iiuTf III COMING out ny tne same W5Yi ne
| had no doubt mistaken BerTy's for his own
| but he solemnly denied having been in the room
or near the part OF the house where his hat was
| alleged to have been found This was the gist
OF the explanation; but, unfortunately, twas not
sustained by any receivable testimony in any ma
terial particular. True. Mrs. Drysdale, whom
every body fully believed, declared that this ac-
count exactly coincided with what her husband
told her Immediately on arriving home in the post
| ch phatn nf hot nj f,vbof fctn
the prisoner had told, nor how many times he had
told it, that could avail especially against the
heavy improbabilities that weighed upon his, at
| first view, plausible statement. How was it that,
knowing Mr.. Bradshaw's almost insane dislike
of himself. he did counsel his wife to make
terms with her uncle, preparatory to her return
ing to Rodney Place. And asst at all likely
| that Mr.. Bradshaw, whose impacable humor
Mrs. Drysdale had experienced on the very day
previous to the murder, should have SO suddenly
softened toward the man he SO thoroughly hated
and despised? trow not; and the first CON
sultatlon on the case wore wretchedly dismal
aspect, till the haWk-eye of Mr.. Prince Lit upon
assertion of Thomas Burnhams that he had
gone to Mr.. Bradshaws house upon some par
ticular business at a quarter past twelve on the
night of the murder, and had seen the deceased
alive at that time, who had answered him, as
he frequently did, from his bedroom window
SO Rodney Place. said Mr.. Prince, ss is nine
miles from Drysdales residence. | understood
you to say, Mr.. Sims, that Mrs. Drysdale de.
clares her husband was at home al twenty min
utes to one'"
ssCertainly she does; but the wife's evidence,
you are aware can not avail her husband" i
&c True: but the servant girl! The driver Of
the post-ehaise! This is vital point, and must
be cleared up without delay"
| and Williams, Sims clerk, set off instantly
to see Mrs. Drysdale, who had not left her room
since her husbands apprehension She wa!
confident it was barely so late as twenty min
utes to one when the post-chaise drove up to th'
door. Her evidence was, however, legally in
, admissible, and our hopes rested on Ann,
Moody, who was Immediately called in. Hel
answer was exasperating. She had been asleel
in the kitchen, and could not positively sa.
4 whether is was twelve, one. or two o'clock whel
4 her master reached home. There was still
t chance left-that of the post-chaise driver. II
= did not, we found, reach Exeter, a distance
s three miles only from Mr.. Drysdale till quar-
/, ter to three o'clock, and was then much til
: worse of liquor So much for our chance
|, proving an abb.
/, There was one circumstance perpetually harp
;. ed upon by our bright, one-eyed friend of tn
: Hunters Inn; Cyclops, ! and Williams calle
j him. What had become of n large sumin note
d paid. it was well known, to Mr.. Bradshaw thre
s or four days before his death: What also of
i ruby ring, and some unset precious stones he ha
J brought from abroad, and which he had alway
! estimated, rightly or wrongly, at so high price
t Drysdale's house and garden had been turned in
= side out, but nothing had been found, and so fo
f that matter had been Rodney Place, and its tw
/ remaining inmates had been examined with tn
/ like i'll success. Burnham, who was excessivel,
S dissatisfied with the progress Of affairs, swor
n there was an Internal mystery somewhere, an'
4 that he shouldn't sleep until he had ferreted i
e out. That was his business; ours was to make tn
y best of the wretched materials at our disposal
|, but the result we all expected followed. TIL
q foregone conclusion of the jury that were EN-
k panneed in the case was just about to be formal
J. ly recorded in verdict of guilty, when a hot
L was handed across to Mr.. Sims, One Mr.. Jay,
L timber merchant, who had heard the evidence G
Il the postillion, desired to be examined. This tn
I judge at once consented to, and Mr. Jay deposet
s that having left Exeter in his gig upon pressing
d business, at about o'clock on the morning of th
S murder, he had observed post-chase at TIA
z, edge Of pond about q mile and half out of th
- city, where the .iaded horses had been, he sup
d posed, drinking. They were standing still, AM
| the pOst-boy, who was inside, and had rens t.
t. drive with passed through the front windows
&c was fast asleep--a drunken sleep it seemed, an
II he, Mr.. JAY, had to bawl for some time, an
b strike the chaise with his whip, before he coul
/ awake the man, who, at last, with growl an
~ u Culses uioFc ou. lle peleNeu Duu WOulu nc
4 like to positively swear, that the postillion h
Il had heard examined was that man. This test
mony, strongly suggestive as it was, his lordshi
: opined, did not materially affect the case: tn
1t jury concurred, and verdict of guilty was pre-
IS nounced and recorded amidst the death like s.
A. lence of a hushed and anxious auditory
,rl The unfortunate convict staggered visibly be
ID meath the blow, fully expected, as it must hay
r. been, and terrible spasm convulsed his fee
K lures and shook his frame. 1t passed away
lie and his bearing and speech, when asked VIII;
s. he had to say why sentence of death should NJ
I'd be pronounced according to law, was not Will
l. out certain calm dignity and power, while h
Is tones, temulous, ii is true were siyery and III
IT, assuming as child's.
III $ ! can not blame the gentlemen of the Jury
G. he said. '' Their fatal verdict is, l am sure,
k, conscientious as God and myself know it to
e, erroneous--false Circumstances are, fee
lo strangely arrayed against me- and it has bee
3 my fate through life to be always harshly jud,
le ed. save only by one whose truth and aifectiC
a have shed over my checkered existence the on
l. happiness it has ever known | observed to
h the telling sneer of the prosecuting COUNSEL co
Meeting the circumstances under which I left t
es navy with the co,rordice of the deed with viii
lie | stand here accused-convicted, l suppose,
s. should say. l forgive that gentleman his cru
in sneer as freely as l do you, gentlemen of t
,e jury, your mistaken verdict-you, my lord, t
IN deatl-sentence you are about to pronount
" The manner in which hope to pass through t
ii brief but dark and bitter passage lying betwe