The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-10-08
@s CINCINNATI, Q, FRI OCTOBER 8, 1852.

| pleasant way by the witnesses, John 6
| William Clarke, and Thomas dfa4iII
came forward in favor Of Squires Money
was collected to prosecute them for perjury
Dreading the strength Of the popular current
against them, they had to incur great expense
in preparation for their defense. Before the
day Of trial, however, some Of Canning's
champions began TO feel misgiving, aud no
prosecutor appeared. Theeounsel for the ac-
cused complained bitterly Of the hardship Of
their position They had incurred great ex-
pense. They felt that it was necessary for the
complete removal Of the stain of perjury
thrown on their character, that there should
be a trial. They said they had witnesses
"ready 70 give their testimony with such clear,
ample, convincing circumstances as would de-
mand universal assent, aud fully prove the
innocence of the three defendants, and the
falsity of Elizabeth Canning's story in every
particularly; whereas, without a trial, all
would be virtually lost to the accused who,
instead Of obtaining a triumphant acquittal,
might be suspected of having agreed TO some
dubious compromise. -
Mrs. Squires was at length convicted, and
had judgment of death. But Sir Crisp Gas
coyne, the Lord Mayor of London, who was
nominally at the head Of the commission for
trying Sguires, believed that she was the vic
tim OF falsehood and public prejudice. Here
solved to subject the whole question to search
ing investigation, and to obviate, if possible,
the scandal to British institutions, oil perpe-
trating judicial murder, even though the VIC
tim should be among the most obscure Of the
inhabitants of the realm. In the first place,
an inquiry was instituted by the law officers
Of the crown, the result Of which was, that the
woman Squires received royal pardon. The
Lord Mayor, however, having satisfied him
self that the poor woman had but narrowly
escaped death from the perfidious falsehood Of
| Elizabeth Canning, aided by an outbreak Of
popular zeal, was not content with the gypsy
womans escape, but thought that an example
| should be made Of her prosecutor. Accord
! ingly, although he was met with much Oblo-
! guy, both verbal and written-for controversial
| pamphlets were published against him as an
! enemy of Elizabeth Canning-he resolved to
| bring this popular idol to jnstice.
On the 29th Of April, l754, she was brought
to trial for willful and corrupt perjury, Her
trial lasted to the 18th Of May. 1t is one Of
the longest in the collection called the State
4 Trials, and is a more full and elaborate in
quiry than the trial of Charles |. The case
made out was complete and crushing, and the
perfect clearmess with which the whole truth
connected with the movements from day to day,
and from hour to hour, Of people in the hum
blest rank, was laid open, shows the great ca
pabilities Of OurpubliC jury system for getting
at the truth. Onepart Of the case was the ab-
surdity of Elizabeth Canning's story, and its
4 inconsistency in minute particulars, with It.
self and with the cOncomitant facts. When
the first description Of the room, i'll which she
said she was shut up, was compared with the
full survey Of it afterwards undertaken, i'm
portant and fatal discrepancies were proved.
She professed to have been unable to see
anything going on in the house from her place
of confinement, but in the room at Enfield
Wash there was a large hole through the floor
| for a jack-rope, which gave full view Of the
kitchen, where theinmates Of the house chiefly
resorted. She professed to describe every
article in the room she was confined in, bat
she had said nothing Of a very remarkable
| chest of drawers found in that which she iden :
titled as the same. That this piece of furni-
turc had not been recently there, was made
evident by the damp dust gluing it to the
wall, and the host of spiders which ran from
| their webs when it was removed. She had
escaped by stepping on penthouse but there
| was none against the garTet OF Mrs. Wells
4 house, the windows were high, and she could
not have leaped to the ground without severe
injury. She stated that no one had entered
the room during the four weeks of her i'm
pFisOnment, but it was shown that during the
! period, lodger had held an animated con
versation from one oil the windows Of the
identical garret, with somebody occupied in
! looping wood outside. Nay, a person had
bboH luut hOtldil, WIN LHb OQu uhulB Oi
Natis, in bed in that very room, His reason
for entering it was curious one, which has
almost an historical bearing. He went to try
the iron work of sign which had once hung
in front OF the house, and lay in the garret.
/ The sign had been taken down when the Jac-
Obite army penetrated into England, in the
rebellion Of 1745. Probably it had been Of a
character likely to be offensive to the JaeObites
and its removal is little incident showing
how greatly the country apprehended reYo-
luton in favor Of the Stuarts.
Il These discrepancies were however, far from
being the most remarkable part of the evidence.
Not content with showing that Elizabeth Can
4 ming had told falsehoods, the prosecutor set to
the laborloHs task Of proving where the gipsy
woman had been, along with her son and
daughter, charged as her accomplices, during
the time embraced by the more active part Oi
Elizabeth narrative. From the vagrant hab-
its Of the race, evidence to the most minute
particulars had thus to be collected over large
! range of country and the precision with which
the statements OF a multitude Of peOple--oi
different ranks and pursuits, and quite un-
! known to each other, as we'll as TO the person
they spoke 0f--are fitted to each other, is very
striking and interesting. The most trifhng
aud unconseqnential looking facts tell with
wonderful precision on the result. Thus a
lodging house keeper remembered the woman
bfHAApa bSAAla IA AAGis AtOb1b Vu a CSidaAu
and she made 1t sure by an entry In an account
book as to which she remembered that she had
! consulted the almanac that she might put down
! the right day. The day Of the woman's pres
enee in another place was identical, with the
presence OF an excise surveyor, and the state
i ments Of the witnesses were tested by the ex'
else entry books. The position Of the wander
ers was In another instance connected with the
, posting Of letter, and the post office clerks
bore testimony to the fact, that from the marks
: on the letter It must have been posted on that
! day. It was, as we have seen, on the first Of
january that Elizabeth Canning said she was
seized. The Journey Of the Gypsy family Il
III traced from the preceding December down e
1 the 24th Of January, which was the day o.
Q their arrival at Enfield Wash. Thus fortified
; eounteracting facts Of an unquestion-ble ma
: ture, the counsel for the prosecution felt him
9 self in 3 position to turn the whole story intS
: fidicnle, and show the innate absurdity o.
y What I'll London Aadso EesOlutely believed.